St. Joseph's Altar Ideas

We're preparing our St. Joseph's Altar for tomorrow, and we've been working on something I'd like to share!

Traditionally on St. Joseph's Altar, there are symbolic pastries made in the shapes of crosses, ladders, staffs, sandals, doves, flowers, fish, and more! They're decorated with dry fig, and are not always eatable. Here is an example of the 'real thing' (You can find a recipe here)

So we made our own simple version using fig newtons :-)

Here's How:

Cut your symbol in with a little knife. (use caution

when working with knives)

Then pry out the unwanted area.

Keep picking out the remaining crumbs with the end of

the knife until leaving only the dark fig. Voila!

I made a cross, fish, monstrance, heart, and chalice.

If I were you I'd keep the designs simple. I don't think that little kids could do this, but older kids could.

Have you heard of fava beans? They were food for cattle, but in times of famine one was considered lucky to have them to eat. They're very traditional to have on St. Joseph's Altar. We don't actually have any real fava beans, but we did make this craft:

Great northern beans worked well because they're light in color. It would have been good to have something bigger. Suggestions? Be sure to use card stock because regular paper is really too flimsy. For younger kids, write "FAVA" in glue first and just let them stick on the beans.

Come back tomorrow to see our whole altar, or head over the Evann's St. Joseph's Altar Blog Fest tomorrow- we'll be there! :-)

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