St. Mary Parish-Centerville’s Pancake Day Parade float travels through downtown Centerville last month.
By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
CENTERVILLE — “Pope Leo XIV” made an appearance in Centerville’s annual Pancake Day Parade last month, thanks to the creativity of local Catholics.
Members of St. Mary Parish-Centerville spent nearly 100 hours building and decorating a float depicting Pope Leo’s first appearance in St. Peter’s Square. It was the parish’s first entry in more than 20 years, said Meho Clark, float committee chairperson. “We were very excited about making our comeback.”
Parishioner Leo White, whose 14th birthday coincided with Pope Leo XIV’s election to the papacy, portrayed the pontiff. “He is very active in our parish” and serves at Mass every Sunday, said Ed Pancrazio, who served as a guard alongside fellow parishioner Merlyn Johnson. The young Leo waved to spectators from behind a balcony as the float beneath his feet rolled through downtown Centerville. Several parish youths sat on the float as his audience. A parishioner walked beside the float pulling a decorated wagon that resembled the popemobile.
Pancake Day has been a Centerville tradition since 1949, according to the city’s chamber of commerce website. At the time, Centerville was home to a Pillsbury plant that provided the pancake mix for the first Pancake Day and for several years afterward. Local businesses continue to serve free pancakes to attendees, setting a record in 2021 for most pancakes served in a single event (14,000).
To fit with this year’s groovy Pancake Day theme, “Peace, Love, and Pancakes,” St. Mary Parish titled its float “Pancakes, Love and Peace be With You.” Parishioners painted a three-panel mural on the back of the float depicting Jesus at the last supper, Jesus at the crucifixion, and the Holy Spirit in the style of stained glass.
Clark, who also serves as St. Mary’s co-director of religious education, said she is grateful to everyone who helped bring the “beautiful” float to life. “We couldn’t be more proud of how our float came together.”
