Traditions with a Twist!

What a Holy Week!

Over the past nine years, I have become accustomed to a very busy, pressured Holy Week as I work to set up and organize for liturgies in our chapel at St. Anne’s.  Our first year of doing this (after Sr. Annella left for health reasons) was especially daunting, as we strove to figure out what we were doing. 

After that, we put together a “Holy Week Instruction Sheet,” complete with items needed (and their storage location), liturgical ministry roles, etc. which we referred back to each year.  This made life easier, but this beautiful time of the Church year has continued to be very involved.  People outside have no idea what all is entailed in setting up for these liturgies!

This year, however, is proving to be very different.  Now, instead of preparing candles, helping appoint people for various roles, marking the missal, etc., my job has become that of setting up equipment (computer, projector, and screen) and dealing with internet connection problems for live-streaming the Mass from St. Michael’s.  By the time this pandemic is all over, we should have all the glitches ironed out, right?

Amid so many things being different this year, I decided to maintain one tradition: making hot cross buns to serve to our residents Holy Thursday afternoon.  As I type this, the crossed buns (fruits of yesterday’s labors) are set out on trays, covered with parchment paper, awaiting their demise at afternoon snack-time.  (Hopefully, there will be a few left over for us to enjoy at supper tonight.)

Even the bun-making took a twist this year, though!

I had decided to try using frozen sweet dough this year, but found out upon reading the package that each loaf in the pack of three only served nine – I had thought it would be twelve.  This left me short of the amount of buns I hoped to make.  Sr. Elaine, however, offered that there were some frozen cinnamon rolls (un-raised, un-baked) in the freezer that I could use if that would help.  I decided to give it a try, and asked her to pull them out and keep them in the fridge for me overnight as I was working at the front desk late. 
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In the morning, I pulled out the frozen bread dough to thaw as well.  After working my shift at the front desk and having lunch, I started on my buns.  I decided to begin with the rolls, since they were more thawed.  I didn’t want them to raise too much before I accomplished my transformative efforts.  Since they were still very cold, they were hard to work with.  However, I managed to unwrap three of them, removing much of the filling and then kneading them into buns.  I left the other dozen in the pack of fifteen in the fridge.  I would see how many buns I got out of the frozen dough.

I made up the first dough loaf into buns, and set the cookie sheet to rise.  After care conferences, I continued with the rest of the dough, ending up with a total of 30 buns.  Satisfied with this quantity, I decided to leave the rest of the rolls intact, and ended up making a pan of caramel rolls with them.  (The other Sisters can enjoy some of them for Easter Sunday.) 

Waiting for buns and rolls to rise can be an exercise in patience! 

After baking the buns and letting them cool, I made a cross with frosting on each one. 
By the end of the day, when I finally came home and settled in for our “community study night,” my feet were telling me it was time for a rest!

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