The Dog has calmed a bit from last week’s rant about the City Council changing the PIAC ballot language in order to raid its coffers to prop up funding for a new Buck O’Neil Bridge. Parsing where the funds come from, neighborhood or citywide, still doesn’t allay this knowing News-dog’s fears. We’ve seen raids on PIAC funds before and we’ll likely see them again.

This week’s column, however, swerves into a kinder and gentler realm, given it’s the Lenten season and we celebrate this upcoming weekend the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker. St. Joseph’s tables have long been a staple here in HNE Catholic Parishes and this pasta-eating news pooch makes it a habit to patronize at least one of the Tables in order to sample some of the tastiest cookies around, not to mention the most spectacular gastro displays known to modern man.

The fine ladies down at Holy Rosary Parish know how to put on a show when it comes to St. Joseph’s tables, often starting a week prior to the observed March 19th holiday. If you haven’t witnessed the spectacle of a Holy Rosary St. Joseph’s table, you need to make the trip to the North End neighborhood and take part in one of the oldest Tables in the city, dating back to the late 1800’s when the Parish was founded by the Scalabrini Monks.

Also hosting an annual St. Joseph’s Table is the old Assumption Parish, now St. Anthony’s on Benton Boulevard; and Holy Cross Parish, which will be hosting a St. Joseph’s Table this year. St Anthony’s has been hosting St. Joseph’s tables annually since their inception dating back to 1918, when the then largely Italian Parish was founded. Holy Cross Parish is back with a St. Joseph Table after a short hiatus. See page 7 in this week’s edition for a rundown of dates and times for the Tables in our neighborhood.

Lenten season is a favorite of the Dog’s because every Friday at many of the Kansas City area parishes, Holy Cross and St. Ann’s in Fairmount being the local favorites, host a Friday night Fish Fry. The Dog traveled to the St. Ann’s fry a couple weeks back and was thoroughly satisfied with the meal and fellowship. Local Catholic newspaper The Catholic Key lists all of the Lenten Fish Fry events, and some of the parishes look to really put the goods on the table, complete with cash bars and buffet style service.

This week, rather than offering up the standard fact check of city and county government, the Dog gives that up for one Lenten season week and suggests getting out and supporting your local Catholic Parish either at a Friday night fish fry or at this weekend’s local St. Joseph’s tables.