Monsignor Michael Begolly believes it is important for lay people to see that clergy enjoy many of the same things they do.
For the Vandergrift native, cooking is an opportunity to be creative. "I find great satisfaction in preparing a great meal," he says.
Begolly, pastor of Mount Saint Peter Roman Catholic Church in New Kensington, and administrator of All Saints Parish, Arnold, will be sharing that pleasure again for a good cause.
As he did so successfully while pastor at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, Greensburg, he is auctioning a gourmet dinner, prepared by him, to the highest bidder in the Mary Queen of Apostles Catholic School Night of Knight's fund-raising gala Saturdayat the Leishman Avenue, New Kensington, site of the school.
The opening bid for the dinner for six, which the priest will prepare and serve at his home at a time convenient to all participants, is $500. It will include at least six courses. A flight of wines will accompany the meal.
The winning bid for the last dinner he prepared at the Cathedral, to benefit St. Anne Home, Greensburg, the Catholic Charities of the Greensburg diocese and his parish, was $2,200.
Tom Ferrazzoli, of Lower Burrell, a parishioner at Mount St. Peter, says Begolly's reputation precedes him.
"He is a wonderful pastor and is highly accomplished, holding a PHD in liturgy," Ferrazzoli says. "He is quite the gourmet, and his last dinner was an ultra gourmet one. The dinner was outstanding."
When Begolly was assigned to Mother of Sorrows Parish in Murrysville, he maintained a garden that had 19 varieties of basil. "There's something very peaceful, even biblical, about working the land and enjoying the produce of the soil," he says.
Begolly prefers to use seasonal ingredients and what is fresh.
"I get a lot of inspiration walking through the produce section of the grocery store and past the seafood and meat counters, looking at colors, thinking about what textures will go well together, and, of course, what will taste good," he says.
He was raised in a family that knew its way around a kitchen, and has fond memories of helping his mom prepare meals. His aunts were and are excellent cooks, and one, Sister Christine Makowski, taught cooking at St. Benedict Academy in Pittsburgh.
His Aunt Bertha and her husband, Everett Hines, owned the Village Grill in Vandergrift when he was growing up. His family and relatives always had huge gardens.
"We always had fresh food in the summer and what we canned for the winter," he recalls.
When he was in Jerusalem, he served a year's novitiate at the Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion, where he worked in the kitchen.
"We prepared food for 20 monks and 40 seminary students every day," Begolly says.
There is a spiritual aspect to it all, too, he believes.
"Jesus did some of his greatest work at meals. In the Gospels, meals are important in the life of Jesus. We rarely hear what Jesus ate, but we do hear the company kept at meals and what happened in that mixed company: Meals were the occasion for teaching, healing and proclaiming the reign of God."
Begolly says that while it is an enjoyable challenge to prepare a meal, there is a bigger picture to the experience.
"There is a big difference between dining and just eating," he adds. "It's not just about the food, but about savoring the whole experience: the food, the company, the occasion, the conversation."
Details about the gourmet dinner are available at: www.mgaschool.org, or call 724-335-5911.
