Stations of the Cross and Clam Chowder
Sacred Heart Parish. Friday, February 20, 2026. First Friday of Lent
On Friday, February 20, 2026, Sacred Heart marked the first Friday of Lent with the Stations of the Cross, followed by Fish Friday hospitality in St. Carlo Acutis Hall. The evening had two clear movements. First, the parish gathered in the church for prayer. Second, parishioners returned afterward to the hall, where hospitality was ready and clam chowder was served.
Before the evening began, the brothers who have been participating in the online novena for the healing of Br. Kevin Byrne gathered in person at 5:30 p.m. in St. Carlo Acutis Hall and prayed together communally. They joined the Google Meet call together. In the hall were SK Wayne Gerylo, SK Roy Ifill, Br. Leslie Trainor, SK Stephen Sheridan, and SK Timothy Dahm, and Br. Kevin Byrne was present online for the prayer. It was a quiet, fitting beginning to a Lenten night.
At 7:00 p.m., the Stations of the Cross were prayed in the church. On this night, the Knights of Columbus led the parish in the Stations of the Cross, with Br. Phonse Delaney organising the Stations portion of the evening and ensuring the parish’s prayer was carried with focus and reverence.
This year marked the third annual appearance of Council 1186’s legendary clam chowder, and it was prepared at scale. Forty litres were prepared over a full twelve-hour cook on Thursday, led by GK Timothy Dahm with the assistance of SK Wayne Gerylo, so that everything would be ready to serve well and serve quickly when the parish returned from the Stations.
Well before the first parishioners arrived back in the hall, the work underneath the hospitality was already in motion. Br. Leslie Trainor prepared St. Carlo Acutis Hall the way he always does, quietly and thoroughly. He configured tables to accommodate the parishioners returning from the church and brought up the council’s hall materials, including the Knights of Columbus banners and the familiar council touches that signal hospitality with intention. The hall did not feel like a generic room waiting for a crowd. It felt ready, clearly hosted, and warmly set. He does not just set tables. He sets the flow of the night, so the hall stays calm, the line stays orderly, and the work stays clean from setup through teardown.
Br. Sijo Abraham arrived and immediately stepped into the practical work that makes service succeed. He staged the chowder for smooth holding and warming, began portioning takeout bowls so takeaway service would flow without delay, and attended to desserts and baked goods with his characteristic care so the table looked welcoming and well presented.
We were also blessed by generous home baking. Lady Inge Leahy brought home-baked peach muffins and banana bread, along with butter. The peach muffins were remarkably fresh, as if they had just come out of the oven, and they added a warm, personal note to the hospitality table.
The turnout was strong. Over 100 parishioners attended the Stations of the Cross, and nearly the same number returned afterward for hospitality. Fish Friday has long been a Knights of Columbus tradition, and Council 1186 expresses that tradition in a way that fits our parish and serves our people well. Rather than forcing an awkward fish-and-chips line in a small kitchen, we offer our legendary clam chowder. It is a practical, scalable approach that lets us serve a large crowd with quality, warmth, and calm.
As parishioners returned to St. Carlo Acutis Hall, the chowder service unfolded with a calm, deliberate rhythm. SK Wayne Gerylo spent several hours tending the pot, keeping the chowder properly stirred and ready, and then served steadily as parishioners came forward in an orderly flow. Guests completed their meal with bakery-fresh sourdough bread and real creamery butter. Gluten-free crackers and rice cakes were available as well. A squeeze of lemon was offered for those who wanted a bright finishing note.
Behind the line, Br. Sijo kept the service supplied and the pace steady. He ensured there was always a hot serving bowl staged and ready, so the swap could happen immediately when the serving dish ran low and the line never lost its flow. 
He also ensured that takeaway stayed effortless, keeping takeout bowls filled and staged so parishioners who wanted to bring chowder home could do so quickly and without interrupting the main serving line.
The response to the meal was unmistakable. Many parishioners returned for a second serving, and more than a few for a third. Takeaway bowls were available at $5, and they moved briskly as the evening went on. Br. Lorne Gartner, though ill and unable to attend, still supported the night by securing the takeaway bowls in advance. Fifty takeaway bowls were purchased, and by the end of the evening all 50 were used. As the night wound down, we offered complimentary chowder to the few parishioners who were still lingering and visiting in the hall. It was a simple, friendly gesture to close out the evening well.
We also added a bit of fun. In past years, parishioners have asked for the clam chowder recipe, and the answer has always come with a grin: top secret. This year, we set up a small display table with the council’s ship and the fasces from the Knights of Columbus emblem, and offered the recipe in exchange for a “Hearty Donation“. A few parishioners took us up on it and donated generously, and we also shared complimentary copies as a simple keepsake. It was all in good fun.
Br. Stephen Sheridan served as the public voice for the evening, pointing people to the recipe offering and giving simple prompts about the takeaway bowls at the right moments, which helped the hospitality run smoothly without feeling forced. We were also graced by Lady Jacquie Sheridan’s presence, adding a steady, practical touch to the evening. SK Roland “Rollie” Reeves documented both the Stations of the Cross and the hospitality afterward with his photography.
We were also pleased to have Br. Tony Iuliani from Holy Name Council 7183 and his brother Emilio with us.
Parishioners were very generous with their donations, and the support received roughly covered the direct costs of the night. That outcome reflects both sides of what makes this work: Knights who prepared and served with discipline, and a parish that responded with gratitude and goodwill. After the event, Financial Secretary Br. John Leahy and Treasurer SK Roy Ifill took a moment to reconcile and process the monetary numbers from the evening.
A special word is due as well to the men who stayed through the end. Br. Sijo Abraham and Br. Leslie Trainor went above and beyond, as they so often do, attending to the innumerable details that make a service succeed, from the practical needs in the moment to the logistical and hauling work beneath any event. SK Wayne Gerylo likewise stayed to the end, finishing the work and closing the night properly. Br. Leslie Trainor carried the logistical backbone of the night from first load-in to final reset, and he ensured SK Wayne Gerylo got on safely before he departed.
Knights in attendance included Timothy Dahm, Stephen Sheridan, Leslie Trainor, Wayne Gerylo, Sijo Abraham, Phonse Delaney, Jim DeLay, Gil Escobar, Roy Ifill, Jean Junio, Al Kohlman, John Leahy, Christian Pisoh, Roland “Rollie” Reeves, Tom Shannon, and Tim Cornish.
Fr. Arjay Abanto (Stations).
There is a particular wisdom in the Church’s rhythm. Lent begins with prayer, and then it asks what kind of men that prayer is forming. On this first Friday of Lent, the answer was plain. We led the Stations. We received the parish afterward. We served. The evening moved with clarity and calm, because each brother took his post and carried it through.
Charity, Unity, and Fraternity are not abstractions. Charity is the preparation and the care given to each person in line. Unity is the quiet coordination that keeps the hall orderly and the service steady. Fraternity is staying through teardown and leaving the hall in good order. Lent calls us back to first things, and this night made them visible.
“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice… to share your bread with the hungry” (Isaiah 58:6–7, NRSV-CE).
We did not solve every need. But we did what was ours to do, on the night given to us, and we did it well.
