Faith, Family, and the Friday Fish Fry

Come Lent in New Orleans, you do not have to be Catholic to know about the Friday Fish Frys at the area churches. Catholics and non-Catholics of all ages clamor to get the schedule and details of the fish frys, where the menus often feature much more than your basic fried fish. Subsequently, the notion of not eating meat on Fridays in Lent as a sacrifice gets called into question, particularly by those who are not church-friendly, and let’s face it, they have a point. So, how should a NOLACatholic mom approach this topic with her little people?

We are blessed that in our parish, the fish fry is about so much more than a meatless meal. It is about our family coming together around a table with families that we often see at Mass on Sundays and some families that we have never met before. It is about the fellowship that makes a group of parishioners a vibrant community of faith. It is about supporting our parish community in a ministry that reaches out into the broader community. Perhaps, by walking through the doors of our fish fry, someone – an individual or a family – might receive such a welcome on Friday that they might consider coming back through church doors on Sunday.

So next time you are at your parish fish fry and a new family walks in, make room at the table for them to join you. It may just be their invitation to the table of the Lord!