“Since the world is organized against God, it imprisons us within the circle of its disobedience. We must begin then by breaking out of this circle in order once more to find God. In other words, we must not only flee the world but conquer the world in order to free ourselves. It is when we have thus conquered it, when we are no longer enchanted by it, that we can effectively concern ourselves with freeing it.”  – Rev. Louis Bouyer, Cong. Orat.

“To tend toward Christian perfection is something that concerns and obliges everyone without exception by virtue of the first commandment: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Christian perfection consists precisely in this. But it is a fact, useless to deny, that even among believers and Christians, the immense majority of men and women have never even considered the problem of their own sanctification nor realize that it affects them too. Doubtless they aspire to save their souls; but nothing more. It has not occurred to them that they could and should become saints. The worst thing is that neither do they realize that by living such a neglected Christian life and having such mediocre ideals and aspirations, they run the risk of not even obtaining this minimum objective.”  – Rev. Antonio Royo Marin, O.P.

“The Way of the Cross is not only a great testimony to an inner depth and maturity, but it is in fact a school for interiority and consolation. It is also a school for the examination of conscience, for conversion, for inner transformation and compassion–not as sentimentality, as a mere feeling, but as a disturbing experience that knocks on the door of my heart, that obliges me to know myself and to become a better person.”  – Pope Benedict XVI

Ash Wednesday is not often thought of as a fish fry day, maybe more of a soup and bread kind of day. Nonetheless, a few parishes in Louisville hosted a fish fry.

With some extra time, I headed to St. Thomas More Parish in South Louisville.

Given that it was not a Friday, there was not a large crowd, which allowed for a more contemplative feeling to the meal. The venue itself is smaller, situated in the basement of the old school building. At the time, about 20 or so people were eating.

While fish was the main offering, they were also selling vegetarian gumbo.  I stuck with the usual: fish on rye with a side of macaroni and cheese (which, oddly enough, is served more often in the South than up north) and onion rings.

Along with the partaking in the food, I also decided to buy some pull tabs, a staple of church festivals.  Below are my 8 losers:

Each of these cost 25 cents.  The object of the pull tabs is to have a combination  of “B-I-N-G-O” of the same color.  The winnings depend on the color (from $1 to $50).  The following would have won $5, but lacked a “B.”

Also at the fish fry was a cake wheel, but I did not take photos of the wheel.  Nonetheless, it won’t be the last we will see this year.

“To come to the pleasure you have not, you must go by a way in which you enjoy not.  To come to the knowledge you have not, you must go by a way in which you know not.  To come to the possession you have not, you must go by a way in which you possess not.  To come to be what you are not, you must go by a way in which you are not.” – St. John of the Cross

Fr. Joseph-Mary Hertzog, OP, a Dominican priest at St. Louis Bertrand, has graciously offered to provide daily Lenten reflections for the St. Louis Bertrand Young Adults (check out the website for some great events!)

I will also be posting the reflections to this blog.  Here is the reflection for today:

“As Augustine observes, even as “the same fire makes gold glisten and straw reek,” so by the same scourges [of the present life] are the good cleansed and the wicked worsened on account of their impatience.  Hence, though the scourges are common to both, satisfaction is only on the side of the good.” – St. Thomas Aquinas

 

Happy Ash Wednesday! For some, Ash Wednesday is not happy, Lent is not happy. This is contrary to what is mentioned in the canticle Antiphon for the Divine Office this morning.

“When you fast, do not put on a gloomy face like the hypocrites.” (Matthew 6:16)

So, today, as Lent begins, while the season isn’t one known for rejoicing, it is one for fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, which will bring us closer to Christ, the ultimate reward.

Don’t forget as well that Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting and abstinence. For those between 18 and 59 years of age, you are allowed only one meal to eat plus two smaller meals that combined are smaller than the one meal.  You may drink water, juice, milk between meals, but be mindful of your drink as well.

For those 14 and above, no meat is allowed, just like on Fridays.

Mmm, mmm, mmm…doesn’t that look really good?  Today is Fat Tuesday, which is also the day to eat pączki, a Polish treat traditionally eaten the day before Ash Wednesday.  This tasty tradition stems from bakers emptying their cabinets of the butter, cream, sugar, and lard and making these morsels to be consumed before Lent begins.  The traditional pastry includes butter, cream, a prune or apple filling, and some type of powder or sugar to cover the dough.  Pączki are typically found in cities where the Polish community is strong, such as Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Buffalo, but you can also look for them in your local bakery.  The box above was bought at the Meijer in east Louisville.

