The St. Paddy’s Day Celebration began back in the 1950s and was known as the St. Paddy’s Day Fest. It began as a private party and continued that way for a number of years during which time the celebrating group grew larger.
As the monetary needs for the restoration of Old St. Vincent Church became overwhelming for such a small group of members/supporters to meet, it was suggested that the Fest be turned into a fundraiser.
In 1980, a significant undertaking was the organizing of a St. Paddy’s Fest, which would not only raise funds but also would provide an opportunity to have a fun evening of food, dancing, and merriment. The traditional dinner consisted of corned beef, cabbage and all the trimmings. This undertaking was so successful that the St. Paddy’s Fest was held annually until 1987 with over $25,000 raised over eight years.
The St. Paddy’s Fest was revived in 2001 again as a fundraiser for the new Schantz 19 rank pipe organ for the church. From the years of 2001 & 2002, $4,622 was raised and contributed to the pipe organ fund. The years of 2003 to 2005 raised the sum of $7,548 that was directed to the ongoing Old St. Vincent Church Restoration Fund.
The Old St. Vincent/St. Mary Cathedral Food Pantry was established in 2006 under the auspices of Catholic Social Ministries and the proceeds from the 2006-2008 St. Paddy’s Fest in the amount of $7,714 was contributed for their use.
The St. Paddy’s Fest became known as the St. Paddy’s Day Raffle in 2009 and netted over $4,600 for the Food Pantry. The people of Old St. Vincent Church and the Cape Girardeau merchants and community have always been so supportive of these fundraising efforts.
