Shrove Tuesday

Ack's NOAA colleague Ingrid and her husband Ian took us to their church in Anacostia for a Fat Tuesday pancake supper. St. Theresa of Avila is a lively African-American parish; upstairs we met eight women who were rehearsing for their liturgical dance. Downstairs the Junior Ushers were cooking the meal and getting ready to serve it. The food was fantastic: all-you-could-eat turkey sausage patties, pork sausage links, long strips of bacon, slices of ham, and the main attraction - thick fluffy pancakes with ladles of warm melted butter and maple syrup for toppings. There was orange juice and coffee to drink. The children and youths did a great job giving blessings, grace, a scriptural reading and the history of the pancakes on Shrove Tuesday tradition (it's the last chance to use up all the luxurious fats in the cupboard before the privation of Lent). St. Theresa's was one of the most welcoming Catholic churches we've ever visited (and I've visited a lot!). We highly recommend that any of you Catholics in the area check it out.
Very sorry we missed the annual Pancake Day race at the National Cathedral! Only found out about it the following day.