Invite a Priest to Dinner

Janelle Peregoy offers encouragement to reach out and ask your parish priest to join your family for dinner.

My mom was diligently chopping vegetables for the salad. 

“It wasn’t an occasion. It was just Tuesdays.” 

Distracted, I stirred a bubbling pot of tomato sauce. 

“Wait, what happened on Tuesdays?” 

“At my parish growing up, it was the one night a week that the cook was off so the priests would accept dinner invitations from whomever offered.” 

She started laughing to herself. “As kind and hospitable as G-Ma and G-Pa were, she was such a terrible cook. She once burned whatever she was making so badly that we served G-Pa’s work friend and his wife beans and toast.” 

Dinner with Father George 

Father George and I have known each other since his seminary days, for well over a decade. Although we’ve run into each other occasionally over the years, his recent appointment as pastor to the parish where my son attends school is a cause for celebration. 

We finally had the opportunity to invite him and some mutual friends from our previous parish over for dinner. 

It was a lovely evening overall. My 6-year-old introduced Father George to his beloved stuffed bunny, this being his indication of significant trust and camaraderie. Our friends brought excellent wine selections. My baked pasta with sausage really benefited from the loads of fresh basil I meticulously chopped. The conversation continued to flow. Over pumpkin cheesecake, we reminisced about places where we love to travel. None of our guests left until long after the kids had gone to bed. 

“Normal Stuff” 

A couple days later, I was driving my 8-year-old to school. Since becoming pastor, Fr.ather George had made it a point to greet the kids at the front gate of the building at least a couple days a week. Upon seeing us from a distance, he waved.  

My son volunteered his thoughts from the back of the car, “I thought that it would be different having Father George over for dinner.” 

“What do you mean by different?” 

“We talked about ‘normal stuff’ like the World Series. It wasn’t all ‘church stuff.’” 

I was tempted to quibble that “church stuff” was normal stuff but I understood what he was trying to say. 

“Priests and religious sisters are just people. We’re all just people trying to understand how to live our lives in a way that reflects Jesus’ love in the world.” 

From the front seat, I could practically hear the pings of thought bubbles. 

Invite a Priest to Dinner  

Actually, I want to expand that thought. Invite lots of different people to dinner. The more I reflect on the lovely visit with Father George, the less I think it was about any one visitor. 

I like to host. I like to cook. We frequently invite friends over for pizza parties or pancake breakfasts.  

I can’t tell you the last time we had anyone over on a weeknight.  

My mom’s comment about Tuesdays keeps nudging me. Maybe the difference between my grandmother and me extends beyond distinctions in culinary prowess.  

Maybe she was better at normalizing hospitality.  

It doesn’t matter if I have “the time” to make pumpkin cheesecake the night before. It doesn’t matter if I am caught in some traffic coming from work. That just means that guests can spend more time laughing around the kitchen. There is nothing wrong with putting some thoughtful details into a night with guests. 

Yet, it is problematic if I put more thought into the recipe than into why we’re having people over. I am missing the opportunity for good conversation. I am missing the opportunity to expose my children to other engaging and interesting human beings. Ultimately, I could miss the opportunity to miss out on connection. 

So yes, I encourage everyone to invite a priest to dinner. Or a friend. Or a colleague. Or a new neighbor. Or a third cousin once removed.  

Feel free to host it on a Tuesday. 

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Copyright 2025 Janelle Peregoy
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