Celebrating Maundy Thursday and the Feast of San Francesco di Paola

After Mass and visiting the altars of repose on Holy Thursday, I broke my Lenten fast with a light meal and a bottle of Paulaner bier in honor of San Francesco di Paola. Normally, we would celebrate with a full pizza-and-Paulaner gathering, but given Holy Week—and my abstaining from meat, eggs, and dairy—we set the festivities aside.

Still, I could not let the day pass without honoring our glorious patron. The significance of the beer lies in the fact that the monks who began brewing this excellent brew in 1634 to support their charitable works were members of the Minim Order, founded by the great saint himself. The name “Paulaner” is said to derive from Paola, the Calabrian town where he was born.

Evviva San Francesco di Paola!