Annual Novemberfest draws big crowd to Center for Pastoral Leadership

Hundreds of people lined up in the lobby at the Center for Pastoral Leadership to buy dinner tickets for the annual Novemberfest, the Italian dinner fundraiser that benefits the student activity fund for Borromeo and Saint Mary seminaries.

The menu included 480 bread sticks, 40 gallons of homemade pasta sauce, 150 pounds of meat rolled into 800 meatballs by the men in their propaedeutic year – nicknamed the “propadudes” – 80 pounds of dry pasta (penne), 30 pounds of Parmesan cheese, 80 pounds of salad, 100 pounds of sausage cut into chunks by the “propadudes,” and cannoli.

After purchasing dinner tickets, guests were ushered into the Aula  where they could peruse dozens of raffle baskets and silent auction items and buy 50/50 split pot tickets while they waited for a table in the Founders Room.

Seminarians acted as hosts, guiding guests to dinner in groups. Faculty and staff members served the food buffet style. Split pot drawings took place hourly and the other raffle prizes were announced at the end of the evening.

Alex Demko, CPL executive chef, and Phil Guban, CPL/seminaries’ chief operating officer, also lent a hand in the kitchen once again. Demko prepared the food during the days before the dinner with members of the propaedeutic program, overseen by Father Patrick Anderson, rolling the meatballs and slicing the sausage prior to cooking.

Joe Rohan, Saint Mary Seminary fourth theology, and Christopher Yankay, Borromeo senior, were the event coordinators. Despite recent knee surgery that had him using crutches, Rohan was on top of the event and its many details.

“We invited friends, families, parishes and anyone that is interested in supporting the seminarians,” Rohan said. In addition to the food and raffles, there was a bourbon pull. Guests also could purchase homemade nut roll, pies and mini loaves of banana bread.

Deacon Noah Furin guided guests on tours of the seminary throughout the event, showing them the library, hallways with photos of seminary graduating classes, the residence hall, Mary, Mother of the Good Shepherd Chapel, the Capuchin chapel and a classroom. It was the first time some guests had toured the facilities, which recently underwent a major renovation financed by the Heart of a Shepherd campaign.