Mar. 31 - Update to stbonifaceonline.com today

Search has been added!

Have a great weekend! Enjoy those fish fries today!

Mar. 31 - Do you know, In the news

Do you know who the Vatican Pimpernel was? See this article from Catholic Ireland.

In the news:
Detroit closes more parishes
Story this week from the Washington Post.

More information at the Archdiocese site for this plan which starts in June and continues through 2007.

March 31 - Blessed Joan of Toulouse

More information on today's saint can be found at Saint-a-Day.

Don't forget, here in Missouri (may vary in your time zone), daylight savings starts this weekend. Spring forward or pick a later Mass on Sunday to not feel the effects of oversleeping!

It's Friday, so don't forget to visit your favorite Fish Fry today before Lent is over.

Mar. 30 - Another St. Boniface parish to close

This one is in Philadelphia. I found this information as I was checking our Links page.

After long, serious and prayerful deliberation by the Archdiocese and the Redemptorists, it was mutually decided that Saint Boniface parish will unite with Visitation B.V.M. Parish (Lehigh Avenue), and that Visitation B.V.M. parish will be entrusted to the Redemptorists.

The balance of the letter can be read here:
http://www.archdiocese-phl.org/cluster/c22/cc22feb2006.htm

We share your pain and pray for you.

Mar. 30 - This week's fish fry information

Our Lady of Lourdes in University City holds their annual fish fry this Friday, March 31. They take reservations and walk-ups, as well as the usual carryouts.

Also, see the following South County (my parish) and Maplewood listings:

St. Matthias the Apostle (sponsored by the local Boy Scout troop)
4-7PM
796 Buckley Road, St. Louis, MO 63125
map

Immaculate Conception
Parish Hall
4-7PM
2934 Marshall Ave, Maplewood, MO 63143
map

March 30 - St. John Climacus, news

For more on today's Saint, see Saint-a-Day.

Latest news:
Central Carondelet National Historic District
Area north of St. Boniface now a national historic district,which allows tax credits for renovation of properties in the area.

Central Carondelet Historic District, roughly bounded by Koeln, Loughborough, S. Broadway and Alabama Ave. (2/22/06)

Jill Carroll freed in Iraq
Christian Science Monitor reporter released today after heavy lobbying by several religious groups, Muslim and non-Muslim.

Two more St. Boniface churches added to the Links page: Cincinnati, OH and Piqua, OH.

Mar. 29 - Internet meanderings of note

Hearing God's Call in Search of Happiness from the Washington Post today. This article discusses the latest steps the Church is taking to attract young people to the priesthood and religious life.

Another site with lots of links to its previous TV episodes is PBS's Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. Check it out if you tend to miss the Sunday morning episodes like I do. It covers religion news (mainline and other) each week.

In the news:
New York Archdiocese Sets Biggest Closing in Its 150 Years
Story in today's New York Times

March 29 - St. Jonas and St. Barachisius

See Saint-a-Day for more on today's saints.

Happy Birthday Dave!

Dave Shekleton, my husband, and former KSLU radio artist in his college days, read the introduction you hear on Track 1 of the Oral History CD.

March 28 - St. Tutilo, Did you know...

See more information on St. Tutilo here.

Did you know...the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia (one of the last two dioceses in the nation--other is Lincoln, NE) just started allowing female servers? This is big news in the area according to the Washington Post article yesterday.

March 27 - St. John of Egypt

Saint-a-Day has more information on today's saint.

Not much research going on this rainy Monday. I attended Fr. Jim Gray's installation yesterday at Immaculate Conception in Maplewood. Monsignor Vernon Gardin represented the Archbishop at this ceremony, which packed them in at the 1030AM Mass. A reception followed, so all the kids seemed to enjoy themselves with the cookies and lemonade, including my three year old.

Mar. 24 - In the news: A red hat for a St. Louis native?

Fred Bodamer on his KMOX broadcast today says one Vatican correspondent sees a red (cardinal) hat in the future of St. Louis native, Archbishop Timothy Dolan, as retirement will open up numerous large archdioceses, including New York.

