March 5, 2019 – West Bend, WI – The folks at Interfaith Caregivers of Washington County had a big box full of Patzki to share on this Fat Tuesday.
Tradition has it that those who were preparing for Lent and fasting were to take all the food and drink from their homes that didn’t coincide with whatever they would eat while fasting to the Lord. Typically, it was foods saturated with fat (dairy, lard), meat, and sugar to be replaced with fish and non-fat/meat/sugar food alternatives.
What foods are traditionally eaten on Fat Tuesday are various but still cater to the belief of eating those without fat/meat/sugar. England prepares pancakes for the holiday (even calling it Pancake Day), Poland declares it Paczki Day and consumes jelly-filled donuts, and the United States rounds it out with fried Po’Boys, several types of meat, and lots of fried food.
Below are some of the King Cake Cupcakes from Cafe Floriana in West Bend.
History note from Thought.com
After Fat Tuesday, meat and dairy and eggs would all be preserved in various ways, and brought out again for the Easter feast (which lasted a full eight days, from Easter Sunday through the Sunday after Easter, known today as Divine Mercy Sunday). Thus the voluntary giving up of foods that are good in themselves to focus on spiritual growth was both preceded and followed by the recognition of the good things that God has given us.
The Ecumenical Community of West Bend invites you to participate in the Lenten Series “Together at the Cross.”
For five Wednesdays during Lent, the service will rotate around churches in West Bend. Services will run from 12:15pm-12:45pm. There will also be a collection taken each week for Interfaith Caregivers. We hope you can make it!
Wednesday, March 13 – Service will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church with Jill Maria Murdy from St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church Preaching
Wednesday, March 20 – Service will be held at St. James Episcopal Church with Rev. Dave Schoob from Trinity Lutheran Church Preaching
Wednesday, March 27 – Service will be held at Cedar Ridge with Rev. Eric Kirkegaard from Peace United Church of Christ, Kewaskum Preaching
Wednesday, April 3 – Service will be held at St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church with Rev. Mindy Valentine Davis from St. James Episcopal Church Preaching
Wednesday, April 10 – Service will be held at Fifth Avenue United Methodist Church with Rev. Julie Jennings from Cedar Community Preaching
