Fish Fry Fridays ongoing at St. Mildred Catholic Church
Mar. 12—St. Mildred Catholic Church in Somerset has gone fishing — for funds to help others in the community.
The annual Knights of Columbus Fish Fry is currently ongoing at St. Mildred, located at 203 South Central Avenue. Anyone in the community is welcome to stop by and pick up freshly prepared breaded Icelandic cod and sides for lunch or dinner, and to do so knowing that it's all for good causes.
"We've got two more weeks left — this Friday night (March 15) and next Friday night (March 22)," said Martin Hranicky, head of the local Knights of Columbus organization. "It is our fundraiser, and the money that we make during this short period of time is what we use to make donations to community projects."
That includes school programs, like those involving archery or robotics, Hranicky noted, and other philanthropic causes. It also helps St. Mildred itself with its own projects "that wouldn't get done" if not for the fish fry.
The Knights of Columbus was started in the 19th century as a way of helping Catholic men take care of their families, said Hranicky.
"You had a lot of migrant workers back in the day and when these men died, their families had no way to continue — their wives were at home and they weren't working," he said. "So it started out as an insurance for Catholic gentlemen and it turned into a big service organization."
The fish fry, which has been done locally for about 20 years, typically lasts about six weeks, starting the first Friday after Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent — a period in the Catholic tradition which traditionally sees adherents try to abstain from the meat of warm-blooded animals on Friday as a way of fasting.
Lunch service takes place from 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Boxes cost $8 and include a fish sandwich, coleslaw, and chips.
They can be ordered by calling Martin Cranfill at 606-669-5989, with the following information: Your name, the number of box lunches you want, your phone number, and what time you're requesting pick-up or delivery.
Hranicky said they'd deliver to anyone buying 10 or more orders for lunch. Availability is limited, so those interested are encouraged to pre-order their boxed lunches. Boxes ordered on the day of the fish fry are available while supplies last.
There is also a fish fry for dinner on the scheduled Fridays, which includes the fried cod, hush puppies, green beans, coleslaw, and mac and cheese all for $13.
Dinner service starts at 5 p.m. for pick-up orders, while people can come to the church's O'Bryan Center facility next to the church itself and actually sit down to eat from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Though appropriately, the organization is very forgiving of early birds.
"If somebody wants to come in at 5 p.m. on their way home, grab a to-go order instead of sitting there, then they can," said Hranicky. "We say we don't start sit-downs until 6 p.m., but if people come in at 5 and they want to sit down, we don't say no.
"It's $13 bucks for a really good dinner," he added. "... (It's) fried fresh. Doesn't sit in a warmer."
