Family, Fellowship and Warmth on Shrove Tuesday
by Librada Estrada
On February 12, St. Barnabas held its annual Shrove
Tuesday pancake supper hosted by the Vestry. The day precedes the start of Lent
and the 40 days of fasting involved in the season. Traditionally it involves
eating pancakes to use up rich foods so that individuals eat simpler foods
throughout Lent.
The conversation and sense of
camaraderie that I had an opportunity to participate in and witness was a rich
and unexpected experience. As a new
Vestry member, I originally thought I would attend, make pancakes, serve some
food, attend the mass that evening and then be on my merry way. The Vestry prepared the bacon in advance and
then came together early in the afternoon to ready the Richardson room. As we
organized the kitchen, the Vestry members shared stories from past Shrove
Tuesday suppers, about the number of participants, funny occurrences, running
out of a particular food item, etc. We identified that some of us were more
talented at mixing the batter, others of us in flipping pancakes and some at
pouring out just the right amount of mix to form a round pancake. While I worked
in the kitchen, other congregation members involved my children in activities,
and as the evening progressed, helped them with their supper, identified which
noisemaker would be the “right” one to hold, and eventually guided them into
the chapel for the Farewell to Alleluias mass.
What I experienced was a great reminder
of the wonderful history and tradition associated with the pancake supper. I
was reminded of preparing meals with my very large family in San Antonio,
Texas. As several of us were in the kitchen, kids were running around, we had
early arrivers coming in to nibble on a little something before we officially
were ready to cook. I can imagine that many of us have witnessed this in our
homes. Participating in the pancake supper was just a bit brighter and sharper
because it connected me even more to the community of St. Barnabas and my
family in a way that was positive and affirming.
Additionally, it brought home a topic
that the Vestry had recently discussed. Our January retreat involved the
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. We learned that individuals have different
preferences for how they experience spirituality. For some, the preference is
to follow tradition such as through prayer and mass, others prefer to discuss
or debate liturgy, there are those who experience through building and serving
the community and for others it involves helping others grow in their faith. All
of those in attendance at the pancake supper and mass, regardless of their
role, contributed to the spiritual growth of our community by creating an
environment that allowed us to celebrate together the start of a new Lenten
season.
