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Feast Day vigil of St. John the Baptist features fire, food, music and prayer
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The Rev. Ed Noga, pastor of St. Patrick Church, 1420 Oak Hill Ave., Youngstown, blesses the bonfire that is being used to burn “torn and worn” religious articles. The occasion Monday was the vigil of the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist.
Vigil of St. John the Baptist features fire, food, music and prayer
By LINDA M. LINONIS
YOUNGSTOWN
Fire, food, music and prayer combined during a sacred and social time Monday night to observe the vigil of the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist at St. Patrick Church.
Prayers were led by the Rev. Ed Noga, pastor, near a bonfire in which old religious items such as prayer books, Bibles, rosaries and statues were ceremoniously burned. “Lord God, Almighty Father, the light that never fails and source of all light, bless this fire and the items it will consume,” he prayed.
“This showcases the proper way to dispose of items that have been blessed but now are torn and worn and not usable,” Father Noga said. He likened this respectable way to dispose of religious articles to the ceremonial burning of worn out American flags.
The ashes, the priest said, will be used in the church gardens.
“The ashes come from blessed articles and serve as a blessing to the ground,” he said.
About 50 people attended the gathering at the church, 1420 Oak Hill Ave., which was the prelude to today’s Feast Day of St. John the Baptist. It also is known as “summer Christmas” because it is six months before the December event. The feast day falls near the summer solstice, which was Saturday, that also has included symbolic fires and also is called “midsummer.”
Father Noga said St. John the Baptist’s Feast Day is a “big festival” in Latin cultures such as Puerto Rico. The church also has a history of Hispanic ministry and members of that ethnic heritage.
“It is a way the church with an Irish heritage can reach out to another culture,” Father Noga said.
“The event has been a tradition at St. Pat’s,” said Kris Harper, director of faith formation at the church. He said a Hispanic/Latino committee formed in 2002 at the church was responsible for starting the event.
“Not all churches have such a celebration,” Harper said. He said the gathering is a way to be inclusive of Latino church members.
Harper also said the bonfire is a tribute to St. John the Baptist as a “fiery preacher” who pointed to Christ’s light in a world of darkness.
On “Team Smoke” were Pat Chrystal and Marty Chrystal, both church members for about 20 years. “We call it the ‘holy smoke,’” Pat Chrystal said, noting those tending the burning have “to read the fire” to keep it going.
He and Marty Chrystal said “the heat” of the day and fire are challenging and noted that the fire is hot enough to melt metal statues.
The prayer service was followed by food and music by the Latino band, Conjunto Riquena.
Sara McCormick said it was a nice night to be outdoors and at a picnic. Her husband, Dan McCormick, added that the music certainly was a draw. He said it’s nice “to get together” with church members outside of Mass or other services.
For the food table, Sara McCormick said she brought amaranth, a grain that the Aztecs grew. She explained that it is “like corn meal mush but doesn’t taste like it.” She added tomatoes and peppers to it.
The couple were accompanied by their children, Fiona, 4, and Alice, 10 months.
Carmen Sepulveda, a member for 50 years who attended the church’s school, said the event is a wonderful way to showcase Hispanic culture and heritage. “We’re proud of it and want to share it,” she said.
She added such events that share culture “create bonds in the church.”
The menu included mango salad, meat pies, yellow rice with peas, pasta salad, watermelon and hot dogs.