Mary Jo Stinnett (left) laughs while working at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish’s Knights of Columbus fish fry on Feb. 20, assisted by teen volunteers Joseph Kurtz and Conner Grant. RACHEL HALL | WKC
Serving up kindness
Lourdes’ fish fry ministry helps homebound parishioners stay connected to community
BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
What do you do when a beloved tradition at your parish – namely, the Lenten fish fry – cannot be attended by the beloved older members of your community who are homebound?
“If they can’t come to us, we can go to them!” said Cathy Clark, a parishioner of Our Lady of Lourdes in Owensboro, who is part of the team that delivers fish fry meals to those who cannot leave their homes.
She said this ministry, which started last Lent, flowed out of the question, “How can we do things to help people feel they’re a part of our parish community?”
“A lot of us have been on the other end,” said Clark, sharing the example of being a caretaker for an ill or elderly family member. “It is nice to have someone come and visit and bring a meal and (help you) be a part of the community.”
The Lourdes fish fries, which take place on all Fridays of Lent, now include volunteers who package up the hot meals to deliver to their homebound parishioners.
Rosemary O’Brien of Lourdes’ social concerns committee said that when it comes to those who can no longer come to church, the parish should be among the first to check on their needs.
“A lot of these parishioners have been coming (to church) for years, and now they’re in their twilight years,” said O’Brien.
“It is a small thing that we can do,” she said, adding that this Lent, Lourdes expects to deliver about 50 meals. “We’re very happy that we are able to do this.”
Kim Morgan, who in addition to helping with meal deliveries, oversees the parish’s food pantry, said this is part of a year-round tradition of service.
“We (deliver meals from) the spring cook, a Thanksgiving dinner, a Christmas meal,” she said, adding that all meal deliveries are free-of-charge. “It puts a little pep in their step, (to realize that) my church hasn’t forgotten me.”
And the ministry does not stop at food. Morgan said the parish also sends monthly cards to homebound parishioners, including birthday cards and Christmas cards.
Volunteers serving as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, who bring the Eucharist to parishioners who cannot leave their homes, also visit regularly to check on these members of the community.
It saddens Morgan to imagine that elder members of a parish, who cannot come to church anymore, could “think we forget about them.”
It is her goal, and the goal of the women she serves alongside, to prevent that from ever happening.
Clark said the volunteers receive just as much when they visit and spend time with older parishioners “and listen to their stories.”
“It’s the circle of Christ’s love for each other,” she said. “Jesus had this thing about meals – so we feel it’s kind of appropriate.”
Mary Jo Stinnett adds fries and coleslaw to takeout containers held by Joseph Kurtz, a senior at Owensboro Catholic High School, during the Knights of Columbus’s Feb. 20 fish fry at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Owensboro. RACHEL HALL | WKC
Originally printed in the March 2026 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
