Grand Jury Report on Predatory Priests should make you rethink Fish Fry Season

I wrote this in March 2019. I skipped all the Lent fish fries last year, but am unsure what to do this year.

Lent is arriving in Pittsburgh and that means fish fry season is upon us.

A mainstay of Catholic culture in Pittsburgh, this is the first fish fry season since the release of the Grand Jury Report in August 2018 describing sexual violence by nearly 100 priests in the Diocese of Pittsburgh and the complicity of Diocesan officials in covering up that abuse.

For decades, fish fries have been important fundraisers for parishes throughout the region, staffed by stalwart volunteers of all ages.

Fish fries have also expanded to fire halls and local restaurants and the sheer volume of events that have cropped up in recent years has led to many media outlets to launch bracket challenges, Facebook groups, and a Google map. You can find fish fries with hipster themes, locally sourced fries, and everything from fish tacos to fish pizza to help meet the Lenten obligation when you tire of a 29-inch piece of fried cod on a hamburger bun.

For the past several years, I’ve featured a blog series called Fish Fry Fridays, essentially my reviews of assorted fish fries throughout the region. I dive into the food quality…