There are many ways to spend a parish evening in late Lent. One can remain at home. One can pretend to be busy. Or, if one has the good sense to do so, one can descend into the Lower Hall with about forty fellow parishioners, a fresh council popcorn machine, and a willingness to discover that St. Patrick was not merely an annual excuse for green neckties and folklore gone feral.
That is what took place at our recent St. Patrick Movie Night.
The evening gave us our first real opportunity to put the council’s new popcorn machine through its paces, and it performed admirably. Roughly forty bags of popcorn were pre-popped, which is the sort of statistic that would likely have astonished the early missionaries, but felt entirely right for the occasion. Punch and cookies were prepared by Br. Wayne Gerylo and Br. Sijo Abraham, while Br. Lorne Gartner once again found himself entrusted with the sort of practical duty that somehow always finds its way to dependable men. In this case, that meant overseeing the popcorn operation, which he carried out with his usual steadiness.
The snack table, however, rose to even greater heights thanks to Lady Inge Leahy, who graced it with home-baked muffins and a pineapple cheesecake. This was not merely a contribution. It was an intervention. Civilizations have been strengthened by less.
The featured presentation was an EWTN piece on the real St. Patrick, and it proved to be an excellent choice. For many in attendance, it was a useful corrective. Patrick was not a cartoon. He was not a seasonal mascot. He was a real man, born in Roman Britain, kidnapped by Irish raiders, taken to Ireland as a slave, and later escaped. He then did the improbable thing. He returned, this time as a bishop, and spent himself in the evangelization of the very land in which he had once been held captive.
That story is stronger than the popular legends, and certainly more interesting. The evening helped separate history from the more durable embellishments. The story of Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland remains almost certainly a myth. The shamrock tradition, while familiar and symbolically appealing, appears to have been attached to him much later. What remains beyond dispute is more than enough. Patrick’s life was a testimony of providence, endurance, forgiveness, and missionary courage.
Attendance was about forty parishioners, and the evening worked well. The format is absolutely worth repeating. It was simple, enjoyable, and quietly effective. People gathered, watched, learned, visited, and shared an evening that was both relaxed and worthwhile. In a parish age increasingly dominated by haste and distraction, there is still something deeply sane about putting on a film, serving popcorn, and allowing people to encounter a saint as something more than a cultural cliché.
That said, one missed opportunity was clear. The 5:00 p.m. Mass was very well attended, and there was every reason to think turnout for the movie night might have been even stronger. But a direct invitation to parishioners after Mass did not materialize. Fr. Julian Studden made only a very brief mention, almost as an afterthought, that there was a movie taking place in the Lower Hall. A fuller and more deliberate invitation would very likely have brought more people downstairs.
That is not so much a complaint as a lesson. Good parish events do not promote themselves. A clear invitation, given at the right moment, matters.
A word of sincere thanks is due to all who helped make the evening possible. Br. Wayne Gerylo and Br. Sijo Abraham prepared the punch and cookies. Br. Lorne Gartner handled the popcorn. Br. John Leahy, Br. Victor, and SK Roy Ifill helped with setup, tear down, and cleanup, with SK Roy present for both setup and tear down. Br. Leslie Trainor once again handled the logistics with the quiet reliability that has become his hallmark, and his steady work did a great deal to make the evening run smoothly from beginning to end. Br. Mike Walsh, the winner of our Week 1 Blood Donation Drive appreciation draw, was not present that evening. If others helped and are not named here, please accept this as a grateful thank you as well. The evening came together because many people quietly stepped forward and did what needed to be done.
Even so, the evening was more than a successful parish social. The machine worked. The food was excellent. The hall was filled. The film was strong. People left knowing more than they knew when they arrived.
And that final point matters most.
Movie Night was not simply about refreshments or novelty, though both had their place. It was an act of parish formation in modest form. It reminded us that saints were real people, that Christian history is not sentimental fiction, and that the Church’s memory is worth recovering carefully and well. If a simple evening in the hall can help people see St. Patrick not as a legend, but as a living witness to the power of grace, then the council has done something worthwhile indeed.
