Holy Family Parish celebrates friendship, food

LYNN – Lisa Epsimos says planning Holy Family Parish?s Italian Festival usually begins in earnest “when all the snow is gone.?I can?t even think about it until then,” said Epsimos, who serves as general chair of the event.One way or the other, and despite the fact that Epsimos wasn?t sure the snow would ever melt from last winter?s deluge, planning got underway in March. Saturday, on the festival?s final night, she sat under a canopy as storm clouds hovered overhead, reflecting on the purpose of the festival and what it means to the parish.?This is more for the community of the parish,” she said. ?It?s a way to bring people together. You see people here that you haven?t seen in a while, and it?s awesome.”Rev. Gregory Mercurio, who does a lot of the cooking for the festival, echoes that sentiment.?Let?s put it this way,” said Father Mercurio, who is now administering to both Holy Family and St. Pius V as part of the Archdiocesan collaborative. “We don?t need this to keep the parish functioning. But it?s nice to get people involved and to build parish spirit.”While there are certainly rides and games, the festival celebrates the culinary side of being Italian. Two months prior to the festival, the committee gathered in the lower church hall to roll the meatballs that are used for the sandwiches doled out. There is also a table full of Italian pastry.Epsimos is in her third year as lead chair and has a 10-year history at the festival. And while few agree on the exact year the festival began, the most accurate answer to that question is “sometime in the 1970s.”Donna Lang has been involved in the festival since “the 1980s,” and has her own take on it.?Father (Mercurio) is right,” she said. “This isn?t a fundraiser. But if you see someone you haven?t seen in a while, this festival is a good way to get them back into being involved in the parish.”