Vigil to St. Joseph

This is a story I ran across while researching my family tree a few months ago. My mother's side of the tree led me to her aging aunts of Belen, NM. Nora, Dora, Gloria, and Ida had all the info I had dreamed of. Stories of the Flu pandemic turned out to be quite relevant to present day. Here is one of those stories.

During the great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 HA (Higinio) Mirabal, so the story was told to me, feared for the health of his wife. She had not come down with the flu, but she did have 5 children to take care of. Higinio was a hard working man, caring for his growing family each day as a farmer and laborer.

In their little casita alongside the railroad tracks he prayed to St. Joseph for her health. St. Joseph is the Patron Saint of The New World, but Catholics also believe he prays especially for families, fathers, immigrants, craftsmen, engineers, and working people in general... among other things. He promised St. Joseph that if his wife was spared the flu that he would hold an all night prayer vigil to this saint every year for the rest of his life. Well, his prayers were answered! His wife and children never did catch the flu. For the next 56 years he kept his promise to St. Joseph! This eventually became an event that the rest of the family came from far & wide to participate in each year.

St. Joseph has continued to be an important part of this family's lives to this day. The spirit of St. Joseph is said to roam the tracks through Belen, past Mirabal Street (Misspelled Mirabel!) saving the families and bringing them together forever.

OK, I made that last part up but it sounded good. And that house (along the tracks)used to belong to an Uncle Ruben. Before the mid fifites the family actually lived in Los Lunas & other nearby areas. HA picked cotton, and did many types of labor in his early years but in 1918 he was likely Post Master in Pinos Wells,NM. He later went on to be a jailer, politician, and play many other parts in the community.

So basically the story of St. Joseph and the promise and the vigil are true! Also, the part about the family coming together each year for this. The rest was me just having a little fun.

Did you just cough?