As people arrived they were greeted with the fabulous strolling accordion of Bob Barns.  Music during the service was provided by the wonderful SJA Choir and our always fantastic musicians.

The service began with the traditional Seder reenactment.  This year the presider was Father George Wertin and the host family were Ron, Lois, Karl and Luke Beck.

In the Seder meal, various special dishes symbolizing the hardships of the Israelites during their bondage in Egypt are served; the narrative of the Exodus, the Haggadah, is recited; and praise is given for the deliverance. Only unleavened bread (matzoth) may be eaten, in memory of the fact that the Jews, hastening from Egypt, had no time to leaven their bread. Jewish law also requires that special sets of cooking utensils and dishes, uncontaminated by use during the rest of the year, be used throughout the meal.

After the Seder reenactment, attendees were called one table at a time (by number) to partake of the wonderful smelling food in the Egan Room/Kitchen.  I have to admit that once again my attempt to bribe Jerry Hartlaub to call my tables' number early failed.  Jerry is a rock!  He has a strong belief in the fairness of the random program he uses to generate his table number order.  I will say that it is clear to me over the years that doing a lot of volunteer work at SJA has no bearing on how early you will be at the buffet table.  Fortunately, the lines move quickly.

This year, TLC Catering served: Wild Rice with Turkey, Rigatoni with Sausage, Mac and Cheese, Tabouli, and various cookies and bars for dessert.  They can offer all the various bars and cookies they want.  At the dessert table, I only want one thing:  THE BREAD PUDDING!  I dare the SJA Bible Study group, which is known for its wonderful treats, to come up with anything better then the bread pudding at the Holy Thursday meal.  Oh, the cinnamon and the raisins..  MMMMM.

After the meal the Mass began.  Due to a logistical mix-up, I was told I may have to help with the gift procession.  It turns out I was not needed but by the time we sorted out who would do what in the Sacristy, I had missed almost all of Father George's homily.  I came back in time to hear him remember the people of the Red Lake Nation and that we need to "Do Eucharist".  It's not enough to take Communion and then be judgmental the rest of the time.

Jerry Hartlaub took the mic for announcements at the end of the service and took a moment to remind all of us that this is our last Holy Thursday service/Seder Meal with Father George Wertin since he is retiring in July.  An unscripted standing ovation followed for a clearly flustered Father George.  Father waived for us to sit down to little avail.  The standing ovation went on for a good minute.  Thank you, Father George Wertin.

Janice LaDuke was baptized at St. Joan of Arc but her parents left St. Joan's in the early 70's and went to a "less radical" Catholic church instead. She's very glad to have found her way back to St. Joan's in 1994!! Janice is a librarian by profession and has been working in the library of a healthcare consulting firm since 1997. In her spare time, she enjoys listening to all kinds of music and working on her home near Como Lake in St. Paul. Janice is also Echo Thoren's assistant every Sunday at the 11:00 a.m. service.

Rita Nohner is a long-time parishioner of SJA and considers St. Joan of Arc her spiritual home. She enjoys being involved in the Bible Study, Soup Suppers, Team Oz and international ministries. Rita's passions are traveling and photography. She and her husband Jeff have a small photography and video business which keeps them both very busy. She can be reached at rita@lifeimagellc.com.

Thank you Steve Friedrichs and Roseann Rogers for coordinating this year's event.  A special thanks to those who volunteered with setup before and cleanup after.