Mercy Meal Hospitality

For many years, St. Anthony Maronite Catholic Church has provided a much-appreciated service to assist grieving families who request hospitality before or after a funeral. It has been able to do so because parishioners have generously volunteered to set up the hall, purchase, prepare and serve the food and clean up afterward.   Unfortunately, there are not so many parishioners who are in a position to do all this. For this reason, the Mercy Meal Hospitality Committee proposed another arrangement that has been approved by the Pastor to be the official policy.

Beginning November 1, 2019, for those families who request hospitality, the parish will provide half or the full social hall space depending on family needs.  Parishioners will set up the hall. Plates, cups, utensils, tablecloths, coffee, and pitchers of water will be provided.  Suggested donations for the use of the hall and refrigerator, setup and cleanup will be $200 for half of the room, $400 for the whole hall. Please note that cooking the food in the hall kitchen, while possible, is not included in this arrangement.  Requests to cook on-site will be considered on an individual basis.

The family will be responsible for bringing in prepared food.  Several of our local establishments provide catering and may also deliver.  To assist in this process, there will be menus available at the church upon request.

Please contact the Pastor as soon as possible following the death of a family member so the parish facilities can be available for your needs.  The Pastor will contact the Mercy Meal Hospitality Committee.