Saint Benedict’s fish fry feeds faith and community for 55 years
Saint Benedict's in Blue Island hosts homemade fish fry for Lent
Today is the first day of Lent and many restaurants, churches and community groups are popping the grease with fish frys.
BLUE ISLAND, Ill. - On the first Friday in the season of Lent, thousands of Chicago-area Catholics are experiencing a special meal. It’s fish fry season.
What we know:
The sound of bubbling oil filled the basement dining area at Saint Benedict’s Catholic Church in south suburban Blue Island, which hosts one of the largest and oldest fish fries in the Chicago archdiocese.
For 55 years, Fridays in Lent have been celebrated with a homemade fish fry, with the $12 tickets going to support the church’s school.
Every Friday they fry up about 1,000 meals, using 800 pounds of Trident Seafood fish.
What they're saying:
"Our coleslaw is homemade, our own recipe. Our tartar sauce is freshly made in the house," said fish fry chairperson Nena Sanchez-Ziolkowsi. "And we serve beets. Why beets, I don’t know. It was before my time."
Many of those helping to prepare and serve this fish feast have been volunteering for decades.
"I’m the batterer, and then I hand it over to the breader," said Bea Nova, part of the fish fry assembly line.
Candy Sanchez-Misdarffer said it’s a labor of love.
"The parish. And now I have grandkids here. I want them to graduate from here, so that’s my biggest thing," Sanchez-Misdarffer said.
Dig deeper:
If you’re not Catholic, you might be wondering… why the tradition of fish during Lent?
"Just trying and live a simpler life and not eat as much," said Monsignor Dennis Lyle. "Just a very little sacrifice we make as a way of deepening our own faith and being aware of doing it as a community and not just one person."
Feeding the community’s soul… as well as its stomach.