Churches cooking for Lent
Area Catholic churches are providing a venue for their faithful to fulfill a Lenten obligation while enjoying food and fellowship with their neighbors of all religions.
Lent is the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter when many religions observe the persecution and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
For Roman Catholics, Lent means abstaining from red meat or poultry on Fridays as an act of penance for Christ's shouldering of the sins of mankind.
Meatless Fridays, as well as other Lenten obligations, apply to Catholics between the ages of 14 and 59.
Many parishes host a Friday fish fry during Lent to help parishioners meet their obligations, as well as to raise money for a church group or cause.
Bob Wahl took over the task of coordinating the fish fry at St. Ferdinand Catholic Church, 2535 Rochester Road, Cranberry Township, from longtime fish boss Brian Dadey, who ran the event for a decade.
Wahl said he appreciates Dadey's careful documentation of every facet of the event, which Wahl is using to the fullest in his first year running the dinner.
Wahl said St. Ferdinand sells 3,600 to 4,000 baked or fried fish dinners, fish sandwiches or children's fish dinners each Lent, which means ordering more than 12,000 pounds of cod loin.
“It's good fish, and the word spreads around,” said Wahl.
He said dinners come with macaroni and cheese or french fries and applesauce or coleslaw. Those who eat at Oldenski Hall also get a beverage and dessert. All dinners and sandwiches also are available for takeout.
Wahl admits he was extremely anxious about the first Friday dinner Feb. 15, but he made it through thanks to the hard work of the many St. Ferdinand volunteers and Dadey's extensive notes and receipts.
“The first week was really bad, but now I'm more calm about it,” Wahl said.
He said the church's men's club has sponsored the Lenten fish fry since 1999, when St. Ferdinand only had two dinners during Lent. The women's club, youth group and Knights of Columbus soon joined in to help with the dinners.
Those groups also enjoy part of the proceeds from the dinners, and some of the take during the last few years went to the fund that would eventually pay for the addition St. Ferdinand built last year.
Wahl said he and his volunteers spend much of the week before the dinners preparing. He said bread, fish and supplies are ordered on Monday, deliveries come on Wednesday and Friday, Oldenski Hall is set up on Thursday for the onslaught and Saturdays are spent cleaning up.Andy Harmer, the cafeteria manager at St. Gregory Catholic Church and School in Zelienople, has been organizing the Lenten fish fry there for five years.He agrees that preparing for the weekly dinners, which are held in the school cafeteria, entails days of preparation each week.“On Friday, it's an eight-hour day,” Harmer said.He orders about a half-ton of cod to provide 350 to 450 hearty dinners per week, which come baked or fried. A vegetable, baked potato or french fries, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, a roll and drink come with a generous portion of fish.Harmer said several St. Gregory parents and some of the seventh- and eighth-grade students help out with the fish fry, both in the cafeteria and in the takeout booth.“It's probably about 50/50 with takeout and eat-in,” Harmer said.He said all proceeds from the Lenten fish fry dinners goes to the school's parent-teacher guild.“We're helping the school out and trying to create a family atmosphere within the whole parish,” Harmer said. “It also brings people together and builds a sense of community.”But it's not just Catholic churches that use Lenten fish dinners to raise funds.Rich James of Sarver and his brother, Jeff of Cabot, have been in charge of Cabot Methodist Church's fish fries since 1998.“The first night this year, we served 300 plus meals from 4 to 7 p.m. on a Friday,” said Rich James.“We get roughly 25 to 30 people to come up to help. We use six turkey fryers. That's my brother's area. I stay in the kitchen,” he said.“We really appreciate all the people that help, that stay from 1:30 to 8 p.m. on a Friday. It wouldn't go as well without them,” he said.He said the money raised by the Lenten dinner has been used for mission trips, church improvements and now to help fund construction of the church's new sanctuary at 707 Winfield Road.
