By Beth Lema
Laughter, Smiles, Fun, Story Telling, Great Food, Soothing Music and Sharing God’s goodness filled our parish hall on Saturday, May 4th when a Spring Tea Party was hosted by our Catholic Daughters of America (CDA), Court Madonna #2067. Our parish hall was transformed into a Tea Garden with spring colors everywhere you looked. All the tickets for this event were sold out the week before and anticipation was at a fever pitch. It had been three years since the parish held this event due to Covid. Joy filled the guests as they entered this special Tea Garden, experiencing the colors of Spring as a community of people sharing this long-honored tradition of afternoon tea. Each of the tables was individually hosted by a CDA member or St. Elizabeth Seton (SES) parishioner who chose a certain theme and carried it into all the table decorations, including the place settings. It was an opportunity for a host to bring her special China, silver sets, glasses, and mementos she cherished. The stories behind these cherished family pieces were shared with the table guests, and many family stories filled the table conversations. Each table’s theme was very creative, ranging from the Kentucky Derby (which was held that same day) to a Mad Hatter’s theme, as well as more traditional tea party decorations. The best table was voted to be the Mad Hatter’s theme, which was hosted by Sylvia, our parish administrative assistant.
The guests were dressed up in their finest — dresses, lace gloves, and, oh yes…. the hats. Fascinators, as they are traditionally referred to, are large brimmed hats made of flowers, bows, ribbons, and feathers held together by a clip. The fascinators were everywhere.
As with a traditional tea party, the foods were delightfully presented and tasted exceptionally good. The guests dined on croissants, salads, cheeses, fruits, scones, and desserts. A special touch was the opportunity to sip a cup of The Queen’s Tea, a Taylor-brand tea, known to be Queen Elizabeth’s favorite. A silent auction, 50/50 raffle, and a guessing game of how many sugar packets filled the container were great ways for the guests to mingle and have a great afternoon of fun while they were treated to delightfully soothing background music from a harpist.
To plan such an event takes time, energy, and prayer. This year’s co-chairpersons were Mary Fogelson and Marion Woiwode and they did a phenomenal job of bringing all this together. Mary shared that this was a time for the people of the parish to talk and to enjoy community at a spiritually uplifting event; she said it was a “Smorgasbord of Spirituality”. Marion remarked that she loved the table decorations, the food, and the soothing music.
God was present in this event throughout, from its planning to the day of the event itself. Breaking bread together at this Spring Tea Party was a true gift of sharing our faith.
Kudos to the Catholic Daughters of America Court Madonna #2067 for their work in bringing this event back to St. Elizabeth Seton. Looking forward to next Springs Tea Party event!
The parish I belonged to in Illinois would do an Advent Tea like this. Using of course Christmas decor by candlelight. It was so inspiring and beautiful!