‘Fr. Phil’s Dills’

[This is the second of an ongoing series on young Catholics in the Diocese who are demonstrating an entrepreneurial spirit in support of their ministries]

BRANCHVILLE  A vinegary aroma fills the kitchen in the parish center at Our Lady Queen of Peace (OLQP) Parish here, as cucumbers boil in large pots on the stove on their way to becoming delicious pickles.

Some members of the Catholic Zoomers youth ministry stir the pickle brine as others form an assembly line to help make and package the pickles, called “Fr. Phil’s Dills” — an entrepreneurial endeavor that also let them enjoy the sweet smell of success. They ultimately would sell all 128 jars that they made of their product. The more than $1,200 netted by the Catholic Zoomers — a joint youth ministry of OLQP; St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Sandyston; and St. James the Greater, Montague — paid for a recent trip to New York City, which featured Mass and a tour of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The project took place in November and December and takes its inspiration from its namesake who suggested it, Father Philip-Michael Tangorra, OLQP’s pastor, who arrived at the parish last August.

“Making pickles was fun,” said Alyssa Macari, 16, a Catholic Zoomer, a parishioner of St. Thomas and a sophomore at Sussex County Technical School, Sparta. She hand drew labels for the pickle jars for a “test run” of pickle production last September. Then, she helped sell the pickles after Masses at St. Thomas that month. “I didn’t think that people would be into buying the pickles, but we sold out,” she said.

Indeed, enthusiasm still runs high in the three Sussex County parishes for “Fr. Phil’s Dills.” On Nov. 30 Catholic Zoomers descended on OLQP to make the first large batch of pickles, starting with cutting up cucumbers into “spears” and preparing the water for brining by adding vinegar, salt and special ingredients. Then, they boiled the cucumbers in the water, drained them and filled the jars with 12 to 14 pickles each. They had replaced the hand-made labels of the “test run” with professional looking labels in green and white that state: “Fr. Phil’s Dills. Parish Pickling Company. Bold, Crisp, Hearty. Natural, Organic Dill Pickles,” Father Tangorra said.

“The music was playing in the kitchen. Everyone was talking and having a good time. Father Wayne [Varga, pastor of St. Thomas and St. James] was cutting up cucumbers and talking to the kids about Jesus. He comes alive around the kids and loves it. This was a community-building activity, because everyone was working together. It was great,” said Father Tangorra, who developed an interest in brining a few years ago, while pursuing his Licentiate in Canon Law at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. “The kids did a wonderful job. They followed a recipe that I developed — dill pickles that have a certain sweetness with a pleasant aftertaste. The kids wanted to make each batch consistent in taste and color. This was a success,” he said.

After placing the pickles in the jars, the young people let them cool, closed the jars and then refrigerated them. They sold their product after Masses at each of the three parishes and took advance orders. The pickles proved to be so popular, that they sold out after the first liturgy of the weekend, the Saturday vigil Mass. They plan to continue making and selling “Fr. Phil’s Dills” to fund its future activities. The Parish Pickling Company hopes to develop Italian-flavored pickles to expand its offerings, Father Tangorra said.

On the trip in December to New York City, 17 Catholic Zoomers also visited prominent sites, such as the Central Park Zoo and Rockefeller Center. Father Tangorra celebrated Mass in St. Patrick’s in Our Lady Chapel and gained access for the young people to private places there, such as the crypt, where many cardinals and archbishops of the New York Archdiocese are buried, the priest said.

“The kids took in everything [at St. Patrick’s]. It was any opportunity for them to attend Mass in such a historic house of worship and for some of them to lector at the liturgy,” Father Tangorra said.

An impressed Macari called St. Patrick’s “so beautiful that I just wanted to stay there.”

The “Fr. Phil’s Dills” endeavor and subsequent trip to the Big Apple continues the revitalization of the Catholic Zoomers, formerly named Catholic Teens, which started as a joint venture among the three parishes under the pastorates of Father Varga and Father Edward Rama, former OLQP pastor and current diocesan vocations director. The group meets every two weeks on Sunday nights at OLQP. It mixes spiritual activities, such as Mass, Adoration, confession, recitation of the rosary and retreats, with social events, such as game nights, movie nights and trips. Members recently held their first-ever Candlemas service, Father Tangorra said.

“I like the activities at Catholic Zoomers — the movie nights and the prayer services,” said Macari, an altar server at St. Thomas. “The kids are really friendly and welcoming. It’s great to have a place, where we can share our faith and values,” she said.

Impressed with the young people, Father Tangorra exclaimed, “I love our Catholic Zoomers. They have lots of joy, energy and faith and like to have fun.”

While stirring a pot of hot cocoa at Catholic Zoomers movie night last month, Father Varga said, “Father Phil is doing a great job with the young people. The group keeps them active socially and with their faith. Queen of Peace is 11 minutes from St. Thomas and 25 minutes from St. James, but the drive for our young people is worth it,” Father Varga said.