Print Issue: March 21, 2002

Fry-Days On Fridays: Lenten Tradition Going Strong At Marietta's Transfiguration Church

By Priscilla Greear, Staff Writer

Terry Dunn pulls out a batch of freshly fried fish in Transfiguration's kitchen. The church's "fry-days" have been a tradition for 19 years, harkening back to the days when the fish was cooked outside. (Photos by Ken Melvin/Archdiocese of Atlanta)

ATLANTA - Over 200 parishioners per night at Transfiguration Church, Marietta, including children, calorie counters and cholesterol watchers, were enriched with its pièce de résistance at its 19th annual Lenten fish bake-and-fry-days.

The most popular dish was the baked white fish seasoned with lemon pepper and Cajun seasoning, although it is was also served just with butter or deep fried, reported Bob Sheehan, the Grand knight of the Knights of Columbus parish council 10362 which sponsored the event. "We use prepackaged breading for the baked fish. And for the spicy baked we put a little seasoning on top of that and it always spices it up a bit. That is the secret recipe and it's all natural ingredients," he said. "Four or five years ago we started blending in a little of the baked because people don't so much like fried food."

For Sheehan, who helps chief coordinator Paul Greenwell, the joy in this event comes from serving everyone from children to seniors, as Lent is a time for him to focus more on living his faith by doing extra acts of courtesy and kindness.

"I think it's a good opportunity for families to get together as families during Lent . . . and socialize together and get out and share with each other," Sheehan said. "You may have an old person sitting with a family with young kids. It's parish socializing and coming together as a united family" before attending the Stations of the Cross.

Transfiguration is one of many churches around the archdiocese that holds fish fries on Fridays during Lent, when Catholics are called to abstain from meat as a form of personal sacrifice to help them grow closer to God. Prior to Vatican II, every Friday year-round meant meatless meals as Catholics were called to abstain from eating meat on that day.

Families flock to the fry, and the Knights have added macaroni and cheese and grilled cheese to the menu for children. Mary and Joe Southall and their 2-year-old daughter, Ruthie, enjoy the evening's fare.

Along with the fish, Bill Gosset wields his spatula yearly to beat the batter and fry his homemade hush puppies. The fish slices, cole slaw and French fries are ordered from the restaurant supplier U.S. Foods Service. New to the menu this year is the grilled cheese option. "We've got a lot of families with little kids. With these little kids you give them grilled cheese and macaroni and cheese and they'll eat it all the time," Sheehan said.

Transfiguration parishioner and Knights of Columbus grand knight Bob Sheehan prepares the batter for the fish fry, which uses "all natural ingredients" in its spicy batter. Sheehan helps chief coordinator Paul Greenwell with the event. The fish fries help Sheehan focus on living his faith by doing extra acts of courtesy and kindness, he said.

The church began the Lenten Friday feast in 1983 in response to the pastor's request to have a meal before the Stations of the Cross service, and the Knights took over the deep frying in 1990. This year the meatless meal was held every Friday in Lent through March 15, with many attending the Stations service held afterwards. One couple said the fries brought them back to the church. About 25 knights and their wives volunteered per night on the prep line, serving tea and lemonade, supervising the buffet line and in clean up.( On March 22 the church had a Seder meal, a Jewish meal and prayer service to begin Passover, which some Christian families and parish groups also observe, as Christ is traditionally believed to have had a Seder meal for the Last Supper.)

Mary Berthiaume, a 13-year parishioner, is the parish banquet manager and fish fry kitchen supervisor. "I'm there to make sure they know the operation," she said, adding that a couple of fish cooks have been in the restaurant business many years. According to Berthiaume, back in the 25-year-old parish's former tin building before the current church was built in 1997, cooks fried outside using a portable deep fryer similar to a barbecue grill and inside the kitchen used two household stoves. When the church moved into its new building it was important in their first commercial kitchen to have a new deep fryer, although it is only used for Lenten fish fries and with Hispanic ministry, in order to be able to serve larger numbers in compliance with health department rules. "We've had this (commercial kitchen) about five years. They have been having it in the large kitchen now, which is wonderful next to the facilities we had before," said Berthiaume.

She explained that about 10 gallons of peanut oil per fryer, reused for each Friday, is poured into the double deep fryer, and frying only takes about four minutes. After being rolled in breading, fish fillets are baked about 12 minutes in one of the kitchen's two double convection ovens, with five racks each.

Knights of Columbus volunteer Wayne Boggs serves Julie Kotschi a heaping take-out plate of lemon fish, hush puppies, cole slaw and iced tea.

"It's quite a production line. It's about 10 of them that work to get it out," she said. With the take-out option available, she added, "I've seen last Friday night one family took out 10 take-outs."

Cathi Britt is all smiles as she prepares to sit down with her meal of lemon pepper and fried fish. Britt was among the more than 200 parishioners and community members who attended the March 8 fish fry at Transfiguration Church, Marietta.

She agreed that "it's getting people together, sharing of faith. We all need to be together in good and bad times."

With prices ranging from $3 to $5.50 a plate, proceeds benefit Knight charities. Besides raising money, Sheehan is happy to bring down South the tradition of parish fish fries he grew up with year-round in New York. "In the Northeast fish fries on Fridays has been an ongoing tradition. To come down here and start this activity during Lent, it's kind of finding some of that old Catholic tradition people brought down from the North to the South and it blends very well with Southern culture."