This story ran in the parish newsletter in 2003. The annual Celebration of Ireland had a 29-year run, 1991-2019. Two of its organizers have died, Fr. Michael O’Sullivan in 2013 and Eileen Nolan in 2017. Parishioner David Butler coordinated the celebration for its last eight years.
The idea for St. Peter's annual Celebration of Ireland, which turns 13 on March 15, took flight at Christmas 1990. Molly Collins, a parishioner, held a party for the choir, Fr. Michael O'Sullivan recalled, and a tape of composer Philip Green's "Saint Patrick's Mass" was playing. "Why can't we do that?" Father Mike asked, prompting an enthusiastic echo from then-parish music director Patrick Dean: "Why can't we do that!"
"Things fell into place," said Father Mike. St. Peter's first Mass in Honor of Saint Patrick, featuring Green's composition and other Irish music performed gloriously by the choir and a 21-piece hired orchestra, took place in 1991. Each liturgy has been followed by a reception in the church hall with plenty of "suds, spuds, salmon, and soda bread," along with more music, dancing, and a raffle that foots the bill.
It's the biggest event on St. Peter's calendar, drawing a standing-room-only crowd from well beyond the parish for the 4 p.m. Mass and reception. And it's the people who make the event -- more than 150 parishioners help out. In addition to choir members, liturgy participants include readers, altar servers, acolytes, gift bearers, ushers, and Eucharistic ministers, not to mention the priest-friends who concelebrate with Fr. Mike.
The reception is also labor-intensive, with volunteers setting up and decorating the hall, baking soda bread, cooking potatoes, mixing slaw, poaching and serving salmon, tending bar, garnishing and replenishing food trays, washing dishes, sweeping and mopping the floor, restacking chairs, and restoring the hall to its coffee-hour coziness. "You couldn't do it without the wonderful people of the community," said Eileen Nolan, who organizes the food. "I plan on 500 people, give or take. It's not a daunting task because of all the help," including "salmon sous chefs" Alex Freeman and Ciara Wiegand, 12, she said.
Eileen is food service manager at the Dominican House of Studies, where she feeds up to 60 each day. "You just multiply for a crowd," she laughed. For the reception this means 150 lbs. of salmon (18 big fish), 150 lbs. of potatoes, 80 lbs. of cole slaw, 60 lbs. of ham, 30 doz. rolls, and 100 loaves of Irish soda bread.
Another key organizer and longtime Hibernian, Mary Ann Settlemire, said the event really is a "celebration of Ireland" and the Catholic faith preserved there and passed on to America by Irish missionaries. "You should honor the depth of the Irish faith with a huge Mass and a huge party," she said.
Mary Ann, director of meetings and council relations and association secretary at the American Association of Community Colleges, organizes the raffle-ticket sale and arranges for the pick-up band that plays at the reception. To cover expenses, including ASCAP fees for use of the music, the parish initially sold 300 $25 chances on two round-trip tickets to Ireland, she said. But inflation and success have bumped the chances to 500, and the winner now can opt for the airline tickets or $1,000. "It is a fun-raiser," said Jerry Conlon, another organizer. "All we're trying to do is to cover costs."
Jerry is assistant director for facility operations at the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History. "Logistics is my game," he joked. He oversees all set-up and clean-up, as well as decorations.
"It has gotten a lot easier since Bryan Cassidy made all those Celtic crosses," Jerry said. But he added, "We could use more volunteers, especially after the reception. Clean-up is always the biggest job."
Everybody's favorite celebration coincided with the blizzard of ’93. Said Jerry: "It was so unexpectedly fabulous!" That year, 19 inches of snow put a wet blanket on many St. Patrick's Day events but serendipitously brought a busload of Garda Siochana (Irish police) to St. Peter's. They had come to march in the Washington and Chicago parades and got stranded. "They came in full regalia, their blues and gray coats," Father Mike remembered. "People in the neighborhood put on their boots and woolies and came together in groups. We didn't have the full choir or orchestra or very many priests, but everybody had a great time."
When Mary Ann called WETA radio to say St. Peter's celebration was NOT cancelled, "They wouldn't listen to me," she said. But 400 hardy souls filled the church, made a big dent in the food, and drank the kegs dry. A Garda tenor brought down the house with his moving rendition of "Danny Boy."
This annual celebration is important to the parish "as a community builder," said Father Mike. Jerry called it "a family party" and said, "You don't have to be Irish to enjoy it."
Eileen Nolan, who organized the food for the St. Patrick’s party for
many years, preparing for the 2002 reception. Many parishioners
who made soda bread for the event used Eileen’s mother’s recipe.
From left, longtime parishioners Barbara Eck, Lucy Gritzmacher,
Charlotte Voorde, and Jerry Conlon preparing flowers for the 2002
party. Lucy now lives in Virginia and Charlotte in Indiana.
Jerry Conlon decorating the hall in 2002, as
he did every year for the event’s 29-year run.
Jerry also handled the set-up and clean-up.
Photos from the 2018 Celebration of Ireland (taken by Jerry Conlon)
Photos from the 2017 Celebration of Ireland (taken by Jerry Conlon)