St. Clair Shores — At 89, Klara Scheffler doesn’t drive. Except when her children take her somewhere, she rarely gets out.
But that doesn’t mean she’s missing out on her Lenten parish fish fry.
Last Friday afternoon, she met at her front door St. Isaac Jogues parishioner Stephen Gracin, who for the third straight week greeted her with an order of piping hot fried fish.
“I like it,” she said, holding up her order. “It’s easy.”
On the surface it may seem like a gimmick that St. Isaac Jogues, a parish tucked away in a quiet residential area, implemented and advertised a home delivery service with its parish fish fry.
But in fact, the concept has proven to be a successful way for the parish to reach out to the homebound population of both its own parishioners and others.
“The people we deliver to are about 95 percent seniors, and at least 85 percent total shut-ins,” says Stan Yee, the St. Isaac Jogues parish men’s club member who spearheads the fish fry delivery service. “A lot of these people don’t see anybody all day. They want to talk to you a while. It’s really kind of evolved into this new fellowship with people we’re getting to know — and they’re all a part of our community.”
On Ash Wednesday, the parish started the delivery service to go along with its already-successful fish fry, organized by the men’s club. Parishioners or others from the community could call a couple days in advance to place their orders, and five or six drivers were lined up to deliver the fish.
Delivering food isn’t easy, but for the volunteer drivers, it’s not just about delivering fish. They’re promoting their Christian community.
“For us, it’s about community building and providing a service,” says Gracin, a father of two girls at St. Isaac Jogues School. “If there are people who live on the east side, I want to let them know that St. Isaac Jogues is a great place to worship and to send their kids (to school).”
On Ash Wednesday, the men decided to take their delivery service to another level. With the blessing of pastor Fr. Jim Lopez, they delivered ashes to the homebound, as well.
Fr. Lopez himself even climbed aboard the new outreach and went on a fish delivery run and gave some seniors blessings along with their meals.
“I’ve been really impressed by the volunteers at St. Isaac,” says Fr. Lopez, who came to the parish just eight months ago. “This was a great opportunity and they just ran with it and they impressed me so much… Each week, I see something that brings a surprise to my heart and a smile to my face.”
Offering deliveries isn’t the only way the fish fry at St. Isaac Jogues brings together the community. Each week, a different group from the parish staffs the kitchen and cafeteria. They then split the proceeds to support their specific ministry.
“It’s a fun way for us to meet some of the new people in the parish who we don’t always get to see,” says Alicia VanCoillie, co chairwoman of the parish auction committee, which had kitchen duty on April 1. “We’ll use the money for an auction item.”
This fish fry has another uncommon aspect, as well — a separate dining room, stocked with china, for a family or larger private party to reserve for a private party.
For all their efforts, the men’s club says it’s been pretty hectic throughout most of Lent. They’re averaging 700-plus meals served, says Tony Tiseo, president of the men’s club.
“Word spread,” he says. “I think we’re getting to the point where we can only do as much as we can do.”
As for the new customers — and friends — they’ve found on the receiving end of the delivery service, Tiseo says he hopes fish won’t always be at the center of their relationship.
“I’m kind of hoping some of these people will call us for other means,” he says.
