A long-standing tradition will continue for Christ Episcopal Church on Tuesday when they hold their 120th annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper.
Shrove Tuesday falls on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, the Rev. Sam Godfrey said, and is a time of confessing one’s sins and asking for absolution in preparation for the Lenten season.
Serving pancakes on the day before the beginning of Lent is also a ritual signifying the last day of eating decadent foods with sugars and fats and beginning a 40-day fast leading up to Easter Sunday.
Elizabeth Sansome started the pancake supper in Vicksburg, said Godfrey.
She was the wife of the Rev. Dr. Henry Sansome who was the rector of the church during the reconstruction period following the Civil War.
While Shrove Tuesday and Fat Tuesday, a Mardi Gras tradition, are not the same custom, the rituals are nearly the same, said Godfrey.
Sliced sausage goes with the pancakes, said Mary Chaney, a member of the church.
“We use a hand-me-down recipe for the pancake mix,” said Chaney, “and fry the pancakes in the sausage grease to make them tastier.”
The supper will be offered from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in the church’s parish hall. The cost of the meal is $7 for adults and $4 for children. Tickets are available from church members or at the door.
Entertainment for the evening will be provided by Virginia Monsour and the Dirty Rice Burners.
Michael and Betsy Harbaugh are chairing the bake sale which will include sweet breads and soup by the gallon, said Godfrey.
“All of the proceeds will go towards community outreach,” he said, “none of it goes to the church.”
For more information, call 601-638-5899 or email cechurch@bellsouth.net.