By Barb Arland-Fye
Editor
Adding my secret ingredients to the sloppy joe concoction that acquired the nickname “Barbie Burgers” years ago, I looked up at the clock in the kitchen at Our Lady of the River Parish in LeClaire. It was 10 a.m. and almost time to head to Café on Vine in central city Davenport where our group of volunteers would serve lunch to our hungry guests.
Ten a.m. was also the starting time for the Mass of Ordination for Deacon Alfonso Pizano at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport. Attending and covering ordination Masses for The Catholic Messenger with Assistant Editor Anne Marie Amacher has been a tradition for me dating back to 2003. This year, my responsibility serving a meal at Café on Vine meant I needed to ask Anne Marie to take over ordination coverage, which she agreed to enthusiastically.
Both experiences are a privilege, but I felt disappointment having to forgo the ordination Mass for Deacon Pizano. Our presence at these liturgies reinforces our support for the clergy who respond “yes” to God’s call to a vocation to the diaconate and priesthood. The same is true of showing support and affirmation for women religious responding to God’s call to religious life.
Fortunately, I could not dwell on regret because our volunteers — Chris, Travis, Marilyn, Teresa, Kathy, Joanne, Terese, Judy and Steve — and our guests needed my full attention at Café on Vine.
Several of the volunteers served as taste-testers during the preparation process, to ensure that the Barbie Burgers contained the right amount of tang and moistness. Serving Barbie Burgers the first Saturday of August at Café on Vine has become another tradition, which I cherish.
Before serving, we always begin with prayer. I offered gratitude for the volunteers and the people we were about to serve and prayed that all people would have the food they need for sustenance. Our volunteers divided kitchen and dining room duties. I chose to scoop the messy Barbie Burger meat mixture onto buns, along with a side of equally messy baked beans. Our guests received their meal with anticipation and gratitude. No one complained, even if the hardboiled eggs appeared to be swimming in baked bean sauce!
One aspect of serving at Café on Vine that gives me great satisfaction is bonding with the other volunteers. It is a joy to catch up on each other’s lives in between serving guests and attending to chores. I did not serve in the dining room this time but have in the past. I struggle with wanting to convey sincerity in my appreciation for our guests while worrying that they might think I’m being patronizing.
Sometimes, a guest appears distressed or “checked out.” That happened Saturday and I still have to remind myself to avoid making judgments that may be far from accurate. Our day at the café reminds me of a passage from 2 Corinthians 4:7-15:
“Brothers and sisters: We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us. … For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh…”
I missed the ordination Mass of Deacon Pizano but participated in the body of Christ at Café on Vine.
(Contact Barb Arland-Fye at arland-fye@davenportdiocese.org)
