The Columbus Our Lady of Peace Church and School Festival will be held Friday, Oct. 13, from 6 to 11 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 14, from 5:30 to 11 p.m. The festival will include kids’ bouncy houses and games, pumpkin painting, food, a silent auction, bake sale, beer tent, bingo and a chili cookoff on Saturday.
Many people at the parish have fond memories of the festival, which was held annually for many years. But during the past four years, events have resulted in a new look for the much-loved Clintonville-Beechwold neighborhood tradition.
First, in 2019, the parish welcomed a new pastor, Father Sean Dooley. “It was my first year as a pastor, and one of the first things I encountered was the parish festival,” he said. “It was great but very overwhelming. My plan was to take a year to get more involved and get my bearings.”
Then, in 2020, the coronavirus shut down the festival. “Navigating COVID became everyone’s top priority,” Father Dooley said. “A parish festival was not even on the radar.”
In 2021, with the pandemic easing, the parish opted for a one-day fall festival. This gave the parish time to not only recover from COVID restrictions, but also to ease back into a new normal. Parishioners also wanted to host a chili cookoff, and fall seemed the best time.
But then came the Real Presence, Real Future initial recommendation to close Our Lady of Peace, and the focus shifted again.
“In 2022, instead of figuring out how to navigate a COVID world, we were simply wondering what the future held for our parish and school,” Father Dooley said. “The festival last year became necessary for bolstering spirits and fostering community. We knew we had to do it.”
The festival committee, mostly new faces, recognized the importance of bringing the event back but wanted to start slowly.
In the final proposal from the Real Presence, Real Future study, Our Lady of Peace Church and School were found to be vibrant, thriving and growing. “Now,” Father Dooley said, “we can finally look ahead! I feel like it’s the first time since I arrived here as pastor in 2019, we’re making plans for the future, thinking big, moving forward.”
For more information about the festival, for sponsorship information or to enter the chili cookoff, visit www.olp-parish.org/fall-fest. Our Lady of Peace is located at 20 E. Dominion Blvd. in north Columbus.