ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My Heavenly Family: Father, Son, & Holy Spirit, Mother Mary, my Patrons, Saint Leo the Great, Saint Joseph, and the whole Communion of Saints (that just about covers them).
My Earthly Family: My most loving mother and father, Carlos and Fe; my supportive and loving siblings, Maria, Carlos, and Angelica; my grandparents; uncles; aunts; cousins; the best in-laws a guy could have; and the coolest and cutest nieces and nephews!
My Church Family: The former Archbishop of Baltimore, Cardinal William Keeler; his successor, Archbishop Edwin OBrien; the parish family of St. John Catholic Church in Westminster, Maryland; my home parish of St. Rose of Lima in Baltimore; my supportive brother priests who suggested I share my passion for kitchen conversation with others: Rev. Msgr. Joseph Luca, Rev. Msgr. Arthur Valenzano, Fr. Erik Arnold, Fr. Brian Nolan, Fr. Michael DeAscanis; the faculty, staff, students, and seminarians at Mount St. Marys University; and all of my brother priests, seminarians, and religious women and men who have shared my meals and my desire to help bring families closer to the real Banquet to come.
The Grace Before Meals Family: Tim Watkins for his daily commitment to Gods work (and not to forget, for picking up the tab)! His wife, Susan, and their beautiful children; Stella Snyder, who shared her God-given talents; Shelly Mulligan for keeping the project on track; Phill Bednarik and Mike Little for their creative eye and designs; Dan (Riz) Fleuette for his skill in operations; Don Aboff for his print expertise; Chris Beutler for his enthusiasm; the Hullett Family, who opened their home to film the pilot episode of our companion TV series; and the many individuals and families who opened their kitchens and pantries to help us put the Grace Before Meals philosophy to the test: Jason Bloom, George Convery, Jim Decker, Laura Fick, Katrina Heiser, Kate Karbowniczek, Kathy Knapick, Liz Massanopoli, Matt McDermott, the Mohideen Family, the Mulligan Family, Tien Pasco, Nicholas and Kate Pich, Gay Pinder, Evgeniya Prokhno, Kate Reckner, Jaime and Jesse Robertson, Kathy Sirkis, Julianna Wittig, Suzanne Cannole, Teresa Hughes, Dottie Dunn, Gail Buss, Nancy Wolfinger, Margaret Fletcher, Theresa Greene, Susan Foley, Teresa DEpagnier, Donna Walker, Myra Corbit, Sue Berger, Donna Kelly, Sue Hopkins, Sharon Beaver, Susan Lakomy, Edie Foster, Vicki Mascalco, Dawn Walsh, Billy Schroeder, the ODonnells, Donna Brown, Rob and Robin Bosch, and Greg Hutsell.
CONTENTS
FOREWORD
Never a Day Without Grace!
OUR MOVEMENT GROWS WORLDWIDE
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,
Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? He said to him,
Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He said to him, Feed my lambs.
JOHN 21:810
![Daniel and Deborah Slavinskas take the GBM message to heart by helping to cook - photo 3](/uploads/posts/book/339635/images/Pata_9780307717221_epub_001_r1.jpg)
Daniel and Deborah Slavinskas take the GBM message to heart by helping to cook an Italian meal for their son Jonathon and his classmates.
Since the first printing of Recipes for Family Life, not a day has gone by when I havent received an e-mail or phone call regarding our Grace Before Meals movement. I say our movement because its not my idea. Its Gods idea!
And this simple concept is now catching on everywhere! I have received wonderful and encouraging feedback from readers in Australia, Japan, the Philippines, the Netherlands, Canada, South America, Nigeria, Spain, Germany, Italy, and almost every state in America. Thousands more have joined our online community at www.gracebeforemeals.com. Through our website, weekly e-mail blasts, and blog, I have not only had the chance to share some of my personal faith and culinary adventures, Ive had the pleasure of learning how families from all over the world are adopting the principles of Grace Before Meals into their daily lives.
I want to stress that Grace Before Meals is truly our movement. It takes you and me to spread this simple but profound message of strengthening relationships around the dinner table.
At first, some of my brother priests teased me about the movement being a schtick. But, as soon as they hear the theology that supports our movement, they begin to realize that perhaps bite-sized theology is a great way to teach people about faith, hope, love, and life. Theres an information overload in our world. When do we have time to discuss and digest all thats being crammed down our throats? Well, God gives each of us an almost sacred place to be disciples (students) and to learn the way Jesus taught his followersaround the dinner table!
![Filming a cooking segment for one of our webisodes In the Jewish scriptures - photo 4](/uploads/posts/book/339635/images/Pata_9780307717221_epub_002_r1.jpg)
Filming a cooking segment for one of our webisodes.
In the Jewish scriptures, we read how God sealed the covenant with his People through a meal. The relationship of food and faith is brought to a whole new level when Jesus becomes our Bread and Wine, a sign of the Eternal Covenent with His family on earth! As a priest, you can imagine, I take my theology very seriously. Unfortunately, in todays fast-paced society, many of us have adopted a fast-food mentality. We have forgotten that food is supposed to do more than just fill our stomachs. So, as a priest who also loves food, I dont just want people to take theology more seriously, I want to encourage people to take the theology of food more seriously! And, thank God, people are listening.
Over the past year, Ive had the opportunity to personally offer Grace Before Meals presentations to people around the world. No matter where I go, I see parents and children hungering for the same things: a deeper sense of what it means to be a family, a renewed sense of Faith, and more opportunities to celebrate love for one another.
Im not saying Grace Before Meals is the answer to every hunger we have. But this movement, at the very least, asks the question: What are you hungering for?
The Grace Before Meals philosophy is making a difference in the lives of many families. And, trust me, I cant take credit for any of it. This movement is being supported completely by God. I like to think of myself as the young child in Johns gospel who just happened to have some fish and a few loaves. As this story shows, if we place our small gifts and talents in Jesus hands, he can make miracles! And Grace Before Meals has been somewhat miraculous for me and many others!
This movement encourages us all to consider what our gifts and talents are. Are we placing these gifts and talents in Gods hands in order to feed the hungry in our worldbeginning with those at our own dinner table?
![Several students and family members joined me in the kitchen of Dr Thomas H - photo 5](/uploads/posts/book/339635/images/Pata_9780307717221_epub_003_r1.jpg)
Several students and family members joined me in the kitchen of Dr. Thomas H. Powell, president of Mount Saint Marys University, for an evening of great food and conversation.
Remember, feeding each other is one of the greatest ways we can show love. Consider a romantic dinner where lovers feed each other; newlyweds stuffing wedding cake in each others mouth; a mother breast-feeding her newborn; a father working long hours to earn bread for his family; and volunteers at the soup kitchen serving the homeless with a smile. All of these examples prove that