Eat-in Lenten fish frys and soup suppers made a comeback at many parishes on the first Friday of Lent this year, after a hiatus during the pandemic. Most will continue on Fridays through April 8.
At St. James Church in Falls Church, which has had one of the largest frys in the diocese for many years, volunteers prepared 700 pounds of fish, said Julie Theobald, one of the coordinators. The last two years, the St. James Fry was drive-thru only, although the 2020 fry started out in person, before the pandemic hit Northern Virginia.
“It’s great to have everybody back in person. We are just overwhelmed by the wonderful turnout. Clearly people love it,” she said, adding they expected to have enough fish for everyone who showed up.
At St. Timothy Church in Chantilly, volunteers from Knights of Columbus Council 7369 prepared 40 pounds of fresh cod donated by Ray Kenna, a parishioner who runs Lobster Maine-ia, a popular fish store in Chantilly. Mark Zahuranec, in his white chef coat, manned a vat of boiling oil on a stove in the school cafeteria, assisted by about a dozen other Knights. A team of girls from American Heritage Girls Troop 1148 served fish, fried potatoes and coleslaw, led by troop coordinator Marisol Portobanco.
At St. Lawrence Church in Alexandria, about a third of those attending the parish fry, sponsored by Knights of Columbus Council 9407, got their meal to go; the rest stayed to eat in the lunchroom, where tables were spread out for social distancing. Last year’s fish fry was carryout only.
Find out more
Looking for a Lenten fish fry or soup supper? Go to bit.ly/Lentfood2022 or check your parish website for the latest updates.
