Cooking Pastor Nourishes the Body as Well as the Soul

Teresa Neumann : Jan 17, 2009
Ana Veciana-Suarez - Miami Herald

"Cooking is therapy. It's soothing. Every day as a priest we see people usually in great need, but we don't always hear how everything turns out. When you cook, though, you see it through. There is a beginning, middle and end—and then you get to enjoy it."

(Kendall, Florida)—The Miami Herald has published a story of Msgr. Pablo Navarro, the irrepressible pastor of St. John Neumann Catholic Church actively utilizing his gift of cooking to bless his flock and raise money for charity.

According to the report, the accomplished 57-year-old cook who was born in Cuba "auctions off his culinary skills—a complete meal—to the highest (and hungriest) bidder about three times a year, bringing in $1,000 to $8,000 a pop. Winning bidders are also treated to a blessing from the pastor in their own home. In this case, the guests hold hands in a circle around the island in the Fogarty kitchen to pray."

"Cooking is therapy," Navarro says. "It's soothing. Every day as a priest we see people usually in great need, but we don't always hear how everything turns out. When you cook, though, you see it through. There is a beginning, middle and end—and then you get to enjoy it."

Click on the link provided to read more about this cooking pastor.