The Heavenly Table - Good Catholic Digital Content Series

What does food have to do with faith?

One of the primary needs of our everyday life is food. We can’t survive long without it.

But is that all it is—a mere need that must be filled?

The Church doesn’t think so. She thinks that the meals we share with one another are holy and grace-filled—and that they have the power to sanctify our souls, to keep our families together, and even to save society.

Parish priest and professional chef Fr. Leo Patalinghug has dedicated his life to feeding his flock in both soul and body. And he’s here to show you how the way you eat can change your entire life.

The Spiritual Power of Meals

In our modern world, people just don’t eat together anymore. Families are often broken or separated, busy schedules get in the way, single people and the elderly are often left to eat alone. A good dinner with others is rarely a priority. Is this just the way things are, something we have to get used to? It doesn’t matter that much…right?

Wrong. Food is not only of critical importance to our bodies; it’s critical for our souls as well. Our Faith is infused with the imagery and reality of food. The devil tempted our first parents through fruit; we read about miracles and events pertaining to food throughout Scripture; the Church’s calendar is adorned with the feasts of Our Lord, Our Lady, and the saints; and the source and summit of our entire Catholic life is the Holy Eucharist, where Christ comes to us as both physical and spiritual food.

So how do we return food to its rightful place in our faith and families? How do we reap the plentiful spiritual fruits available to us in our physical meals?

Fr. Leo Patalinghug has some ideas. As a Cordon-Bleu-trained chef, parish priest, and founder of the international food and faith movement Plating Grace, he’s on a mission to save souls, marriages, and families—by bringing everyone back to the dinner table!

In this 25-day series, you’ll learn:

• How regular family meals keep kids on the right track
• Why Fr. Leo is against “anniversaries”
• Why dating your spouse is so important to a happy marriage
• What to do if you regularly eat alone
• Why the Church’s liturgical calendar of feasts brings joy to our lives
• Who the saints really are, and why we should dine with them
• How to cook 5 delicious, simple recipes for your family and friends

Step into the kitchen with Fr. Leo and discover how the meals you eat can transform you and your family—body and soul!

What is included in this series?

In this series, you will receive 25 lessons. 20 lessons consist of a 5-8 minute video from Fr. Leo and an article (about the length of a medium-sized blog article) from our Good Catholic staff. 5 lessons are cooking videos in which Fr. Leo will take you step-by-step through a complete recipe (the written recipe is included!). Each lesson ends with an audio rosary you can pray with us.

How long does this series take?

We recommend 1 lesson per day, so your series will run approximately 25 days. Every day (starting the day after you sign up), you will receive an email prompting you to read and watch the fascinating daily content for that day’s lesson. You can also jump ahead, viewing the lessons that interest you, or take more time with each lesson. Basically, go at your own pace—the emails are just there as reminders. You can repeat the series as often as you wish for a full year.

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