Le Mars St. James to hold Thanksgiving dinner

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
Posted November 14, 2002

LE MARS - The holidays are a time for great food and conversation with family and friends. For some parishioners of the Le Mars area cluster, both of these will be found at St. James Parish this Thanksgiving.

Father Jim Tigges, pastor at St. James, is hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for parishioners who would otherwise be alone for the holiday.

"This is not meant to be for those people who are down and out," he said. "I told parishioners last Sunday, whether you are two people home alone and your kids are coming later in the weekend I'd like for them to come out and enjoy eating together."

Likewise, if a family of four or six can't make it home for Thanksgiving Day, they are also welcome to attend the dinner to enjoy the fellowship of others.

"I don't want anyone sitting home alone," he said. "I would like them to come out and share a meal with friends - to get together and socialize for a couple of hours."

The pastor welcomes parishioners of the Le Mars area cluster parishes in Le Mars, Neptune, Struble, Ellendale and Merrill. In addition, the local hospital had previously hosted a dinner for people home alone. This year these individuals will be invited to attend Father Tigges' dinner.

While this is the first year that Father Tigges has hosted the dinner in Le Mars, it is the fourth year he has offered Thanksgiving dinner.

"In Christmas of 1998 I was talking with some friends from Battle Creek about when my parents are both deceased I would like to put on a Thanksgiving dinner at whatever parish I'm at," recalled the pastor.

He hosted his first dinner that very next Thanksgiving. It was in 1999 at St. Mary's Church in Alton. The same friends whom he had told about his plans for the dinner almost a year earlier, Roger and Lois Spaulding who are his former parishioners from St. Mary's in Danbury, offered to help and purchased turkeys for the occasion.

"We opened it up to the parish and communities of Hospers and Granville also," said Father Tigges. "We had a little over 100 in the first year. In the following two years we had a little over 100 also."

He extended gratitude to the Spaulding family and several other families from Alton, Granville and Hospers that helped with the dinners.

The dinners featured a traditional Thanksgiving menu - turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn and the trimmings. Several parishioners supplied salads and dessert.

When the priest assignment changes were announced last July he said one of the biggest compliments was comments about what they were going to do for Thanksgiving this year.

Fortunately, the new pastor there, Father John Vakulskas, is going to host a dinner in Alton.

Father Tigges continues his preparations in Le Mars. Several of his St. James parishioners including confirmation students have offered to help out. Some have contributed fresh produce for the meal - potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and corn. He will start the cooking at noon the day before.

Maryann Goebel of Granville is once again making the homemade dressing and buns. Her family will help with the dinner.

"This year we are planning on 150 people," said Father Tigges, who views this as a great opportunity for parishioners of the cluster to get to know each other. "The more the merrier."

While just a few have signed up so far, he expects to have a large crowd once again.

"Thanksgiving especially is a time to give thanks for family and friends. The best way to do that, I see, is in sharing a meal," he said. "It has deep spiritual roots in sharing our Eucharist, Communion together. Eating together is a sign of welcoming - growing closer together as a family."

He stressed that people are gifts to one another. People can be blessings in many different ways, some by receiving and some by giving.

"Some days we take and some days we give," said Father Tigges. "This is one way for me to give back to the parishes who have given to me."