Archbishop Dolan is currently serving in Milwaukee. Read more of his biography here.

For more information on the College of Cardinals, see this link and this recent Time magazine article. A video of the most recent installation in Rome can be found at the Washington Post here.

March 24 - Blessed Didicus, Fish Fries continued

For more on today's saint, see Saint-a-Day.

It's still Lent for another four Fridays, so if you're looking for a Fish Fry in South St. Louis, check out the fare at St. Stephen Protomartyr. There is full menu and pricing information on their website here.

For you South County or Sunset Hills folks, check out the fish fry at St. Justin the Martyr in Sunset Hills from 4:30-7PM today.

Have a great weekend!

March 23 - St. Turibius of Mongrovejo, Catholic movie reviews

For more information on today's saint, see Saint-a-Day.

Are you looking for movie information from a Catholic perspective? There are a lot of sources in print and on the internet. Here is a sampling of what is available.

Probably one of the most commonly quoted references for Catholics and movies is the US Conference of Catholic Bishops site. They also have the Vatican best movies list here. Some of the choices are not what you'd immediately expect.

American Catholic movie reviews from the Franciscan order are on americancatholic.com.

Catholic News Service uses USCCB reviews.

Jesuit America magazine also has movie reviews and some movie reviews are available online from US Catholic, the publication from the Claretians.

To find out more general details about movies, actors, etc., see the IMDB (Internet Movie Data Base) for loads of information on your favorite movies, past and present.

March 22 - St. Deogratias

For more on today's saint, see Saint-a-Day.

March 21 - St. Serapion, sad news

For more on today's fourth century saint, see Saint-a-Day.

I read today in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that one of our Oral History participants, Anita Doggendorf, passed away on Sunday, March 19. My condolences to Doggie and the whole family.

Anita was a fun person and her interview with Earl (Doggie) from June 21, 2005 is located in our Oral History section.

Here is the information from the Post below.

Anita (Fernandez) Doggendorf

Doggendorf, Anita (nee Fernandez), on Sunday, March 19, 2006.

Beloved wife of 54 years of Earl 'Doggie' Doggendorf; dear mother of Donna (Randy) Gaines, Diane and David Doggendorf; dear grandmother 'Meem' of Lori (David) Becker, Danny Messmer, Maribeth Lay, Nicolas and Natalie Gaines; dear great-grandmother of 4; daughter of the late Ben 'Chic' and Mary Fernandez; daughter-in-law of the late Bertha Doggendorf; dear sister of the late Joseph 'Apples' Fernandez; our dear aunt, great-aunt, sister-in-law, prima to many and friend to all.

Charter member of The Spanish American Girls' Society and two time Gold Medal winner in the Senior Olympics. Her sense of humor will be missed by all, but heaven just got a little bit funnier.

Services: Funeral from HOFFMEISTER SOUTH COUNTY CHAPEL, 1515 Lemay Ferry Rd. on Thursday, March 23, at 12 noon. Interment Mt. Hope Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations to The Spanish American Girls' Society, 7107 Michigan, would be appreciated. VISITATION 3-9 P.M. WEDNESDAY.

Mar. 20 - More St. Boniface sale information

from the St. Stephen Protomartyr bulletin, 3/12/06

St. Boniface Parish:
About 2 weeks ago we received an electronic transfer from the Archdiocese for
$151,313. This amount was the balance of the sale from the property at St. Boniface. The total sale price was $1,036,480. We also recently received a check for $850 from St. Joseph Parish in Imperial for the Nativity set from St. Boniface Parish.

March 20 - St. Cuthbert

For more information on today's saint, see Saint-a-Day.

I worked on reorganizing my photos of the church this weekend, and discovered a few which had been missing. I will be redoing the virtual tour to add these items back in so it looks better.

If you want to see some interesting perspectives inside St. Boniface, see the feature on it at BuiltStLouis.net. BuiltStLouis.net details many items of architectual interest in St. Louis and the Midwest.

March 17 - St. Patrick

Beannachtai na Feile Padraig! Happy St. Patrick's Day!
(PRONOUNCED:ban/ocked/tee nah fail/eh pawd/rig)

For more information on St.Patrick, see Saint-a-Day.

