Thanksgiving Traditions
Parish Service
In the American Catholic Church Thanksgiving is celebrated in the Parish with morning mass around 10 am. It includes parishioners bringing donations of food, clothing, etc for distribution through the parish St. Vincent De Paul ministry. In some parishes where there is a catholic school, the schoolchildren do much the same. At the morning mass, all of the donations are brought up to the altar and they are blessed by the priest during the Offertory segment. The liturgy for the mass has the theme of “God’s abundant love and mercy that should be shared with all.”
In my family, after the celebration of the mass, we have performed an act of service in the community. This could involve delivering goods to a family in need, participating in a fundraising running event that benefits the local food distribution organization or volunteering time at the Feed the Hungry meal.
~ Deacon Paul Friedrich
Family Celebrations
My parents were Protestant and military in the early years before and after they married, being moved away and then settled from family, so it was always just my parents, my sister and I for the holidays. The meal was the ‘holiday meal’ of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing, plus many side dishes, all cooked by my mother until my sister, and I got old enough to help. Usually there the TV was on to the parade and a jigsaw puzzle set up on a card table half completed.
Later, as I started my career, I had to work many holidays and weekends, so being there for the holiday meals were hit and miss. But even today, with my sister doing the cooking, my parents passed on, my niece, her fiancé and stepmom being a part of the growth of our family, it’s still the same holiday meal with stories of the holidays of the past and of our family growing in the future.
~ Serene Erby