St. Joseph Altar society on bourbon street
1028 Bourbon Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70116
St. Joseph Altar Society Bourbon Street NOLA
The St. Joseph Altar Society on Bourbon Street Inc. wishes to acknowledge with sincere gratitude the receipt of a Threadhead Cultural Foundation grant. The Threadhead Cultural Foundation recently posted the following below announcement of the award of the grant to the St. Joseph Altar Society.
The 16th THCF Grant this round goes to the St. Joseph Altar Society on Bourbon Street to support this unique annual cultural event. The St. Joseph Altar was first erected in the 1000 Block of Bourbon Street on March 19, 2010, after a devastating fire that severely damaged the residence at 1028 Bourbon Street where the event was previously held annually indoors for a number of years. The St. Joseph Altar Society on Bourbon Street, Inc. (the “Society”) was formed as a non-profit organization in March 2016 and was recognized as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. Since 2010 the event has grown annually. In 2025, over 650 people attended the event to enjoy the Sicilian tradition of honoring St. Joseph, the patron saint, with Italian and Opera music performed each year by the musical troupe, Bon Operatit, In addition to the musical performance, the street altar is blessed by a local Catholic priest, followed by the serving of homemade, traditional Lenten foods. The annual St. Joseph Altar and other Society events amplify the traditions and culture of the Italian/Sicilian community in New Orleans. To learn more about this event go to www.stjosephaltarnola.org and check out our mission and how to support it go to www.thcfnola.org!
About St. Joseph
St. Joseph Day
St. Joseph Day is March 19th. The annual event attendance has grown each year with over 650 people attending in 2019. The 2019 St. Joseph Day Altar was the 10th anniversary for the street festival after the devastating fire that occurred on Mardi Gras Day, February 16, 2010. The tradition of the home altar commenced at the Marino Residence in 1986 as a small gathering to honor St. Joseph and to give thanks for Tony’s passing of the Louisiana State Bar exam in 1985. Since that time the event has grown each year in size and number of attendees and devotees of St. Joseph.
The St. Joseph Altar Society needs the help and support of family, friends and the community to continue this tradition.
The St. Joseph Altar Society is reaching out for your assistance to underwrite this event to keep the event free and open to our many friends who honor St. Joseph. Donations can be made by check, payable to “St. Joseph Altar Society on Bourbon Street, Inc.” and mailed to (i) 1028 Bourbon Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70116; or (ii)via secure on-line transaction through Venmo, Cashapp, or PayPal.
Media
St. Joseph’s Altars in the Home
Tony Marino has been hosting a Saint Joseph Altar in New Orleans since 1986 in gratitude for passing the Attorney Bar Exam. Lily Elkins of the Beauregard-Keyes House discusses bringing back the tradition popular during the Giacono era of the BK House during the Little Palermo era of the French Quarter. Interviewed by Charles Marsala of AWE News.
Saint Joseph Altar 2011 on Bourbon St
Vieux Carre!
Tony Marino speaking about the St. Joseph Altar on a program called Quarter Kaleidoscope sponsored by the BK House and Vieux Carre Property Owners Residents & Associates Inc. (VCPORA). Held in October 2024
Poppy Tooker Podcast Altars, Beans & Cuccidati
https://www.poppytooker.com/this-weeks-show/2023/3/17/altars-beans-amp-cuccidati
March 19th might be just another day in other parts of the United States, but here in New Orleans it's a day when revelers take to the streets in honor of the Feast of St. Joseph. The tradition of food altars dedicated to Jesus' foster father came to the Crescent City in the late 1800s with immigrants from Sicily, where Joseph is the patron saint. What was called Mi-Carême (or Mid-Lent by the Creoles) was a day when fasting was suspended and festivities abounded. On this week's show, we explore the holiday and join in on the celebration.
Tony Marino's family were faithful followers of St. Joseph, and today, he keeps the tradition alive at his Bourbon Street home in New Orleans' French Quarter. We sit down with Tony to hear what it takes to pull off his annual street party, complete with altars and a life-sized statue of St. Joseph.
Then, Arthur Brocato, third generation of Angelo Brocato's Ice Cream and Confectionary, joins us to share his family's history and explain the special role Brocato's has played in the St. Joseph's Day celebration. Founded in the French Quarter in 1905, the gelateria and pasticceria continues those traditions today on Carrollton Avenue in Mid-City.
Finally, historian Laura Guccione joins us to reveal what she's discovered about the fancy dress balls that were once part of the St. Joseph tradition and to explain the mystical tie between the feast day and the Mardi Gras Indians.