Epiphany of our Lord festival to have patriotic theme
The annual summer festival will feature, food, music, raffles and an outdoor Mass.
Epiphany of Our Lord Parish will continue celebrating America’s 250th birthday during its annual summer festival this weekend.
Set for 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the church, 44 Pennsylvania Blvd., Monessen, this year’s theme is patriotic red, white and blue.
Committee Chair Robert Sassak said the festival, as is tradition, will feature ethnic Polish and Italian dishes inside, including halupki, haluski, pierogies, stuffed shells and classic options such as pulled pork, coleslaw and assorted vegetables. Outdoor food options include American classics such as hot dogs, hamburgers and cheeseburgers, pizza burgers, fries, pizza, and buffalo chicken pitas.
There will be chances to play games or enter a basket raffle to win prizes.
Sassak stated that the outdoor Mass set for 9:30 p.m. Saturday is a good way to end the festival, tying it back to the ethnic, cultural and theological roots of the event.
“It’s open to the public, anybody can come, and the admission is free. It’s always a really good turnout,” he said.
Friday’s main festivities include a live performance from Kosmix Polka Band from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., followed by a fireworks display provided by B&D Fireworks in Monessen at 9:30 p.m.
Saturday’s events will appeal more to children, with a performance by balloon artist Mike from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., with live music by Dr. Zoot Band from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., followed by the outdoor evening Mass to end the festival at 9:30 p.m.
Sassak said they always have a large turnout for the festival, regardless of the weather. He added that many church members volunteer to help the festival run smoothly, which he greatly appreciates every year.
“I mean, even in years of rain, there’s still a lot of people who come out, and they love the food. It’s always nice, the amount of people in the church that actually volunteer and do stuff behind the scenes to make it happen,” he said.
The festival has 22 sponsors, all of which are local businesses, residents and organizations in Monessen and surrounding areas. All proceeds from the festival will go to the continued ministry and outreach efforts of the church.
Epiphany parish history
The current church is a combination of the five original Catholic parishes that were once housed in Monessen: St. Anthony in 1952, St. Cajetan in 1920, Holy Name of Jesus in 1901, St. Hyacinth in 1909, and St. Leonard in 1900. When the individual parishes were built, they were based on ethnicity rather than geography. After population decreases and the time elapsed between them, the parishes combined to form Epiphany of Our Lord Parish. Epiphany of Our Lord Parish, established in 1991, currently has two places of worship, Epiphany of Our Lord Parish of Monessen and St. Sebastian church of Belle Vernon, and three cemeteries, Grandview cemetery, St. Hyacinth cemetery and Holy Name cemetery.
When the original five parishes combined, aspects of different European cultures were able to blend together to make Epiphany of Our Lord Parish a true cultural melting pot in Monessen’s Catholic community. Epiphany of Our Lord Parish and St. Sebastian church collaborates to hold catechesis, education of Christian doctrine to adults and children, at designated dates and times. In addition to their yearly festival, Epiphany of Our Lord Parish has held other unique events in past years to fundraise their ministry, such as their yearly multi-vendor craft show in October and turkey bingo in November.
