Edmundite Missions celebrates 85th anniversary with free lunch and dinner on July 6

The Edmundite Missions will celebrate its 85^th Anniversary on Wednesday, July 6.

The Edmundite Missions was founded on July 6, 1937 by Father Francis “Frank” Casey, S.S.E., and Father John “Barney” Paro, S.S.E. While the two were sent to proselytize, they quickly discovered that the people were not without faith but were instead without food. On July 6, 1937, the day they arrived, they served sandwiches out of the back door of their home, and the Edmundite Missions was born.

The Missions will celebrate the anniversary with several special events.

From 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., a cookout will be held at the Bosco Nutrition Center. President &

CEO Chad McEachern will be in attendance to hand out meals to pay homage to the work of the Founders and the legacy of service they began 85 years ago.

More from this section

Top 25 songs in Mobile on Shazam in the past week

Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games schedule revealed

TV soaps and diplomacy as Bangladesh and Turkey grow closer

“To be able to stand where Father Frank and Father Barney stood and hand out meals like they did in 1937 is really humbling,” McEachern said. “Now our Founders would be so proud to see that the Mission they started has expanded from sandwiches served out of the back door to nutritious meals served in a dignified dining room.” The lunch will be open to the public.

From 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., a special dinner will be served, along with a cake celebrating the Missions birthday. The dinner will also be open to the public.

“This is such an exciting time, and we are really blessed to be able to celebrate this type of milestone,” McEachern said.

While the Missions is excited about celebrating the anniversary, McEachern said they are not solely focused on examining their past. “We truly stand on the shoulders of giants,” McEachern said. “And while I know they’d want us to celebrate, they’d also want us to continue growing and evolving, turning even more of our services into solutions for our neighbors and the communities in which we serve.”

“It’s important we celebrate the past, but it’s also important that we prepare for the future,” he said. “It’s fitting that on the other side of Broad Street from where we’ll be serving lunch there are crews busily working to prepare our new administrative office.”