It’s been a while since the Dashing Dialog Diner made an appearance, but don’t be surprised if he or she pops up sometime soon now that Fish Fry season is here.
The undercover diner has made unannounced appearances at Lenten fish frys and summer festivals over the last decade. DDD has not made it to one yet (it’s a little early in the season), but we have a reader who has pinch-hit in the leadoff position.
Catch the challenge introduced below by parishioner Lisa Flynn of Cambridge, Md.
Hello, my name is Lisa Flynn. My husband, Chris, and I raised our four children on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. We attend both St. Mary Refuge of Sinners in Cambridge and Ss. Peter and Paul in Easton. Our family has always been active in the church, religious education, adoration, altar serving, choir, lecturing, youth groups & many activities. We miss our dear friends Father Breslin, Father Lawler and Father Byrolly. We have enjoyed relationships with many wonderful diocesan priests over the years. And our favorite bishop, no offense to our current bishop, we love our dear friend Bishop Malooly!
Our kids attended SSPP elementary and high school. They also graduated from Catholic universities. We have an image of Jesus or Mother Mary in every room of our home. But, oddly enough, over the years, everyone in the family has attended Stations of the Cross during Lent, except my husband. For a long time his job has taken him away from the family at all different times of the day and night working with the Cambridge Police Department.
Last February I asked God to help my husband go to Stations of the Cross, but then I added, I won’t be upset with you Lord if you don’t consider answering my prayer. About a week later, my husband picked up the Dialog newspaper as we were leaving Sunday Mass. When he got home he decided to read it cover-to-cover, as there was no hockey game on. LOL He saw an ad by the Knights of Columbus listing the Stations of the Cross and Fish Fries throughout the diocese. He came up with an idea and asked me if I would be open to it. He said, “You know what we should do this year? Every Friday we should go to the Stations of the Cross at different parish each week, and then have dinner at their fish fry. I can work half days on Fridays. What do you think?”
I’ll tell you what I thought. God is a big showoff. LOL He answered my prayer before I could even ask my husband to attend the stations! How cool is that?
So, in Lent of 2025 my husband and I toured the diocese parishes’ Stations of the Cross and fish fries. We met a lot of new, nice and interesting people. We even pretended to be food critics on the way home and discussed our favorite parishes’ Stations of the Cross. We took pictures and told our friends and kids. They all thought it was a neat idea and encouraged us to share it with the Dialog. We hope that the paper prints that information again this Lent, because my husband decided it should be our new tradition. God is so amazing, don’t you agree?
Happy Lenten Journey 2026,
Lisa Flynn
Cambridge, Md.
