St. John the Baptist Catholic Church parish festival benefits food pantry

FOLEY, Ala. (WALA) - An old event made a comeback to offer fellowship with a purpose.

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church held its third parish festival Saturday in Foley. The event has deep roots in the community and has reorganized following the pandemic. The festival encourages parishioners to look for opportunities to get together and socialize with each other.

“Just a big time — that we all get together,” the Rev. Nicholas Napolitano, parish pastor, said of the event.

“Years ago, this was the site of the big lawn party. This was literally a famous thing. A couple of thousand people would show up. And for 10 years, it died and went away. And we brought it back three years ago —much smaller than it used to be — but we needed a time and an occasion to get together.

“People deserved and needed to be together, spend time actually in person face to face. Every year, it gets a little bigger and better,” Napolitano said.

Proceeds from the festival help with the parish’s food pantry.

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