Knights of Columbus holding weekly Lenten fish fries

By BRITTANY FHOLER

Cove Leader-Press 

The Knights of Columbus of Copperas Cove held their second Fish Fry of the Lent season so far this year last Friday, offering freshly fried catfish, fries, hushpuppies, shrimp and more. 

The Knights of Columbus has held fish fry dinners on the first Friday of every month for years, and during the Lenten season, the fish fry dinners are held weekly. 

Lent marks the 40-day period leading up to Easter and is a time of fasting for many in the Christian religion, including the Catholic denomination. The Knights of Columbus is a fraternal organization for Catholic men. 

During Lent, Christians choose to give up something to symbolize the 40 days that Jesus fasted in the desert. For Catholics, this often includes not eating meat on Fridays. Fish is not considered a meat in the Catholic faith, so the fish fry offers a dinner option for local Catholics and other residents alike. 

Chris Thompson attended Friday’s fish fry with her family. She said her favorite part was the catfish. 

“I think it’s great,” Thompson said. “People are looking for fish to eat during Lent, and this is a good option for them.”

The Lenten Fish Fry Dinners are a tradition for her and her family, going back seven or eight years, she said. 

“We generally come out whenever the Knights of Columbus has it during Lent,” Thompson said. “They make such good fish.”

Eddie Ganceres has been helping with the fish fries as a member of the Knights of Columbus for the past 15 years, but he said that the dinners have gone on longer than that. 

He shared that fish plays an important role for Catholics and is mentioned in several different area of the Bible. 

He mentioned John 21:1-25 where Jesus and his disciples go fishing, and the disciples at first struggle to catch any fish before Jesus tells them to cast the net on the right side of the boat, and they are able to catch so much more fish. He also mentioned Mark 6:30-44 which tells the story of how Jesus multiplied five loaves and two fish into enough fish and bread to feed 5,000 men. 

The fish fry dinners serve as fundraisers for the organization, and the money raised is used to help the community. 

“We go out for the community, anything that we can do for the community, like for example, the coats for kids - all this money that comes in goes for coats for kids, backpacks, anything that we can help the community with,” Ganceres said. 

Ganceres estimated that the Knights of Columbus had sold around 50 plates within the first hour on Friday, and they sold around 70 the week before. 

“They keep coming back,” Ganceres said about the community’s response to the fish fry dinners.  “They enjoy it, the fish is good.”

The Knights of Columbus meets the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Knights of Columbus Father James A. Donnelly Council 6658 building on Farm-to-Market 2657

The next Knights of Columbus fish fry dinner will be this Friday, March 18, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall.  

Plates will be $9 for adults and $5 for children ages 6 to 10, with children under 6 eating free. Take-out orders are available. People can call ahead and place an order through Eddie at 254-394-1534 or Martin at 254-223-1919. 

The Lenten fish fry dinners will conclude on Good Friday, April 15, with a fish fry dinner at the Holy Family Catholic Church’s Social Hall following mass. The dinner will start at 5:30 p.m.