Year of Firsts - Fish Fry

      It's that time of year again. It's time for the Annual Fish Frys in St. Louis. It's huge! Just about every Catholic church (and other denominations) participates in this event. This is the biggest fundraiser for the Most Sacred Heart Church in Eureka. Every year they sell thousands of Fish Dinners between the weekend after Ash Wednesday and the Sunday before Easter. It is a time for the community to come together to fellowship and support the church. 
     Unfortunately, last year the season was cut short in light of the Covid epidemic. We were able to at least get one dinner from them. We were not even sure if they were going to be able to have the Fish Fry this year but through some ingenuity, they have come up with a safe option. Patrons will be able to purchase their dinners online for a specific time slot, then proceed to pick up their dinners like a drive-thru. We were very curious how they were going to pull this off and are so glad to hear of this plan. There is just one thing missing... Dad.
   Every year since we moved back to St. Louis, we ate at the Most Sacred Heart Fish Fry, each Friday they had it. In the beginning, dad volunteered in the blockhouse. He would help bread the fish and prep it for frying, along with other duties. He would be there Monday when the fish would be delivered, hours before the fish fry began on Friday, and wouldn't leave until everything was cleaned up Friday night. Oh and even though he was dog tired at the end of the night, he enjoyed every minute of it. 

     He would talk about how much of a well-oiled machine the whole system was. Everyone had their job and they did it well.  He would talk about how many people were breading, how many were frying, and then the runners who were bringing fish to the prospected areas. Not to mention all the volunteers (yes that's right, volunteers) that were mixing the other sides, serving the food, and helping clean up. Every year, they serve an average of 2,000 dinners each night. I know that seems like a lot, but if you have ever been to one of their Fish Frys, you would believe it. There were times when I was standing in line that someone would ask me if it was always this busy, and my answer was always the same: "Yes!" Dad was always proud to work at the Fish Fry and proud of all the hard work that went into making this all happen for his church.

Most Sacred Heart Church

Fish Fry - 2009

Dad is the one in the blue hat

     As time went on and dad's health started to deteriorate, he was unable to work at the Fish Fry anymore. It was a hard call for him to make. I know they missed having him in the blockhouse, but I was glad to have him spend time with us and actually be able to eat fish as a family. Every year, when the time came, we would plan our Friday nights around getting fish. Sometimes the Fish Fry would fall on my birthday and we would have cake with it. In the beginning, we would eat in the cafeteria but then switched to Father Donnelling hall for the all-you-can-eat fish. And sometimes we would have other family members come with us like Aunt Patty, Aunt Sandy, Uncle John, Mark's parents, and more. When dad's health went down, we switch to carry-out only for his safety. But we would bring it back to Mom and Dad's and have a great meal together. Dad loved the fish so much, he would order two dinners so he would have left-overs for the next day.

Most Sacred Heart Church

Fish Fry - 2016

Celebrating March birthdays

     Dad was really disappointed last year when we couldn't get any more fish, but he understood. His health was fragile as it was and we didn't want to risk any exposure to Covid. Little did we know it would be the last time we would have fish together. The first Fish Fry of 2021 was on February 19. Usually, we would be one of the first in line on the first night to get fish (as the first night was usually the busiest), but this year, we just weren't quick to get fish. One reason was the weather, but the other was we just didn't want the reminder that Dad was not with us.
     Well, we finally got fish the next Friday, on February 26. And I'm going to be honest. It was a good thing dad wasn't here for it. They changed from what they usually served. They took away the shells in red sauce and replaced them with mac and cheese. Then they only

gave two pieces of fish and it didn't even taste the same as it usually does. And to top it off, no dessert. I know things are difficult with COVID going on, but this was very disappointing. And I think it made it easier to handle. Cause dad would NOT have been happy at all. It's a year of change. And some changes are just not for the best.
     There is at least one good thing I think that will come from this. We will get to try different churchs' fish. We've been wanting to give some others a try, but Dad always preferred Sacred Heart. Well, I think this is the year he would even agree to try a different church. 
     While I'm glad dad doesn't have to see this, I wish he was here for me to listen to his complaining. This whole week has been hard on me. I know there are going to be ups and downs. This week was a down. And next month is going to be really hard as it is all of our birthdays: Mom's, Sancia's and mine. Our first birthdays without dad. At least this "first" wasn't as hard to get through. Still miss you like hell, Dad.