Paying It Forward – Lenten Fish Dinner Fundraiser in Passaic, NJ
By the grace of God, slowly St. Nicholas’s parish life begins to return to normal. As vaccine availability increases more faithful are returning to celebrate Divine Liturgy on Sundays. This past Sunday saw parishioners turn out to hear the Gospel for the fourth Sunday of Lent, St. John of the Ladder (Climacus), and to partake of our traditional Lenten Fish Dinner.
A sellout sit-down event in past years, the 2020 lockdown caused its cancellation. Not wanting to break the annual tradition yet again, this year MISH MASH Restaurant and Caterers, whose owners are parishioners, prepared the delicious fish entree complemented by rice and vegetables with a gourmet salad creation, plus dessert, ready packed for take-out. Faithful from both Liturgies returned to pick up their meals, happy in some small way to support this fundraising effort.
St. Nicholas Parish would like to express sincere gratitude and thanks to MISH MASH Restaurant and Caterers for preparing and donating the fish dinners at no cost to the Parish. You have shared the warmth of your soul, the generosity of your heart, and have fulfilled the word of Christ Jesus!
MISH MASH Caterers donation of this fish dinner is a way to ‘pay it forward. With much prayer and God’s help, this business has weathered the difficulties of the COVID pandemic and lockdowns. In turn, we thank parishioners who came and purchased the dinners. Proceeds help to financially support our Parish and St. Nicholas School. May God bless you all for your generosity and kindness!
On Sunday, March 22, pastor of Saint Nicholas Church in Passaic, NJ Andriy Dudkevych with his family, owner of the Mish Mash Caterers Mrs. Mariya Voytsitska, and her sister reached out to the homeless individuals, male and female, that wander the streets around the church, distributing sandwiches, sweets, and cakes to those in need. Father Andriy led them in a communal prayer of the Our Father and a blessing, reminding them that Christ Jesus has not forgotten His street ‘children. « They were overwhelmed with gratitude and thanks for the food, and more importantly the attention and kind words. Several of our group were moved to tears as they witnessed an atmosphere of joy overtake these neglected souls, and smiles and words of thanks flowed freely » – writes father Andriy on his Facebook page.
