Parish Volunteers Ensure

Every year, Catholics throughout the diocese gather at parish and community events to raise money, celebrate milestones and enjoy the fellowship of one another. These events always involve delicious foods prepared by parishioners. 

However, when we bite into a scrumptious dumpling or savor a spoonful of soup, do we think about the work that was put into each bite? 

Dumplings are  Fall Festival and summer social staples, and members of numerous parishes have already prepared dumplings for events throughout the rest of the year.

St. Wendel – St. Wendel

At St. Wendel Parish in St. Wendel, volunteers have finished making dumplings for their parish social and the St. Wendel booth at the Westside Nut Club Fall Festival. Donna Kraemer, who has been involved with dumpling making for 14 years, described the work that goes into these doughy delights.

After covering tables, volunteers make the dumpling dough and divide it into small chunks, which they flatten into discs.  The discs go through a pizza machine that was donated to the church.  Kraemer noted that St. Wendel is fortunate to have the machine, as many parishes still flatten dough with rolling pins.

From there, workers let the flattened dough dry before cutting it into dumplings.  The dumplings then sit overnight before they are bagged.

Though the process is long and involved, Kraemer says that volunteers enjoy the work.  “It’s fun, it’s not hard work, you get to visit with people.  It’s really an enjoyable time,” she said.

St. Wendel volunteers began making dumplings on June 8 and were finished bagging by the morning of June 10.

Kraemer, who is chairman of the parish social dinner, says that the dumpling recipe was handed down to her – and no one is looking to alter it.  “No complaints, everybody is happy about it,” she said.

Resurrection – Evansville

Volunteers at Resurrection Parish in Evansville have also finished preparing dumplings for their Fall Festival booth.  

Father Phil Kreilein, pastor at Resurrection Parish, said that workers prepare the dumplings in late May and the chicken in early June. Like workers at St. Wendel, they begin in the early summertime to avoid conflicts with school lunch schedules.

The dumplings were prepared in four days by workers who filled 120 volunteer slots.  Father Kreilein says of the four-day spree, “We made 860 pounds of dumplings. We used 640 pounds of flour, and we used 2,560 eggs.”  After the dumplings are prepared, workers freeze them until they are needed.

The chicken for the dumplings was prepared in one day.  90 volunteers cooked, deboned and shredded the chicken, and then prepared the broth.  Altogether, workers prepared 1800 pounds of chicken and 280 gallons of broth.

As at St. Wendel, Resurrection abides by a classic recipe handed down from parishioner Norma Herrmann in the 1970s. 

St. Peter – Linton

While dumplings are a staple at parish gatherings and fundraisers, St. Peter Parish in Linton is known for another food that draws in members of the parish and the entire community.

Every November, St. Ann’s Altar Society (affiliated with the parish) hosts a noodle dinner that brings in hundreds of hungry locals.  Evelyn Erdly, president of St. Ann’s Altar Society, says that the dinner is a longstanding local tradition.  “No one seems to know when it started, but it’s a tradition they’ve had for many, many years,” she said. 

Erdly, who takes careful notes each year, shared that volunteers served 870 meals at last year’s dinner (they serve meals featuring chicken and noodles as well as beef and noodles).  They also sold 472 quarts and pints of noodles, and they donated noodles to other local church dinners.

Beginning on the first day of August, altar society volunteers will work from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. three mornings a week until the dinner.  Each day, they work to turn 12-14 dozen eggs into noodles.

Along with funding altar supplies for the church, proceeds from the dinner are donated to organizations like Toys for Tots and Clothe a Child.  Some proceeds also go toward helping parishioners who find themselves in unfortunate circumstances, due to calamities like house fires. 

Vincennes parishes

While fall seems to be a popular time for parish events, in Vincennes, parishioners and community members are treated to numerous picnics through the summer.

Picnics at Sacred Heart Parish and St. John the Baptist Parish have already taken place.  St. Thomas the Apostle Parish will host a picnic on July 19, and St. Vincent de Paul Parish will celebrate on Aug. 30. 

The staple at all four picnics is fricassee, a traditional French stew featuring pieces of meat in a thick white sauce.  Father Dave Fleck said that each parish has its own signature recipe for the favorite.

Every picnic also features a chicken dinner, as well as hamburgers and other menu items.

Father Fleck said that the manpower and time involved in food preparation for these picnics varies by parish, but that many volunteers begin working months in advance.

These and other local parishes seem to understand food’s ability to bring people together.  Donna Kraemer said it well when she noted with a laugh, “All of our fundraisers revolve around food!”