BEHIND THE SCENES: Annual Christmas Dinner for New Ways Ministry's Volunteers
We are launching another new feature today entitled “BEHIND THE SCENES.” This will be an occasional feature to show our life at New Ways Ministry as we work, pray, and play together while we strive to build bridges between the LGBT community and the Catholic church.
In this first installment, we feature this year’s annual Christmas party for New Ways Ministry’s dedicated volunteers who, week in and week out, show up for a Tuesday evening of stuffing, sealing, and labeling envelopes to get information about our programs and resources to our constituents around the nation and the globe.
This year’s dinner featured an authentic Indian menu, prepared by Associate Director Dwayne Fernandes, who grew up in Mumbai (Bombay), India. We feasted on a special holiday dish, chicken biryani (a one-pot dish filled with chicken, vegetables, rice); raita (a homemade condiment of yougurt and cucumber);and Indian-seasoned cabbage. It all took over a day to make but our volunteers are worth it! The aromatic wafts of cumin, coriander, and cardamom, not to mention ginger and garlic, tempted us until we were ready to sit at the table and feast together.
We hope that your Christmas celebrations are as happy–and delicious–as ours was!
–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry
Here are some photos of the event:
Chef Dwayne Fernandes serves up a generous helping of his chicken biryani.
Around the table: Volunteer Mark Clark, Sr. Roni Schweyen, MM, Dwayne Fernandes, and Executive Director Francis DeBernardo
Enjoying Dinner: Volunteers Patrick McNelis, David Lamdin, New Ways Ministry Board Chair Matt Myers, and Volunteer Vern Smith
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