A Sunday afternoon tea on October 12 served as the setting for the fall raffle sponsored by Our Lady of Calvary’s Retreat League.  So enjoyable was the occasion that we see it as the start of an annual tradition.

Hats and gloves, especially hats, lent an atmosphere of elegance and/or playfulness.  I do not have a word adequate to describe Sister Jeannette’s performance in hat and boa.  Check out the pictures for that.

The tea menu offered no less than eleven varieties to be sipped in dainty china cups brought from home by the attendees.  The League’s Board members contributed delicious pastries and a tray of tasty cucumber sandwiches.  Sister Mary, the “guest” speaker, presented a survey of the fascinating 5.000-year history of tea and tea drinking from its legendary discovery by Chinese Emperor Shen Nung to the invention of iced tea in response to a heat wave at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.

After the presentation several Board members demonstrated their skills in napkin folding.  The audience joined in with exemplary eagerness and varying degrees of success.  The party closed with the drawing of the winning raffle tickets and a silent auction of two tea chests and a tablecloth embroidered by Sister Aideen.

The Board has already drawn up a list of fun ideas for next year’s event.  We hope to see you there.

Author: Sr. Mary O’Brien, C.P.