Bishop Tobin on Saint Joseph

"For a lot of people, the most important thing about the Feast of St. Joseph are the zeppole. Without a doubt Rhode Island is the zeppole capital of the universe. We really like our zeppole here, don't we?

"For uninitiated readers who might not be familiar with the term, a zeppola (singular) is basically a cream puff. A more detailed description is found in Wikipedia: 'A zeppola is an Italian pastry consisting of a deep-fried dough ball of varying size but typically about 4 inches in diameter. This doughnut or fritter is usually topped with powdered sugar, and may be filled with custard, jelly, cannoli-style pastry cream, or a butter-and-honey mixture. The consistency ranges from light and puffy, to bread or pasta-like.'

"For some reason, zeppole are connected to the Feast of St. Joseph on March 19 and, in fact, are also called 'Bigne di San Giuseppe.' I don't know their history but it doesn't matter. Zeppole are really good. In the food family they must be related to potato chips because it's hard to eat just one. And the fact that they always appear during the dietary deprivation of the Lenten Season makes them even better - tempting, seductive, almost sinful.

"While we enjoy our Zeppole, however, I hope we won't ignore the real star of the day-– St. Joseph himself, spouse of the Virgin Mary and foster-father of Jesus.

"St. Joseph, or course, is one of the central figures of the Bible, a key player in the story of our redemption. St. John Paul II wrote a beautiful pastoral letter about St. Joseph entitled 'Redemptoris Custos,' or 'Guardian of the Redeemer.' There he says: 'The whole Christian people not only will turn to St. Joseph with greater fervor and invoke his patronage with trust, but will also keep before their eye his humble, mature way of serving and taking part in the plan of salvation.'"

In a recent commentary, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, of the Diocese of Providence (RI), reflected on Saint Joseph and on two virtues we can learn from him - faith and trust.

To access Bishop Tobin's complete essay, please visit:

Without A Doubt: Rhode Island, the Zeppole Capital of the Universe (17 MAR 15)