Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Burying St. Joseph

Since we have had a break in the weather today, I had a chance to get out and wrap a few loose ends in the yard. I planted the pansies I bought two weeks ago before it snowed. I wanted to fill the window box on the potting shed and put a couple on the front porch for a cheery greeting. I put a final coat of paint on the trim around the window in the potting shed door too.
Then I dug a little hole in the ground in the newly bark dusted backyard. There is a somewhat questionable practice of burying a statue of St. Joseph in one's yard while one is selling one's house the hopes hopes that he will intercede on your behalf. It seems a little superstitious and potentially sacrilegious, but I am willing to try anything that may positively impact the sale of the Laburnum Bungalow. Our Realtors, one of which was raised Catholic although they are New Agey now, have never had clients bury a St. Joseph before, but were eager to have us do it to see if it has an influence.
They sell St. Joseph home sale kits online, but I went to The Grotto on Sunday after Mass and picked on up in the gift shop. I bought the more expensive of the two options which was $15 for a painted resin statue. The shop clerk told me they had been out of stock for a long time on these, and they sell quickly. Hopefully that is a good sign.
The instructions recommend placing the statue upside down (with the feet pointed toward heaven) with either St. Joseph facing the house or towards the new home. The placement in the yard varies also. I opted with burying him in the backyard facing east towards the Mt. Tabor house. My Little Helper took a break from watching the Wild Kratts to come out to help me; the boy rarely misses an opportunity to use a shovel. He did a good job in helping me place St. Joseph and then covering him back up with dirt. He was not as interested in saying a prayer, but he did a fairly good job of making the the sign of the cross.
The kit states that European nuns used to bury St. Joseph medals in land which they hoped to purchase on which they would build convents and eventually the practice evolved into selling homes. "The reasons behind using this particular saint are Joseph's strong connections with families, homes, and moving." After a successful sale one should dig St. Joseph back up and put him in a place of honor in the new home. I have heard that some people leave the St. Joseph as a way of having him protect the home. I may do that as I have my own St. Joseph statue safely packed away in a box somewhere. Will we be lucky enough to sell and close in time to celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph in our new home? Let's hope so!

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