As pandemic continues, some parishes postpone fish fry events

With the rise in COVID-19 numbers caused by the omicron variant during the last several months, parishes deliberated over whether to have a fish fry this year.

Although cases and hospitalizations have been steadily trending downward in the last few weeks and mask mandates are relaxing, some churches are sticking with earlier decisions to wait until next year to resume the annual fish fry.

Notable in that group is St. Albert the Great in Minneapolis, which hasn’t held a fish fry since March 2020, when the pandemic began.

The parish’s weekly events, which feature a meal and entertainment, can bring in up to $100,000 per week, said Father Joe Gillespie, pastor and emcee of the six weekly events the parish traditionally offers each year. That adds up to more than $400,000 in lost revenue per Lent, which is on the higher end of what parishes net from their Friday Lenten dinners.

“We couldn’t quite imagine having 1,000 people down there (in the church basement) at 6 feet apart,” he said. “It was a painful decision to do it (cancel for 2021).”

This will be the second straight year of no fish fry at St. Albert, with both of the cancellations due to COVID-19. There are 57 parishes in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis offering a fish fry or Friday Lenten meal this year, down from 93 at the start of Lent in 2020 and up from only 24 last year.

Many of the parishes are offering takeout only this year, with a small handful also offering dine-in. The list of parishes that have decided not to have a fish fry or Lenten meal this year include St. Vincent de Paul in Brooklyn Park, Holy Name of Jesus in Medina, Holy Cross and Our Lady of Lourdes, both in Minneapolis, St. Joseph in New Hope, St. Dominic in Northfield, St. Joseph in Red Wing, Corpus Christi in Roseville, the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul and St. Bernard in Cologne.

For St. Bernard, the decision to not have a fish fry for the second consecutive year is complicated, said Sherry Witte, parish business administrator. Last year, it was strictly due to COVID-19. That, in turn, triggered a move that led to this year’s cancellation. A parishioner who owned a fish fry truck with some friends had been doing a fish fry at St. Bernard and other nearby churches, both Catholic and Protestant. That group sold the fish fry truck last year due to financial struggles, leaving the parish without a fish fry option going forward, Witte said. She added that the parish hopes to re-establish a fish fry at some point.

For the time being, St. Bernard is pointing parishioners to a Knights of Columbus fish fry at nearby Ascension in Norwood Young America. Witte said COVID concerns are fewer at small, rural parishes, with many going forward with a fish fry this year.

For Father Gillespie at St. Albert the Great, the pandemic is hitting too close to home for him to feel comfortable having a full-fledged fish fry. Instead, the parish is offering a Friday soup supper designed mainly for parishioners. His decision to downsize has been strongly influenced by recently doing hospital ministry and visiting patients with COVID. One time, he saw four COVID patients in one night. The last one was at 11 p.m., and he knew the patient — a young man — was not going to survive.

“There’s nothing you can see that’s sadder than that,” Father Gillespie said. “So, I just say, it’s real (the threat of serious COVID illness).”

But, just as real is the financial hit the parish is taking by not having the annual Lenten fish fry, which is an important fundraiser. Thankfully, Father Gillespie said, people have stepped forward with generous contributions to help make up for the loss of revenue. On one February weekend, people donated $15,000, with many notes attached saying they were giving what they would have spent at the fish fry. And, Father Gillespie noted, many of those donations were from people outside the parish, confirming what he has known for years — people will travel considerable distances to St. Albert the Great during Fridays of Lent. He knows of people who came from Wisconsin, and others from northern Minnesota.

However, what can’t be replaced is the coming together of many people to socialize, eat a tasty meal and work side by side to make it all happen. According to St. Albert staff member Erin Sim, 150 or more volunteers pitch in every week to put on the fish fry, with 900 to 1,200 guests showing up to enjoy the full experience, which goes far beyond just a fish dinner.

“For us, it’s the big-event quality that makes it special,” said St. Albert staff member Erin Sim. “It’s the bingo and the raffles and the crowds.”

At the center of the entertainment part of the fish fry is Father Gillespie, whose personality and jovial antics are part of the draw. When he came to the parish as pastor in 2006, he wanted to grow the fish fry, which had an attendance of about 200 people per week, he said. Eventually, recognition spread beyond the parish boundaries, with local media offering glowing reviews and placing St. Albert at or near the top of best fish fry lists. The parish also started expanding to different spaces to offer things like bingo and live music, with azz and blues.

“The great irony was that I never got to eat (fish),” Father Gillespie said. “People said, ‘Why don’t you eat during the dinner?’ I said, ‘Well, I’m too busy talking.’ I don’t have time to sit down and eat.’”

Much later into the evening, Father Gillespie would end his night by going to a local restaurant for his own fish and chips dinner. And, there always were great highlights to discuss, like the time a few years ago when St. Paul Winter Carnival royalty came for the fish fry, including Klondike Kate, typically a boisterous woman with a loud singing voice.

“They were knighting me as part of the Winter Carnival royalty, and she’s down there singing, ‘You made me love you,’” Father Gillespie recalled. “And, who should walk in but Archbishop (Bernard) Hebda.”

Since then, the archbishop teases Father Gillespie with the question, “How’s Kate doing?”

This is part of what Father Gillespie misses about not having the fish fry this year. But, he believes it’s only matter of time before he can once again stroll around the church basement calling out raffle winners and engaging in playful banter with guests and volunteers.

“I’m very optimistic about it,” Father Gillespie said, about resuming the event during future Lenten seasons. “Once you can eliminate the health threat, then I think you’ll have the invitation to come back. But, we’ll have to wait and see, for sure.”