The celebration of the Easter season has begun in Wimberley as many residents undertake the observation of Lent.
During this period, which takes place from Ash Wednesday to Good Friday, the Knights of Columbus have begun their annual Friday Fish Fry as part of the celebration due to the fact the celebration requires the fasting of meat that comes from chickens, cows, sheep, pigs, or birds on every Friday till Good Friday.
According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the abstinence law was made to where people celebrating Lent were to abstain from eating meat from animals that live on land with birds included.
“Abstinence laws consider that meat comes only from animals such as chickens, cows, sheep or pigs – all of which live on land. Birds are also considered meat. Abstinence does not include meat juices and liquid foods made from meat. Thus, such foods as chicken broth, consomme, soups cooked or flavored with meat, meat gravies or sauces, as well as seasonings or condiments made from animal fat are technically not forbidden. However, moral theologians have traditionally taught that we should abstain from all animal-derived products (except foods such as gelatin, butter, cheese and eggs, which do not have any meat taste). Fish are a different category of animal. Salt and freshwater species of fish, amphibians, reptiles, (cold-blooded animals) and shellfish are permitted.”
Chris Oddo, who is head of the Knights of Columbus known as the Grand Knight, says the group is an organization of Catholic men of the St. Mary’s Catholic Church who work to give back to the Wimberley Valley community through charitable ways.
“The Knights of Columbus are a fraternal organization for Catholic men,” Oddo said. “It’s a service organization so everything we do is to give back to the community whether we do direct involvement with river cleanup or we raise money and distribute it out to the community. Our big one is Hunters Night Out. Last year over $100,000 dollars went out to local organizations in the community.”
The history of the Knights of Columbus Fish Fry has been going on for decades as a way to celebrate Lent while also giving people an alternative to eating meat.
“It started well before I came here,” Oddo said. “With Lent we are not supposed to eat meat so we eat fish on Fridays during this time period which has been going forever… It just has been building every year and the food is pretty good with it being restaurant quality catfish. Over the years it has been building up and building up so we typically sell 300 plates at each (Fish Fry). Last year we did To-Go only due to the COVID-19 virus, but this year it’s a combination of both (in-door and to-go options).”
As Oddo continued, the money made from the Friday Fish Fry is given back to the Wimberley Valley through a variety of ways.
“The money for this we give to Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, St. Epsical Paul, all kinds of organizations,” Oddo said. “We also give to Seminarians, guys who are looking to be priests, and we give money to three Seminary students, one is actually in Rome. We usually raise about $800 to $1,000 off of each one (Fish Fry) and it all goes out the door. We try to give away everything that we bring in.”
But a problem the Fish Fry has encountered is one that many are facing. The price of nearly all the products needed to put on the event has increased. This has forced the Knights of Columbus to bump the price of the plates from $10 to $15.
“The plates have been at $10 for a long time,” Oddo said. “But the cost of the fish, everything has gone up…so we had to raise prices. We really didn’t want to, but unfortunately we use these events to raise money, so that’s why we raised the prices. We haven’t faced too much push back, but we just want to give out a quality plate and make sure everyone is happy.”
Despite rising costs and everyone coming out of a COVID-turbulent 2021, Oddo is happy to see the joy these Friday Fish Frys have brought to people.
“You see it on the faces of people that come here,” Oddo said. “Many are saying ‘We are so glad that you are doing this.’ That’s the joy we like to see, and we appreciate that. People hear about it, and they want to come eat and support us. It’s a community thing, because we have people from all walks of life come here… We usually get around 250-300 people, but we base it off of the number of plate counts.”
KOC Fish Fry
St. Mary’s Knights of Columbus will host the annual Friday fish fry starting March 4 through April 8 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. or until sold out. They will be serving the usual fried catfish, hushpuppies, cole slaw, beans, French fries and dessert. The plates are $15 each. To go or dine-in options available at the church hall.
