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Church marks the beginning of Lent with Mardi Gras potluck, services, fish fry

Church of Annunciation in Kearney kicked off the Lenten season with a slew of traditional activities including a Mardi Gras potluck, Ash Wednesday services and the first of many fish fry events on Friday.

The Lenten season, Ash Wednesday until Easter, began as a time of preparation, the Rev. John Wolf said. Wolf, pastor of Church of Annunciation in Kearney, said it is still a time of preparation but has also evolved into a time of renewal.

Historically, it was a time of preparation for baptism.

“It was their last four to six weeks of preparation,” Wolf said.

The intention was to make it a period of enlightenment and purity.

“So they would be ready to receive Christ in their baptism,” Wolf said.

Others took it on as renewing baptism.

“So that come Easter, they could renew their commitment to Christ,” Wolf said.

He said it’s a time for people to renew their faith, relationship with Christ and look at values and priorities.

He said there are three “pillars” of Lent: prayer, fasting and charity.

“We try to do a little bit of each,” Wolf said.

The church provides evening devotions and prayer services in addition to special opportunities for Bible study and daily Mass services.

Technically, the Lenten season is kicked off with Ash Wednesday services.

But the church has been getting things started early with a Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) potluck for about the last decade.

“Everyone was supposed to gorge themselves because they were going to spend 40 days of fasting,” Wolf said.

The Church of Annunciation doesn’t go to that extreme. Instead, church members gather for fellowship with a potluck dinner the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.

“Just sort of a kickoff for Lent,” Jim Conley of Kearney said about the potluck dinner.

“Before we start sacrificing,” Jesse Ousley of Holt added.

They, and others, said it was also a good time to prepare themselves for Lent.

“It’s the companionship and fellowship with fellow parishioners — and our last good meal for six weeks,” Debbie Faltys of Kearney said.

Gatherings at the church are often like family reunions, Faltys said.

“This church is very much a community church — that’s what draws me to all the activities: the people,” April Patten of Kearney said.

At end of potluck party, parishioners went outside, taking last year’s Palm Sunday branches they’d kept for nearly a year and burned them.

“They become the ashes we use for Ash Wednesday,” Wolf said. “It’s kind of like the cycle of life.”

Lent officially begins with the traditional Ash Wednesday service — Feb. 17 this year — meant as sign of humility before God. That’s where Wolf sees a multitude of people.

“It’s 10 times, 20 times more than a typical daily Mass,” Wolf said. “It’s probably double our Sunday Mass.”

Faltys said she looks forward to a new start — a little like New Year’s resolutions.

For Faltys, this year’s Lent will be spent trying to incorporate doing something for someone else at least once a week and be open to saying “yes” more.

“Kind of stepping out of my safe little enclosure and stepping where God wants me to step,” Faltys said.

Wolf said that’s what makes Lent attractive.

“There’s something about the human spirit, we like to start over again,” Wolf said, noting the Lord grants that opportunity.

Among the things people give up during Lent, the Catholic church asks members to give up meat on Fridays. The fish fry meals now until the week before Good Friday have become a time of fellowship.

“We see it as just a wonderful community event,” Wolf said.

At these meals each week, Wolf said he sees community members of all denominations.

The church also delivers about 100 meals to homebound residents during the fish fry dinners.

LENT EVENTS

Events at Church of Annunciation during Lent:

- Fish Fry — 5 to 7:30 p.m. each Friday at Annunciation Community Center

- Parish Mission — four-day revival March 14 to 17

- March 21 — “Stations,” a musical drama depicting the way of the cross today from theater group in Kansas City

For more information, visit www.annunciationkearney.com.

Kearney Editor Kevin M. Smith can be reached at 628-6010 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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