This past week many Catholics celebrated the feasts of St. Patrick, bishop and patron of Ireland, and St. Joseph, the foster father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Most people are familiar with the celebration of St. Patrick and it is said that on March 17 everyone is Irish. There are parades, drink and dinner specials at virtually every restaurant and bar featuring corned beef and cabbage and lots of green beer. In our Catholic world, parishes by that name, of which there are 10 in this diocese, usually pull out all the stops and celebrate within the context of faith with dinner, dances and works of charity.

St. Joseph celebrations are more religious than secular, especially in the Italian culture, which is why one of the longest running and more elaborate St. Joseph altars is displayed at St. Anthony Parish in Rockford. St. Anthony Church is a national parish which means that anyone of Italian heritage can be a member regardless of where he or she lives. (See more coverage of this in The Observer on April 4.)

These celebrations, along with a conversation with Bishop Malloy on his weekly radio program, about how his family celebrated on St. Patrick’s Day, got me thinking about culture and heritage and the pride that accompanies them. It also reinforced the importance of treating our traditions as both a treasure to keep and a gift to give.

And you will know what treasures, memories and traditions are if you ever ask someone about culture or celebrations. It really is remarkable to see faces light up while talking about how their family celebrated a certain tradition. How many times have you shared with your own family a sentence that starts like this, “When I was a kid …” or “My family always … .” I know at my house that conversation can either captivate or clear the room. But it is important to share traditions. It helps us all get a sense of security in our rootedness and our belonging.

I remember listening to my own parents talk about things they did as children and I could almost imagine being there. You could  see how the recollections transported them back to a playful place.

Those memories also helped me realize why we did some of the things we did or didn’t do as a family.

Things like going to the lake, taking vacations, sharing birthdays with extended family were born of tradition and were the foundation of the things we did in my family. Those activities, of course, were passed down by me to my children and blended with my husband’s traditions and memories. These traditions will, I hope, be passed on by our own children and so on.

It should be the same with our faith. Our Catholic faith is a tradition and a heritage too. Just as we shouldn’t be afraid to be “a little Irish” on St. Patrick’s Day or “a little Italian” at a St. Joseph altar, we shouldn’t be afraid to be a whole lotta Catholic every day.

But do we talk about going to Mass or have memories centered on our faith that bring that same light to our faces as childhood family memories when recalled?

What about a plain old Sunday? Do we put the time and effort and yes, even the joy, into getting ourselves to Mass as we do into a special occasion or feast day?

I know I could use a little more effort and joy sometimes. I know we plan our weekend around when we will go to Mass. We have even joked at times about how wonderful it is that we can go to Mass on Saturday and be “free” on Sunday. Instead of looking at our Mass attendance and our participation in the sacraments of the Eucharist and reconciliation as just another “to do” item, we should approach them like a long-held part of our nature, our tradition and our inheritance from God our Father.

Perhaps that is something we all can work on during the remainder of Lent. Put our faith in the front of our memory banks. Let’s hold on to the privilege of going to Mass as a great event and approach it with the same care and joy as we give our holidays — most especially on April 9 as we prepare for confession and “Be Reconciled” Day. Make our faith part of those fond memories and traditions that we are excited to hold, share and pass on to others.