Foreign Friday - Rhode Island!

My Two Dads - LOLgislation #F030

RI March 2010: S 2693
By Senator Louis P. DiPalma (D)

SENATE RESOLUTION

COMMEMORATING THE CELEBRATION OF ST. JOSEPH'S DAY   

        WHEREAS, Saint Joseph, Holy Patriarch and Patron Saint of Workers, known by his deeds, was a man of quiet courage and deep faith who was tested in Nazareth, Bethlehem, and Egypt; and
    WHEREAS, Humble yet noble, patient yet determined, Saint Joseph accepted his burdens and bore them with dignity, all the while exhibiting an enduring strength as family patriarch, guide, and guardian during the most perilous of times; and
       WHEREAS, Saint Joseph is celebrated by Christians around the world, from the tropical heat of the Philippines, to the ancient thoroughfares of Rome, to the storied walls of San Juan Capistrano, as the embodiment of family solidarity – a dedicated, humble, hardworking father and husband; and
    WHEREAS, On March 19th, the annual celebration of the Feast of Saint Joseph – nearly 2000 years after his sojourn on earth came to an end – Italian-Americans and all others renew their efforts to emulate the just peace of a loving and beloved man, the wealth of faith, and the noble overcoming of adversity displayed by Saint Joseph; and
        WHEREAS, Italians and Italian-Americans celebrate the prevention of a Sicilian famine in the Middle Ages as a miracle attributed to Saint Joseph; and
        WHEREAS, Italian immigrants to Rhode Island helped form the cultural foundation of our state and today they sing the praises of Saint Joseph as songs of inclusion, of strength tempered by faith, of sacrifice for family, and of the glorious gift of honest labor; now, therefore be it
        RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby commemorates the celebration of the Feast of St. Joseph and the principles his life celebrates.

Despite Christianity's patriarchal bent, Joseph doesn't get nearly enough play. It's all Virgin Mary this and Holy Mother that. God seems to be the only one of Jesus's fathers anybody gives a damn about. But it ain't about the supernatural DNA. Who was there all those years, huh, walking him to temple and teaching him how to carpent? That's right. Joseph.

The Sicilians understand Joseph. They know he was the one doing the work, keeping the family fed and in line. He was bustin' his balls down here for somebody else's son he treated like his very own.

And now, the people of the state of Rhode Island commemorate Jesus's Little Papa with THE MOST EPIC LANGUAGE POSSIBLE.

So, Rhode Island, do you teach about Joseph's historically proven sojourn in your schools?