I will be off today, so, hopefully, I'll have some more items by Monday. Have a great weekend.

March 16 - Blessed Torello, St. Pat's, more fish fries

For more on today's saint, see Saint-a-Day.

The hits are coming in, and they're for fish. I'm glad so many of you are happy with my recent posts on fish fries. I did not think they'd be so popular.

BTW the Archdiocese of St. Louis is granting a dispensation this Friday, March 17, in case you're planning on eating green eggs and ham or corned beef and cabbage. (Coincidence or a bishop named Burke...hmm?! ) :-)

If you're still in the mood for fish later in the day, check out one of these two fish fries:

St. Matthias the Apostle (sponsored by the local Boy Scout troop)
4-7PM
796 Buckley Road, St. Louis, MO 63125
map

Immaculate Conception
Parish Hall
4-7PM
2934 Marshall Ave, Maplewood, MO 63143
map

March 15 - St. Zachary

For more information on today's saint, see Saint-a-Day.

Have you ever wondered exactly what cloistered sisters do? Have a look at this page at the Archdiocese of St. Louis site which discusses several orders here in the St. Louis area.

March 14 - St. Mathilda

For more information on today's tenth century saint, see Saint-a-Day.

While I was surfing away today at lunch, I found a few religion news sources of interest:

Catholic World News
http://www.cwnews.com/
Description from their site:
Catholic World News is an independent Catholic news service staffed by lay Catholic journalists, dedicated to providing accurate world news, written from a distinctively Catholic perspective

Catholic.net
http://www.catholic.net/
Description from their site:
This directory, based in New Haven, CT, is the new, successor site to the Catholic Information Center on the Internet (CICI), one of the pioneering Catholic web sites since its inception in 1995.

Catholic News Service
http://www.catholicnews.com
Description from their site:
While created in 1920 by the bishops of the United States, CNS is editorially independent and a financially self-sustaining division of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. CNS is staffed by trained, professional journalists; all eligible nonmanagement staffers are members of The Newspaper Guild/Communications Workers of America.

American Catholic
http://www.americancatholic.org/
A news and information site run by the Franciscans of Cincinnati, OH.

If you'd like to learn more about the Catholic Church at home and at your own pace, see the Catholic Home Study service run by the Vincentian order.

And one item of note from the UK's Guardian:

Sad news for one of New Orleans historic Catholic parishes:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/18/AR2006031801074.html

Mar. 13 - Other Catholic blogs

I found this blog a while ago while I was working on some items. White around the Collar is by Fr. Dana in South Dakota and is subtitled "The meanderings of a prarie priest".

Father is an alum of Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis. Today he discusses a novena for St. Joseph (feast day is March 19). Check it out!

March 13 - St. Euphrasia

For more about today's fifth century saint, see Saint-a-Day, which is a very interesting site run by Pauline Press. It ends with the following item today.

There is an unmistakable beauty in the lives of people who are sincerely trying to live out their faith.

I'm working on more additions to the web site, so thank you for your patience.

Mar. 10 - More Fish Fry information

I was listening to KMOX today and Charlie Brennan put this topic out there and a number of callers (and one via e-mail) responded on their favorite fish fries throughout the St. Louis area.

Carla Goldstein - her favorite, St. Mary Magdalen in Brentwood (at Manchester and Brentwood Blvd) not far from the St. Louis Galleria. For $7 she got cod, spaghetti, green beans and dessert. They also have a $3 kids menu with Domino's pizza.

Charlie mentioned that his favorite is St. Pius V on Grand at Utah. He recently attended Our Lady of the Pillar (on Lindbergh not far from Chaminade High School and Plaza Frontenac) A family of four could eat for under $20.

Bill from Wentzville called in about St. Patrick's on Church St. in Wentzville. Their fish fry has an all-you-can-eat menu for $8.50

Tommy from South County, who is Protestant, like the fish fry at St. Francis of Assisi on Telegraph in Oakville.

Dora from Arnold called in about the Knights of Columbus hall on Jeffco Blvd in Arnold. She said they have lots of choices of fish and sides. They also have beer.

