Mardi Gras

Our class, 2014, was in charge this year of the Mardi Gras party.  The event centers on the Mardi Gras or Carnivale, which are very important to prepare oneself for Lent.  While the craziness and debauchery is not a good way to start Lent, enjoying a great feast is.  Why?  It’s the same principal as the saying: “it’s always darkest before dawn.”  We see the difference greater when we compare black to white than when we compare gray to light gray.  Our Lent should be brilliantly white.  We should take seriously the preparations we make in our hearts for the Passion and that Great Salvific Morning.  What gives us that contrast, that sharp break and distinction between Ordinary and Lenten times?  Having a celebration on the Tuesday before brings to conclusion the time of celebration that we’ve been enjoying since Christmas and the Epiphany.  The celebration on Tuesday night is also a preparation before our own voyage into the desert for 40 days.  However, these preparations cannot be done sinfully.  No sinful act prepares the heart for Christ, because all sinful acts are a turning away from He who suffered and was crucified for us. 

That being stated, our class put on a grand dinner with games and contests and confetti and prizes.  It was a fun ordeal.  Originally, the games were going to the biggest undertaking.  We had games during the afternoon.  Unfortunately, most people had seminars or conflicts on Tuesday afternoon.  Here are some pictures from that: bike jousting, balloon defense, bocce.  

The dinner that night was something else all together.  We had the most amazing meal!  Our great class chef, Ficara, prepared an amazing meal of shrimp etouffee, fillets with bearnaise sauce (wow!) and a side of asparagus, topped all off with the most amazing bread pudding with a whiskey pecan sauce.  Incredible.

                           

The festivities were great as well.  There were contest and games.  We had a parade made up of the different hall ways.  There was some history and trivia.  And my favorite part, though no one got a picture, was the confetti cannons.  What a wonderfully fun mess! 

The whole thing was great.  Our class put on a first class party that rocked out.  We prepped for Lent very well.  There were many people to thank throughout the whole affair.  There was the entire cooking crew, the games people, the food runners, the live band, the hosts, the donors (the school, the Student Council, a private donor for the food, and Jim and Debbie Bury for the decorations…and confetti cannons).  I was the man in charge, but it was a colossal coming together of so many people working really hard and people being generous with their time and treasures.  I’m just glad it’s over.