Frying up food, faith and fellowship for Lent

by Amy Reinhardt
Special to The Leaven

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — After receiving their ashes on Ash Wednesday, Catholics commit to abstaining from meat each Friday until Easter.

Avoiding meat can be challenging. Fortunately, the Knights of Columbus and other groups host Lenten fish fries to minister to Catholic families in Kansas City and beyond.

Serving the biggest catch in Overland Park

It’s been over 20 years since Knights of Columbus Council 10932 at Church of Ascension in Overland Park began offering a Lenten fish fry.

The yearly fundraising event has been Bill Fredrickson’s responsibility for the past 11 years.

While working the fish fry isn’t mandatory, the culinary chairman stated he needs at least 100 volunteers per week.

Preparations begin Wednesday when food is delivered. A small crew unloads the truck and puts everything away.

Thursday and Friday are for prepping, cooking and organizing. Fredrickson oversees key details to ensure that from 5 to 7:30 p.m. everything runs smoothly.

Ascension created a family-friendly menu. Along with baked tilapia and fried cod and catfish, there’s pizza, hush puppies, French fries and mac ’n’ cheese.

Fredrickson said the Knights served 5,000 people in 2024. Before the pandemic, the church served upwards of 6,500 people.

“It’s quite a process, but we have it fine-tuned.” he said. “We have a cash line, credit line and prepaid line. We try to move people through as fast as possible.”

Along with a sign on 127th St., advertising is done in the church’s weekly email and bulletin. Fredrickson highlighted the symbiotic relationship between the Knights and the parish as a whole.

“Our church is looking to get people to be a part of the community, more than just attending Mass,” Fredrickson said.

Pairing Friday night’s fish fry with Stations of the Cross gives parishioners the camaraderie of an all-you-can-eat buffet followed by the reverence of walking with Jesus to Calvary.

From dine-in food servers to those assisting with carryout orders, the Knights make each Ascension fish fry a success.

Serving a school of fish in Leavenworth

A 45-minute drive north of Overland Park will bring you to Leavenworth. It’s typically a church that hosts the Lenten fish fries, but not in this case.

Xavier School sits in the middle of the northern- and southernmost Catholic churches in town. The school includes students from St. Joseph, Immaculate Conception, Sacred Heart and St. Casimir churches.

“Xavier is a great central location for the entire Catholic community,” said Grand Knight Marty Moreno of Council 900.

For the past three years, the Knights  have been behind the scenes of these popular meals.

Rather than a Knight serving the fried shrimp and baked potatoes, it is volunteer parents getting in on the action at Xavier.

“We want Xavier parents to be the face of the fish fry,” said Moreno. “We, the Knights, are in the background, making the magic happen in the kitchen.”

The Leavenworth school advertises a sign up so volunteers can choose which fish fries work for them. The Knights see the roster that evening, Moreno said.

Having Xavier students and parents involved puts a unique spin on these fish fries. They get to interact with the guests who come to not only enjoy a scrumptious dinner, but to support the school, Moreno said.

For this year’s Lenten season, Council 900 partnered with Council 13354 to engage more Knights in the fundraising event.

“It’s bringing the Catholic community much closer,” said Moreno.

A portion of the money raised during the Lenten fish fries will go back to the Leavenworth Catholic school. 

Serving big fish in a small-town

Ninety minutes west of Xavier  School is Immaculate Conception Church in St. Marys — a quaint town of less than 3,000 people.

Immaculate Conception hosts three fish fries during Lent. Grand Knight Alex Johnson explained how the 2020 parish hall and kitchen renovation made this possible.

The pandemic spurred the annual Lenten tradition at the St. Marys parish. When COVID prohibited gatherings, Knights of Columbus Council 657 delivered meals to parishioners in their cars.

Thanks to COVID, they now have a delivery system, in addition to dine-in and carryout. Residents of St. Marys and Emmett can submit orders by Thursday night and have them delivered before 5 p.m. Friday.

Like Ascension, the Knights do food preparation on Thursday and begin cooking a few hours before the start of the fish fry at 5 p.m., ending two hours later.

In an effort to add more confession opportunities during Lent, pastor Father Edward Ahn offers the sacrament for an hour starting at 6 p.m. the nights of the fish fries.

Immaculate Conception also has Stations of Cross on these Friday nights, which spark a bigger turnout, said Johnson.

St. Marys averages between 160 and 220 meals per fish fry. In 2024 and 2025, they also donate meals to St. Mary’s Manor — the local nursing home.

Many Immaculate Conception parishioners pay to supply these meals to the nursing home staff and residents.

Delivering meals to our parishioners at St. Mary’s Manor lets them still be a part of our parish, Johnson said.

The purpose of these no-meat dinners is building fellowship outside of Mass, and Immaculate Conception is no exception.

“The service goes both ways,” said Johnson. “Our parishioners support the Knights of Columbus fish fry, and we get to cook them a delicious dinner in return.”

 Johnson said that he loves the relaxed atmosphere where all kinds of people, Catholic and non-Catholic, can sit and share a meal together.

 And since every Catholic church in the archdiocese is unique, no two fish fries are the same!

For a listing of fish fries offered throughout the remainder of Lent in the archdiocese, click here.