Mike, another caller, mentioned St. John's UCC, which is near the I-55 and Lindbergh exit, just past South County Center.

One caller even complained about a St. Charles County fish fry, but there is a skeptic in every crowd.

Bon appetit and have a great weekend!

March 10 - St. Simplicius

For more information on St. Simplicius, see Saint-a-Day.

Sad news for St. Aloysius from urbanreviewstl.com: Aldermen approve razing

I'm still working on some features for the web site to be added in the near future. They are:

Reunions page
Additional photos and graphics
Other assorted research
Oral Histories

Don't think your story is not important. Share it with us. See the Oral History section for details on how you can participate.

Have a great weekend! Don't forget to visit your favorite fish fry today.

March 9 - St. Frances of Rome

For more on today's saint, see Saint-a-Day.

I've been busy doing some research for new additions to the site. Stay tuned!

If you have any suggestions, feel free to contact me.

March 8 - St. John of God

For more on today's saint, see Saint-a-Day.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Tonya DiTrapani. Tonya and I attended St. Boniface School until she moved to Texas. She is now working on her neurology residency. Have a great day!

March 7 - St. Perpetua and St. Felicity

For more information on today's saints, see Saint-a-Day .

A sad day in the news today: RIP Dana Reeve and Kirby Puckett. May we all be thankful for what we have today.

"I played the game and tried to live my life in a way that would make the people that I love and care about proud. I hope I have made you proud. I have been blessed with so much and so many to be thankful for. And I have been blessed to play the greatest game for the greatest fans in the world. And now I join the greatest players in the Hall of Fame. For all of this, I say Thank God and thank you. I love you all, thank you." (Kirby Puckett, Hall of Fame speech, August 1, 2001)

Mar. 6 - More on St. Aloysius...cha-ching!

I found some interesting, if uninformed posters over at Steve Patterson's urbanreviewstl blog discussing the windows of St. Aloysius.Say it ain't so!

According to the St. Louis Review, families of the window contributors were contacted. I guess they just forgot to mention you have to pay the "removal cost" if you want the window back, which if is truly over $1000, is a not insignificant cost.

If you're wondering what stained glass is worth, feel free to hit eBay.

March 6 - St. Colette

For more on today's 14th century saint, see Saint-a-Day.

I'm doing a little maintenance work this week, so there may be just a little activity. Thanks for your patience!

March 4 - St. Casimir

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. I was busy visiting Immaculate Conception parish in Maplewood yesterday, along with a sizable St. Boniface contingent, who are carrying the tradition of meeting after Mass on Fridays. Fr. Jim has moved in and is getting settled in there, so they are still enjoying the visits.

Since I saw the Post today, I thought I'd pass along this latest fish fry link. It's more about the merger of St. John the Baptist and Holy Family, but it's link is the quintessential parish fish fry. I have not heard if any St. Boniface fish fry veterans have joined St. Stephen's fish fry, but you never know.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Need more on today's saint? See Saint-a-Day.

March 2 - Blessed Charles the Good

For more information on Blessed Charles, see Saint-a-Day.

If your looking for more information on St. Louis, see KETC's Living St. Louis show, and check out their Links page here. Living St. Louis delves into local topics that escape the regular daily news. Check it out for another look around the area.

Mar. 1- Find a fish fry, tips

Since one of our readers suggested it, I went digging on google and found this older Review article, amongst the myriad items that appear.

• St. Ferdinand has a menu and information on their Fish Fry on their home page.
• K-hits radio does a tour of local fish fries every season, including several Catholic parishes, such as St. Margaret Mary Alacoque among others.
• My tip: go early for best dessert selection. :)
• Wanna get your Fish Fry listed? E-mail me.

Here's the Review article. Happy Fish Fry taste testing! Bon appetit!

March 19, 1999

Fish fry aficionado casts about for best fish tails

By Jean M. Schildz Review Staff Writer

Connie Stretch's fishy tales have her friends and family hooked.
Hailed as "the Joe Pollack of the fish fry circuit," Stretch casts her net far and wide to find the top fish fries around town. Each Lent, people call upon her expertise for the best catch of the week.
"They trust my palate," the fish fry aficionado explained.

