Catholic Activity: St. Andrew

Suggestions for celebrating St. Andrew's feast on November 30.

DIRECTIONS

The last harvest saint of the liturgical year is St. Andrew, who stands at the very end of the series. If we were to neglect him, I am afraid every Scottish cook would claim I was un-Christian and prejudiced. It is not Saint Andrew I am afraid of, but the liturgical food that goes with him. I admitted that I would be curious enough to try to make a Scotch Haggis when the sheep are slaughtered in the fall, but I can't quite face St. Andrew's special—a singed sheep's head—even though it is a national Scottish dish.

Each animal had its slaughtering day, and each day had its traditional food. All was sanctified and blessed by Christ for His hungry human brothers. There is a gaiety and lightness in this relationship of Christ, His saints and His sinners. We have forgotten the formal language of the ritual and lapse into the brogue of a Galloway grace before meals.

Bless the sheep for David's sake, he herdit sheep himsel'; Bless the fish for Peter's sake, he gruppet fish himsel'; Bless the soo for Satan's sake, he was yince a soo himsel'.

Activity Source: Cooking for Christ by Florence Berger, National Catholic Rural Life Conference, 4625 Beaver Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50310, 1949, 1999