It was a chilly, snowy Friday night on March 11, but St. Adalbert Parish in Berea gave a warm welcome to Bishop Edward Malesic. (See photo gallery above.)
“I’ve always enjoyed Stations of the Cross,” the bishop said, noting the Stations have been a favorite Lenten devotional since his childhood. The tradition continued throughout his priesthood, when he prayed the Stations with parishioners.
“When I was named bishop of Greensburg (Pennsylvania), I saw no reason to stop,” he said, explaining he would visit parishes throughout the diocese in Lent and pray the Stations. Whenever possible, he also enjoyed the parish’s fish fry.
That’s what led him to St. Adalbert, in Berea’s Polish Village neighborhood, where Father Chuck Butkowski, the pastor, welcomed him.
The bishop made a few brief remarks after the Stations before heading to the parish hall to sample the fish fry. He chatted with volunteers in the kitchen and those serving customers. The meal included baked perch, macaroni and cheese, two kinds of pierogi – sauerkraut and potato and cheese – cabbage and noodles, fries and coleslaw. Father Gerald Keller, pastor emeritus who served the parish 1974-2008 and after whom the parish hall is named, joined Father Butkowski and the bishop for the fish fry.
The popular fish fry returned to both in-person and take-out formats this year after being suspended by the coronavirus pandemic.
For more information on St. Adalbert Parish, which was organized in December 1873, click here.