Stretch, who grew up in St. Pius X Parish in Glasgow Village, made no bones about what it takes to be the very best. The best fish fries are the "authentic" ones, she said, "the Old World fish fries, the fish fry of my childhood."

What makes a fish fry top-of-the-line, the St. Louis County resident said, are these core requirements:
Squares and tails. For fish fry novices, squares are fried filets of cod, while tails are fried jack salmon. Fried chunks of fish are acceptable, too, but they are not traditional fare.

A meatless, red spaghetti sauce, preferably homemade.

Oil- and-vinegar coleslaw, also preferably homemade. Her favorite coleslaw includes a cabbage and carrot mix, but no onions, which she said detract from the overall taste.

Homemade cocktail sauce, not pre-packaged varieties or packages of catchup.

Now a parishioner at St. Gerard Majella in Kirkwood, Stretch has been trolling for the best fish fries around for more than 25 years. Even when out of town on a business trip, she'll hunt one down, said Stretch, who serves as area vice president of accounting and administrative services for Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance Co. in St. Louis.

She remains loyal to a parish fish fry "until they change their formula, and then I have to start roaming again."
Her all-time favorite? St. Louise de Marillac Parish in Jennings. Though she hasn't been back there in years since moving out of North County, Stretch had no trouble conjuring up the mouth-watering fare. "You cannot believe how cheap these meals were," she recalled. "You'd get two nice squares of fish, red spaghetti that you knew was made by little, old ladies, and the oil-and-vinegar coleslaw was superb. I went there for 10 years."

Stretch's latest forays have been to parishes on the Southside and in Southwest County. The following are her top picks:

Sacred Heart Parish in Valley Park.
Currently, "this is my number one leader of the pack," she said. "This parish has every requirement and it's all good. Even if you bring the fish home, it's great." The parish serves squares and tails, and "their French fries are better than what you get at some of the restaurants." Homemade red spaghetti sauce, fresh cocktail sauce and oil-and-vinegar coleslaw help make this fish fry "the best."

St. Paul Parish in Fenton.
This used to be her favorite fish fry until recently, Stretch said, when a switch was made to packaged cocktail sauce and the woman who used to make the homemade spaghetti sauce no longer does. But, Stretch added, "All their fish is tasty, and it's not greasy." The parish also serves "really good" French fries.

St. Peter Parish in Kirkwood.
"The good thing about this is they have it yearround," not just during Lent, Stretch said. "That's a real plus." The fish fry does not provide cocktail or meatless spaghetti sauces, but it does include fried chunks of fish, string beans "with too many onions," "good" macaroni and cheese and French fries, among other dishes.

Little Flower Parish in Richmond Heights.
Youngsters might really get a kick out of this fish fry, she said. The filet of cod "looks like an enormous Goldfish cracker. We were just in awe when we saw this on our plate." The potatoes also were shaped like stars, she said. Among other items, the fish fry fare included oil-and-vinegar coleslaw and macaroni and cheese.

St. Gerard Majella in Kirkwood.
Labeling it "the yuppie fish fry," Stretch said, "if you need to control your cholesterol, this is the fish fry to go to." Along with fried fish, the menu included string beans amandine, baked fish, and potatoes au gratin. Meatless red spaghetti sauce was not available. And, "you get French bread instead of sliced bread."

St. Joan of Arc in South St. Louis.
Every week, according to Stretch, this fish fry features a different variety of red meatless spaghetti sauce from one of the local restaurants in the area such as Del Pietro's and The Pasta House Co. While no cocktail sauce is available and only creamy coleslaw is served, the fish fry offers both fried and baked cod, as well as cheese pizza and cheese sticks, Irish potatoes and macaroni and cheese.

Angling to find your very own favorite fish fries? Check out the Review's weekly listing of area fish fries in the Calendar section for the locations nearest you.

March 1- St. Felix II, Ash Wednesday

Lent begins today. For more information on Mass times in your area, see masstimes.org.