Pierogies, ravioli and scones, oh my!
Barbara Lombardi, right, is among the cooks and bakers rolling cheese at Mary, Mother of the Church in Charleroi in preparation for the church’s annual Festival of Nations.
Joann Mocilan threads the dough through the pasta-making attachment on the mixer for the pierogies.
Elaine Weiss counts the pierogies in preparation for the Festival of Nations.
CHARLEROI – The cooks and bakers of Mary, Mother of the Church are completing plans for the annual Festival of Nations, a daylong event that supports the ongoing mission of the 129-year-old Catholic church in the heart of historic downtown Charleroi.
The festival’s reputation has grown steadily over the last several years, largely because of the ethnic food offerings, all of which are homemade.
Polish pierogies, Italian ravioli, Irish soda breads, Greek gyros, English scones and more will be featured in the festival food booths from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday in Cherry Alley, adjacent to the church located on Washington Avenue between Sixth and Seventh streets.
“The Catholic Church in Charleroi dates to 1888, and it remains strong and vibrant today because we continue to celebrate and share the ethnic traditions of our parish community,” Father Jerry Mikonis said. “It’s about bringing people together, not just from the parish, but from the mid-Mon Valley.
“I think what makes our festival unique is the focus on the homemade food and home-baked goods, plus the quality of our specialty basket raffle. We only make a few baskets to raffle off, but each one is top quality and highly valued.”
The Festival of Nation’s specialty basket raffle includes:
• A Steelers basket with game tickets and 21 items;
• A Pirates basket with game tickets, three autographed baseballs and other autographed memorabilia and gear;
• A Penguins basket, including game tickets plus Penguins gear;
• A golf basket with passes to four country clubs and enough golf balls to lose;
• A lottery tree with more than 225 Pennsylvania Lottery tickets;
• A coffee basket with a Keurig coffee maker and coffee supplies;
• A basket of cheer, made of four baskets filled with wine, liquors, mixers and snacks;
• A cleaning tower of a dozen household products.
Music for the festival will be provided by DJ Cary Charles, and the Children’s Corner will include games and a bounce house. In addition to the basket raffle, smaller raffles will be held throughout the day.
The Festival of Nations will be held regardless of the weather, and in the case of intense heat or rain, Marian Hall will open be open so festivalgoers can dine inside. The festival Mass will begin at 4 p.m.
Parking is available in the church lot on Washington Avenue, in the borough lot at Seventh Street and Fallowfield Avenue and on street.
• 90 pounds of potatoes and 18 pounds of cheddar cheese are used to make the pierogies.
• 2,300 homemade ravioli are ready to be sold.
• 227 instant tickets are on the lottery tree.