From left, the Rev. Tom Pierotti, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Center Township, shares a meal with his cousins Mario and Georgio Pierotti while on a sabbatical recenty in Italy and Sweden. During his pilgrimage, Pierotti explored his ancestry and kept in correspondence with his congregation.

Food and fellowship often abound when people come together, but the two themes also shaped three months apart for a local pastor and his flock.

The Rev. Tom Pierotti, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Center Township, recently returned from a sabbatical in Europe, where shared meals and human relationships colored his pilgrimage there. Simultaneously, members of the church placed special focus on meals they shared in his absence.

"As is true in many churches, we do certainly have meals," said Suzanne Switzer, part of a committee that secured a grant to fund Pierotti's sabbatical. "But we did orchestrate a number of additional meals."

Organized by leaders of various church committees, those meals centered on biblical passages relating to food. They were designed to engage people not otherwise likely to join as a group, Switzer said.

With a grant from the Lilly Endowment's National Clergy Renewal Program, Pierotti spent the first half of his three-month sabbatical exploring his ancestry in Italy and Sweden. The quest included connecting with relatives there and forging relationships over meals.

Upon his return, Pierotti also planned to continue work on a novel. In progress since the mid-1990s, the book also includes food and fellowship in its thematic undercurrents.

Traveling with his wife, Lynn, and 17-year-old daughter Sarah, Pierotti first visited relatives in Tuscany.

To help him coordinate the meeting, he attended a weekly Italian class held at the Butler Area Public Library. The live class was more helpful than electronic translators on the Internet, which Pierotti quickly learned cannot distinguish between multiple meanings. The phrase "Dear Tom," for instance, can also translate to "Expensive Tom."

A rudimentary understanding of Italian also came in handy as the family rented an apartment in Lucca, a city of about 83,000. Built in medieval times as a fortress, Pierotti described how a wall measuring 60 feet high and 100 feet wide is now used for cycling and walking.

From Lucca, Pierotti made the half-hour drive to Fosciandora, which he likens in size to West Sunbury. There, his vision began to actualize, as a large family feast awaited.

Pasta, bread, marinated meats, potatoes, tortes and zucchini in mustard sauce were complimented by wines made on site by his cousin, Mario Pierotti.

Sightseeing between destinations, the Pierottis also visited Sweden, staying initially with family members in Tullinge, a suburb of Stockholm.

Although the goal of breaking bread and bonding with loved ones again was realized, culinary differences prevailed. Italian breakfasts, for instance, usually included espresso and pastries. Their Swedish counterparts featured ham and cheese sandwiches, pickled herring and soured milk on granola.

After a planned departure for home by his wife and daughter, Pierotti was joined by his sister, Becky Porkolab of McKean County, a genealogy enthusiast.

From a rented apartment in the southern inland town of Mariannelund, the duo broke bread with relatives near there, then visited others while staying at a hotel in Goteborg, an urban west coast city.

One rewarding visit occurred when Pierotti tracked down a distant cousin on the phone, then met her for the first time in person while delivering a photo of her late father.

"That was a dinner that was really special, in keeping with (the theme of) relationships over meals," he said of the unexpected connection.

On another occasion, he met a family while touring a rural area near Mariannelund, where farm properties were identified by historic plaques. One such plaque allowed Pierotti and his sister to locate a homestead their family occupied in the early 1800s.When a woman answered their knock at the door, Pierotti said, "We think our ancestors lived in this house." At which point the woman called her father on a cell phone, who arrived a short time later on his tractor.Although Pierotti is not related to the homestead's occupants, family connections still ensued.The man's wife lamented losing contact with stateside relatives some years ago, and Pierotti located the relatives in Jamestown upon returning home."It brought tears to her eyes to think she might (find them)," he said. "Now they've been in communication, and next spring she is coming to the U.S. to visit them."The $45,000 grant funded Pierotti's time off, with a portion reserved for hiring retired pastor Martin Young of Slippery Rock to fill in. Funds also were used for special events in Pierotti's absence."It's a very, very lovely thing that the Lilly Endowment does," Pierotti said, describing his appreciation for the unique opportunity for extended rest.Not fully removed from his parish, Pierotti sent updates and photographs over the Internet, which were posted on the church's Web site."A very positive thing for both me and the congregation is that we have both learned we can get along without each other," he said, describing an initial uncertainty about how the absence would play out.Switzer expressed a similar reaction."I think there was a fair amount of anxiety about him being gone that long," she said. "But I think one of the things we learned: a pastor of course is a critical part of a congregation, but when you've really got a community of faith, you can get along fine without your pastor."According to Gretchen Wolfram, communications director at the Lilly Endowment, last year's clergy renewal grants totaled about $4.5 million. Trinity Lutheran was among 129 churches that received awards out of more than 500 applicants.Wolfram said the congregations, not pastors, apply for the grants, which are decided based on a variety of factors including unity and cohesiveness."It requires that the pastor and the congregation really think about what they're going to do and how they can work off each other's themes — like Pastor Pierotti did," Wolfram said."That way they still feel like a congregation who have engaged in some common purpose."Although Trinity Lutheran received the $45,000 maximum, some churches receive half that, depending on what their sabbaticals would encompass.Totals for this year's awards equal those in 2007. Although the '07 awards were announced last month, the Indianapolis-based philanthropic organization will post future application deadlines on its Web site, www.lillyendowment.org/. Deadlines typically are set for May.

The Rev. Tom Pierotti, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Center Township, right, was joined for part of his visit to Italy and Sweden by his wife, Lynn, and 17-year-old daughter, Sarah.