 

For the first fish fry of Lent 2016, the Fish Fry Crew will be heading to the Butchertown neighborhood in Louisville and St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.

This parish is one of the oldest mainstays in Louisville.  Established in 1866 and celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, St. Joseph was established as a German parish for the many immigrants who worked in the meat packing industry in the neighborhood.  The current church building was built in 1871 and still features many of the original stained glass windows and statues.  (For a nice view of one of the side altars, check this photo out from The Roamin’ Catholic:  St. Joseph Side Altar)  Its most noted features are the twin steeples that are visible from a long distance that often bring comparisons to the twin spires at Churchill Downs.

Unfortunately, much of the exterior is beginning to see some strong decay and has for some time.  If you were to look closely at the roof of church, you will notice that many of the shingles are coming off the roof.  A local news channel recently reported on the damages to the roof and the cost to make the repairs.  You can check out the article here, as well as a video from a drone that flew over the church to assess the condition of the roof:  WHAS 11 Article

Details For Friday Meet-Up

If you would like to join us, we will meet at the school building to the east of the church at 6:15 this Friday, February 12.  St. Joseph Catholic Church is located at 1406 E. Washington Street in Louisville.  As with most fish fries, don’t forget to bring cash!  Not every place will accept credit or debit cards.

The Fish Fry Chronicles began early this year with an impromptu trip to Grayson County, Kentucky, about 75 miles southwest of Louisville, to the Fr. Carroll White Knights of Columbus Council Fish Fry.

Having never been to rural central Kentucky for a fish fry, I was excited to see how this fish fry would compare to fish fries both in Louisville, as well as fish fries in my native central Wisconsin. From the time I entered the hall to the time I left, I was not disappointed at all.

The setup is a fairly simple one:  $9 for adults, all you can eat buffet, including desserts and drinks.  There is no need to decide among the different sides.  For carryouts, it’s “Take all you can eat, and eat all that you take.”  There is no need to decide among the different sides or fish options, which makes set up very easy, as well as keeps the line moving.

The sides included everything from the traditional French fries and cole slaw to Southern favorite, hush puppies. (For those not familiar with hush puppies:  these are basically pieces of fried corn bread shaped like donut holes.  Almost every fish fry in the South will have hush puppies).  New to me among fish fries were tater tots, which were made very well.  The fish was a hearty piece of tilapia that came in regular and Cajun seasoning.  The Cajun seasoning was especially good, not too spicy but enough to give a kick.

One thing to note that was different from this fish fry to every other fish fry I’ve been:  no alcohol.  Grayson County is a dry county.  As such, the options for drinks are slightly more limited.  Nonetheless, since this is the South, sweet tea was available and definitely a requirement for this meal.

Not pictured above are the wonderful homemade desserts that is made by the wives of the Grayson County Knights, which included, among others, chocolate cake, strawberry cake, and butterscotch pudding.

As with other fish fries, it’s not just about the food.  The Knights were also holding a raffle to be drawn at their last fish fry in March.  The 1st prize?  This guy right here:

What really drew me to this fish fry the most was the hospitality of the workers at the fish fry.  You will be hard pressed to find a friendlier and more hardworking group of people.  The fish fry that I attended was the 6th fish fry they had hosted in 2016; yes, that means that the Knights hosted a fish fry on New Year’s Day and have continued every Friday up to now and will until Good Friday.  Every worker welcomed you as if they’ve known you for a long time, and they definitely enjoyed working at the fish fry.  It does not surprise me that this non-Lenten fish fry would be so successful; Lent will indeed be a very good season for them.

Below is the Fr. Carroll White Knights of Columbus, their family members who helped at the fish fry, and members of the St. Louis Bertrand Knights of Columbus who came down from Louisville to attend the fish fry.

To say the least, this was the perfect fish fry to kick off the season.  It will be hard to beat this one!

Link to Fr. Carroll White Council’s Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/KofC-6743-Father-Carroll-White-Council-116979471696715/