Holy Cross Catholic Church Holds Eighth Annual Easter Dinner

They held the meal right after mass

WEST FARGO, N.D. — More than 1,600 families and individuals are parishioners at Holy Cross Catholic Church in West Fargo.

“Everybody’s friendly. You never get to know everybody because it’s such a large parish,” said Jim Rheault, an Easter dinner volunteer.

Since the holidays are all about bringing people together, church members say Easter was the perfect opportunity to change that.

It’s why when mass ended, the church held a special feast for everyone.

“It’s just a time to come and share. We eat family style so we have circle tables. You can sit around the table and meet other people just to get to know other people in the community,” said Penne Soucy, Easter dinner chair.

Which some say sends an important message on this Easter Sunday, whether you are religious or not.

“We all have to have some friendship. We all have got to get along,” Rheault said.

That includes Steve Spickenreuther and his family, who have been parishioners at Holy Cross for the last three years.
Part of the reason they keep coming back is because of the lesson he’s teaching his kids.

“We look at the world today and the direction that we’re going in and I think one of the things that we’re really missing is a good, strong ethical background. I think by having our kids getting the chance to learn what it means to treat other people the way they want to be treated, I really think that’s the core of the value system that we need to have,”  Spickenreuther said.

And it’s why on Easter, he tries to remind his kids the holiday isn’t solely about religion or the Easter bunny.

“It’s a chance of renewal for everybody, not just for our religious and our spiritual background, but it’s how we treat one another. It’s a chance to start over,”  Spickenreuther said.

There was no charge for the dinner but people could give a free will donation.