“And the Italian food in Ohio? It’s not messing around!”
I’ve caught myself saying the above several times now, in the list of things I’m loving about working in northeast Ohio. Said list generally includes shopping at the Dillard’s Clearance Center in Niles, purusing Rulli Bros. market for unique ingredients for my next cooking challenge and sampling the spectacular food you can find around town.
I come from Pittsburgh—a “foodie city,” declared so by several publications—and yet, during my relatively short tenure as editor, nearly all of the best meals I’ve had in this past year were from restaurants located in the Diocese of Youngstown. In my opinion, the Italian food here is unparalleled, but I’ve also had some excellent barbecue, seafood, Mexican food, pub grub—you name it! I even bought what had to be the world’s greatest kolachi at the Butter Maid Bakery in Austintown a couple weeks ago (though my staff teased me for calling them “nut rolls”—I suppose my Western Pennsylvania roots were showing).
To merely say I’m “excited” for parish festival season—a time of year when our parish communities showcase some of their best cooking in a festive atmosphere—would be an understatement. Here in the Diocese of Youngstown, I would bet a fortune that the food will be extraordinary.
But the food is just one reason to visit a parish festival. The festivals in our diocese feature everything from tractor pulls to car raffles to fair rides—you can read all about the attractions in our Festival Directory on page 22. If you are thinking of joining a parish, festivals can give you a great taste of a parish’s culture. But above all, festivals are often one of the largest fundraising events of the year for the parishes that have them, so going to a festival is a great way to support a Catholic community—and have some fun while you’re at it!
This issue also features a story on the Diocesan Pastoral Plan, page 24, which explains the need for regionalization and describes the many ways our parishes have come together to share resources. On page 16, we have another feature, about some of the faithful from our diocese who participated in the challenging Camino pilgrimage—a network of trails leading to the final resting place of the apostle St. James the Great at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. We hope their stories will inspire you to live your faith in new and exciting ways this summer.
And finally, I’d like to draw your attention to our Saint Next Door for this issue, Jim Schrader, on page 32, who has volunteered countless hours over the past two decades to help plan, and later maintain, the outdoor Stations of the Cross at Little Flower Parish in Canton. When I first visited Little Flower’s breathtaking grounds last summer, I was stunned to learn that a single parishioner was handling most of the maintenance. After quietly caring for this prayerful space—which is such a source of pride for his parish—for all these years, Schrader is a splendid example of the impact you can have on your community, in service to God.
I hope you enjoy this issue, as well as the rest of your summer!
See you again in August,
