Celebrating the Feast of San Francesco di Paola with Focacce and Paulaner Bier

Wednesday evening, a few close friends came together for our annual pizza and Paulaner bier party in honor of the Feast of San Francesco di Paola. Since it’s Lent and we’ve given up meat, dairy, and eggs for the Great Fast, we opted for cheeseless focacce instead of pizza. This year, we also chose to switch from our traditional Paulaner hefeweizen to a crisper lager, which complemented our simple meal nicely.

San Francesco di Paola, ora pro nobis

Besides tasting great, the reason we choose to drink Paulaner bier is its connection with San Francesco di Paola. For those who may not know, the Minims, a mendicant order of monks founded by the great Calabrian Saint in the fifteenth century, began brewing the beer in 1634 to help support their charitable works. The name Paulaner itself is a corruption of Paola, the town in Provincia di Cosenza where St. Francis was born.

Wishing you a blessed Lent, may our glorious patron San Francesco di Paola protect and watch over you.