GENOA—The Knights of Columbus Council #14294 at St. Catherine of Genoa Parish was kept busy with tasty fundraisers the weekend of March 19-20.

 

The fundraisers began with a Lenten Friday night fish fry featuring Alaskan Pollack and trimmings. A Saturday night spaghetti meal and a Sunday morning breakfast buffet rounded out the weekend. The fundraisers were all geared to help pay for repairs to both the church roof and parking lot.

 

Saturday night’s dinner event included a beautiful extra because Pat Riedy and Pat Emling created a St. Joseph Table in the parish hall for the feast of St. Joseph.

 

The structure included Riedy’s first-ever attempt to make specially-shaped breads — a cross and a wreath. The altar also was graced with flowers, St. Joseph candles, Italian pastries, a basket for petitions to St. Joseph and devotional materials about the saint. Riedy says they researched what traditional Italian altars include and did as many of the traditions as they could manage on this first attempt at St. Catherine’s to honor the foster father of Jesus in this way.

 

A parishioner donated money to buy a statue of St. Joseph for the altar. The four-and-a-half-foot resin statue was at first thought to be too large, but it settled into place looking right at home on the three-tiered construction. Plans are for the statue to be placed in a new outdoor garden at the parish, dedicated to St. Joseph and located near the parish’s St. Mary garden.

 

Viewers of the St. Joseph Table included those who enjoyed the Knights’ “Italian Family Dinner.” 

 

That evening meal was not a traditional St. Joseph Altar meal, which always features a fish-based tomato sauce. This spaghetti sauce was meaty and the meal included meatballs, garlic bread, pizza bread, salad with optional toppings and pieces of two cakes decorated in honor of St. Joseph for 

dessert.

 

The Sunday breakfast buffet was held at the Genoa Veterans Home. Funds raised at that monthly event also were targeted for roof and parking lot repairs.

 

In explaining the St. Joseph Table to questioning parishioners, Riedy said it was created “to enjoy one another and honor St. Joseph in the meantime.

 

“We’ve all been locked up for so long, distanced,” she adds. “Our parish is fantastic, friendly, working together, generous, and we need to feel that again.”