WYOMING, Mich. — Wednesday marks the beginning of the Observance of Lent for Catholics. Lent is a 40-day season of prayer, starting with Ash Wednesday, followed by Holy Thursday.
As a part of Ash Wednesday, you'll see Catholics walking around with a cross on their forehead after attending Mass.
This is all in preparation for Easter, and their remembrance of Jesus' death and resurrection.
In between Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, Catholics abstain from eating meat on Fridays. While it's not a prescribed practice, many Catholics turn to fish as an alternative.
That's how Fish Fry Fridays began.
"Catholic communities tended to offer fish fries as a way to bring the community together, and to raise funds for important purposes," said Linda Olejnik, the principal at St. John Vianney.
Olejnik said St. John Vianney's fish fry has been going on for more than 30 years.
"We've got people who have been volunteering for that long," she said. "We absolutely are proud of the community that puts this kind of event together."
St. John Vianney prepares more than 1,000 pounds of fish each week during Lent. Olejnik said, to make a great fish fry, it's all about the preparation.
"We have a crew that comes in to make sure that fish is fresh and it's hand-breaded and carefully prepared," she said.
St. John Vianney is one of several churches, schools and other organizations that host Fish Fry Fridays. You can visit sjvfishfry.square.site or head to their Facebook page for more details.