Maronite parish offers meat pies as fundraiser

Intermountain Catholic

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Father Joubran BouMehri and Lori Allem prepare ?fatayah,' (Lebanese pastries with spinach, meat or cheese filling) as part of the ongoing fundraiser to increase handicap access at Saint Jude Maronite Catholic Church. IC photo/Marie Mischel

MURRAY — Saint Jude Maronite Catholic Church in Murray has put a wrinkle in the typical bake sale: Their pastor, Father Joubran BouMehri, rolls up his sleeves in the kitchen each week to help out. For the past year, Fr. Joubran and his parishioners have baked dozens upon dozens of traditional Lebanese pies, called fatayah, to raise money to upgrade handicap access at the church.

The church, which was built in 1927, "has limited accessibility," said Fr. Joubran. "It’s very difficult to get in and out."

To enter the church, people must climb a set of stairs, although there is a small elevator that can be used. However, the bathroom and parish hall are located in the church basement, down a separate set of stairs, and there is no elevator access.

"We need to remodel for handicap access," said Fr. Joubran, who returned to the parish as pastor last year. Previously, he had served as pastor from 1988 to 2006.

"This is our baking priest," said Pam Watkins, St. Jude Parish secretary. "Before when he was here the best thing to do was to come to the rectory for dinner. It’s not just his baking talents; he’s a good cook. We tease him all the time that he should open a restaurant."

The decision to sell fatayah to raise funds to increase the church handicap access was made about a year ago. Since then, they have been sold not only at St. Jude, but at Saint Vincent de Paul and Saint Thomas More parishes, and, most recently, at the Salt Lake City Arts Council’s Living Traditions Festival during the weekend of May 18. When the pies were made available at St. Thomas More Parish, they sold out before the last Mass, said St. Jude parishioner Wadell Goins.

Five kinds of pies are available: spinach, meat, cheese, chicken and spicy chicken. Most are made from traditional Lebanese recipes. For example, the spinach pies are spiced with sumac, which adds a lemony flavor.

The handicap access is a long-term project, Fr. Joubran acknowledged. "Hopefully we’ll accomplish it one day," he said, "but the most important thing is to live our faith day by day and to see what the future holds."

The fatayah are baked fresh each week and are available by pre-order.

"We can do this for any occasion" such as graduations or wedding receptions, Fr. Joubran said.

To order fatayah, call the St. Jude Parish office at 801-268-2820; Wadell Goins at 801-455-9970, or email stjudechurch@stinger.net.