Memorial Day Drive-thru
For as long as I can remember, Memorial Day was a celebration with parades, pools opening up, cookouts, and family gatherings. It's the perfect way to celebrate those men and women who sacrificed so much so we can enjoy these freedoms. This year's Memorial Day outcome was looking bleak -- that these freedoms we have come to know for so long would be restricted due to the pandemic.
At the start of May, restaurants, stores, churches, and more were all closed and there wasn't a sense of when they would reopen. The "Stay In Place" order was in full swing, our community had been bunkered down for close to two months and was looking for a glimmer of hope. That's when the good news came ringing through. The Diocese of Cleveland announced that we would be able to celebrate Mass publicly once again! We at Ss. Robert & William knew we had to celebrate with our parish and community in some way.
The celebration wouldn't be like years past -- no large social gatherings were allowed, but we knew we could make something happen. Thus, the Cookout Drive-thru was born. We had the grills going, and the cars started showing in the parking lot. Actually, the cars were lining down the streets for this celebration!
It was a joy to see all the smiling faces of so many parishioners we have missed. It may not have been the gathering that we are used to from such a day but it was one we all needed. We are so glad we were able to give this community some small bit of normalcy in these wild times. We can't wait for the next one!
Nathan Raddell
Nate Raddell