Father Seth Wasnock from St. Maria Goretti Church in Laflin works on his Bananas Foster dessert for ‘Rectory, Set, Cook!’ a Diocese of Scranton fund-raiser against hunger.
Diocese of Scranton
Online project a fund-raiser against hunger
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Father Jerry Gurka from St. John the Baptist Church in Larksville hams it up for the camera — and ham is one of the ingredients in his Creamy Herbed Omelet.
Diocese of Scranton
Father Joseph Elston, pastor of St. John The Evangelist and St. Joseph Marello Parishes in Pitston, strikes a dramatic pose on the day he prepared French toast bread pudding.
Diocese of Scranton
Father Jerry Gurka’s creamy herbed omelet, shown here at the rectory at St. John the Baptist Church in Larksville, includes fresh herbs, balsamic vinegar, lemon zest and many other refreshing ingredients.
Diocese of Scranton
Father Joseph Mosley from St. Peter’s Church in Wellsboro enjoys a laugh, and also a polka, on the day he made homemade pierogies.
Diocese of Scranton
Father Seth Wasnock from St. Maria Goretti Church in Laflin isn’t afraid to use really high, kids-don’t-do-this-at-home, flames when he makes Bananas Foster for dessert.
Father Brian Van Fossen from St. Faustina’s in Nanticoke reminds us that “chocolate is really good for you” as he mixes some into his cake batter.
And Father Joseph Mosley from St. Peter’s in Wellsboro, who recently made pierogies from scratch with his mom, finished his cooking demonstration with a little polka dance.
Those are just a few of the tasty tidbits you’ll find when you check out “Rectory, Set, Cook” on the Diocese of Scranton website.
The project is a fund-raiser against hunger that involves 30 pastor chefs, each starring in a video in which they prepare some food.
It could be a dish as fancy as Bishop Joseph Bambera’s Chicken Marsala, or Father Jerry Gurka’s creamy omelet, full of herbs and other delights, or the cream puffs that Father Jonathan Kuhar made with help from his sister the culinary instructor.
Or, it could be as simple as Father Jim Paisley’s hot cocoa from a powdered mix.
“I’m not a cook, as you will deduce from this video,” the pastor of St. Therese and St. Frances Cabrini churches in the Back Mountain said. But, don’t worry, he can still be entertaining, serenading viewers with a rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” as well as the appropriate-for-cocoa-drinking “Let it Snow.”
The public is invited to watch any or all of the “Rectory, Set, Cook!” videos, which have been available online since March 1, and vote for “your favorite priest, video, recipe —we don’t care on what basis you vote, just that you vote.”
Each vote costs $10, with $5 going to the parish of the cooking priest, and $5 going to Catholic Social Services to fight hunger.
“In this Lenten season, when we as Catholics focus on sacrifice, penance, fasting and abstinence, it might seem unusual to celebrate food in this manner,” organizers explain on the website. “It is our sincere hope, however, that this virtual celebration of table will remind all of us who have enough to eat that others are hungry and hurting. We hope you will consider this project a new way to give alms this Lent. As we thank God for our own blessings, we can all work toward a world in which no one ever goes hungry.”
Along the way, people who log on will see another side of the cooking pastors, who are more than preachers in a pulpit.
Some of the priests, for example, own dogs that appear very nose-to-the-vanilla interested in what goes on in a kitchen.
Some have enthusiastic young nieces or helpful parishioners who pitch in with the food prep.
Some reveal special ingredients, like the Guinness draught stout that goes into Father Jack Lambert’s Irish stew or the raspberry vodka, flavored with actual berries, that adds a special touch to Father Van Fossen’s Polish coffee.
And some invoke fond memories of food they enjoyed as children, like Father Jerry Gurka’s toasted cheese sandwich, served with bread-and-butter pickle chips just the way Woolworth’s in Nanticoke used to serve them.
“Everything I had was fabulous,” said diocese Director of Foundation Relations and Special Events Sandy Snyder, who worked on the videos with diocese Secretary for Communications Eric Deabill and enjoyed tasting many of the culinary treats.
“Even the little kielbasa and cheese crackers our retired priests made in the microwave were quite tasty!” Snyder said via email. “My only complaint is I have a long grocery list now and a lot of work ahead of me re-creating all those dishes at home.”
Among the culinary delights that are part of “Rectory, Set, Cook!” are Italian-style doughnuts from Father David Cappelloni at SS. Anthony and Rocco Church in Dunmore, hearty chili from Father Phil Sladicki at Queen of the Apostles in Duryea, and vegetarian chili from Father Mark DeCelles as St. Nicholas and St. Mary churches in Wilkes-Barre.
You can also watch Father Brian J. T. Clarke’s brave attempt at Martha Stewart-style lemon cream pistachio pasta at Christ the King Parish in Archbald, homemade gnocchi from Father Paul McDonnell at Our Lady of the Eucharist in Pittston and, from Father Joseph Elston at St. John the Evangelist in Pittston, a French Toast Bread Pudding that started out with 10 cups of cubed brioche (but, after he nibbled some, it was more like 9.75 cups.)
By Saturday morning, online voting had raised $62,776. Voting will continue through midnight April 10, with winners announced April 11.
