With a gorgeous weekend of beautiful weather, and even more importantly, an amazing Parish Family that came out in droves to volunteer to serve the community and join in the party, the first ever Saint John Gaelic and Garlic Festival was a tremendous success! From the food to the entertainment to the contests to the beverages to the car show, everything was enjoyable and drew droves of the people around our church. We were so blessed to have over 2,300 people descend on our campus over the two days, eating, drinking, and participating in games, contests, dancing, eating and drinking around our Festival. From the Ground Breaking of the Pulte Life Center to the Gulf Shore Opera Company to the Tir Na Nog Dance Troupe, there was something for everyone. I wanted to take a few moments to thank each and every volunteer. We had literally hundreds of our Parish Family who supported this event. Additionally, we had sponsors and vendors that made the event special for all the participants.
I have already posted the Ground Breaking Event, led by Father John and Bishop Dewane. Thank you for all the clergy for attending! Please take a look at this moment that marks a new beginning here at Saint John, with Catholic Youth Organization and Catholic Adult Organization efforts underway.
My largest take-away from this weekend was the fact that we proved without a doubt that our entire Parish Family can come together in collaboration and harmony to serve the single purpose of the mission of the parish. This was not a “Men’s Club” or “Knights of Columbus” event. This was an event where Ministries and members of our Parish Family that are not associated with any Ministry all worked together. Thank you to all the individuals who heeded our call for “Help Wanted” and came out to support Gaelic and Garlic!
Some of our volunteers dedicated their entire weekend (and some their entire lives for the past 2 months). Without these individuals, our Gaelic and Garlic Festival would not have been so successful. Bill Warvel. This giant of a man has a giant heart for Saint John and the Knights of Columbus. He ensured that every logistical detail was ready to go and was everywhere all weekend long. He enlisted Mike Woodyard to ensure that all the traffic and golf cart program ran as smoothly as possible. The counting room, with Paul Barrus, Marty Gautier, Jennifer Sadallah, Anthony Curatolo, and others ensured the tickets kept coming (and they did). Andy and Kay Sanfelippo not only assisted in our Italian vendors, they set up and assisted with all our drink stations and then became unofficial employees of our pizza vendor, New York Pizza and Pasta, serving meatballs and pie both days. Bill Fuller came up with our brand new “Sweet Spot” and brought in cotton candy, snow cones, and funnel cakes for everyone’s enjoyment. Vince and Katherine Corbino led the team that built not one but two Saint Joseph altars, and they personally took the food donations out to Immokalee for the poorest of the poor. Maureen Reed made sure that the Ticket Booths were able to support the influx of all sales. How could we fail with these individuals behind us?
There were several Ministries of Saint John that had essential roles in this festival. The Knights of Columbus were at almost every booth and every area, directing traffic and rolling out the golf carts. Faith Formation ensured the beer flowed all weekend. The Ladies of Charity and Faith and Wine poured the wine and prosecco. The Cub Scouts supported our crafts and made sure every child was able to win a prize with our 7 games. The Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist manned our ticket booths. The Adult Choir assisted with our BlueZone, educating our Parish Family and friends on healthy living. Our CYO volunteers sold tchotchkes like Irish and Italian flags and beads. The Pastoral Stewardship Council developed our Welcome Tent, so that our visitors could learn more about our church while enjoying the campus. The Sewing Ministry ensured our Nonna’s Best Meatball contest was fair and efficient. Saint Vincent DePaul Society assisted Fitzgerald’s Pub with the Irish Food. The Jamaica Outreach Program helped with our Ground Breaking, making sure all our VIP’s were able to sit and experience this moment of transformation. We are tremendously blessed with such active and engaged Ministries.
Along with our parish volunteers, we have many other organizations to thank for making this weekend the tremendous success it was. The food vendors dedicated themselves to our parish with no care on making money, so I hope you will frequent their establishments and let them know just how wonderful their support was for our parish. In particular, I would recommend New York Pizza and Pasta, Fitzgerald’s Pub, and Parmesan Pete’s Italian Kitchen. Additionally, it was extraordinary that the Alpha Romeo Club of Southwest Florida, in conjunction with Galiana Fiat, brought a gorgeous set of Italian Cars for our Car Show. For entertainment, “Father John’s Dancers”, the Tir Na Nog Irish Step Dancers, and the Gulf Shore Opera Company guest singers enlivened the Ballroom both days of the Festival. Saint John Neumann High School and Royal Palm Academy illustrated their support for CYO and the Life Center. Finally, I would like to thank the dedicated deputies of the Collier County. They kept us safe the entire weekend, and even helped with parking.
The Parish Staff stepped up in every single way, ensuring the safe and fun environment for our volunteers and all the people that came to enjoy themselves. We are very blessed for our Parish Family to have such dedicated and devoted servant to our church and our faith.
Our Gaelic and Garlic Festival was packed with activities and events for every age. Here are just a few pictures of the enjoyment shared by all. Thank you again to all that attended and supported the Festival, and we are looking forward to an even bigger and better event next year!