by Marc and Julie Anderson
mjanderson@theleaven.org
EMERALD — It might not be located exactly at the end of the rainbow, but St. Patrick Church located in what used to be the town of Emerald boasted its own pot of gold on March 15.
Well, maybe not exactly a pot of gold. It was more like pots and pans of traditional Irish food as parishioners served up corned beef, cabbage, stew, soda bread and pies at its annual fundraiser. The event, which began in 1998, started as a way for parishioners to raise funds for the church’s roof and has continued as a way for this very small parish to pay the bills.
Over the years, the event has grown and now draws 600 to 800 people from the region and beyond. Besides food, the one-day festival featured the sounds of Irish and Americana music. Although other groups have performed in the past, in recent years it has been the Lintner Band of Ottawa that has entertained the parishioners and guests, performing such tunes as “My Grandfather’s Clock,” “Cold Frosty Morning” and “Ballad of the Irish Rover” using instruments ranging from guitars and fiddles to a hammered dulcimer and a bodhrán (a type of Irish frame drum).
Planning for the event begins in earnest every year in January, and in the weeks and days leading up to the event, members of the Altar Society and other volunteers prepare the food. That often means spending days of four, eight or even 16 hours to prepare nearly 400 pounds of corned beef, cut vegetables and bake bread.
Then there’s the decorating, the set-up, the serving and the cleanup, not to mention the advertising, solicitation of donations and the scheduling and wrangling of volunteers to bus tables, take raffle tickets and greet guests at the bottom of the stairs leading into the parish hall.
Hardly sitting down for more than a minute at a stretch, Louise O’Neill hugged family and friends, welcomed everyone to the event and even danced a little bit.
“I just love the music, the food, the whole nine yards,” she enthused.
For Father George Rhodes, the day served as a reminder of the importance of honoring not only a parish’s patron saint, but also coming together as a family.
This year marked the priest’s first year as part of the celebration, having become the parish’s parochial administrator on Oct. 31. In addition to St. Patrick’s Parish, he also serves as the parochial administrator of St. Francis Xavier in Burlington, St. Joseph in Waverly and St. Teresa of Avila in Westphalia.
“It’s not only a way for us to really stay close to St. Patrick, our patron, for us to ask for his intercession,” he said, “but it’s also for us a great occasion to come together as a community for the sake of living a Christian life together.
“Christianity is hard to do on our own, and for us, this is an excuse to joyfully get together. . . . I’ve been looking forward to it,” he said.
