The Most Epic Catholic COVID Party in the History of the United States

 

In January of 2021, a year into the lockdowns, a friend out West and I hatched a plan: escape the insanity of the COVID oppression that had metastasized across the U.S. by throwing a party and inviting every single Catholic we knew across the country. Her 40th birthday was coming up, and as a mother of ten, she had a big house. But that was just the cover: the reality is that every one we knew was fed up with masks, government overreach, Zoom everything, and the tension of uncertainty as to whether the world was ending of not. The time was ripe to do exactly what we weren't "allowed" to do during this unprecedented period in history: identify our people and be together as a bunch of loosely-connected strangers, talk shop as Catholics for when SHTF, and most importantly--have some freaking fun. 

We started to mobilize over Facebook and email, and I took on the bulk of getting the word out since I am a recruiter by trade. The premise was simple: a Nationwide Catholic party on February 20th, 2021 in Phoenix for anyone who was fed up with this abnormal state of life and could make it out. 

We weren't sure to expect, but like a album that drops at just the right time in the right conditions and goes Platinum or a high school party in the 90's, word spread fast. People from all over the country--from New Hampshire to New Jersey to Pennsylvania to Illinois to Florida to Oregon to California said "YES!" and started changing the oils in their car and booking flights. We were all Catholics on the same page and, at least for me, felt like we needed to find our people in this world and that being in person doing normal things was important. 

One woman (a good friend) drove cross country from the Northeast to Arizona because she refused to wear a mask on a plane. Others--one of my favorite Catholic couples of all time--drove from San Diego. The vast majority of these folks have large families and are authentically Catholic through and through. I stayed with K. for part of my time there in a spare room helping her prep for what seemed like a crazy social experiment, and with other friends D & P north of Phoenix for the rest. P. lent me his truck so I could meet up with C at a diner. I met up with an author friend for brunch. I connected with other people in person I had only known virtually up until then.

When the evening of the 20th came around, things started to pop. People really had committed to coming (not just talk about it, or say "cool idea!", and were showing up. By normal standards in normal circumstances, this would have just been a big Catholic house party where we drink and laugh and tell stories and do karaoke late into the night. But these weren't normal times, and to do "normal" things like this was essentially outlawed. These were normal (albeit, awesome and exceptional) Catholic folks who held their faith dear to their hearts, and the energy was one that would probably never be repeated given the circumstances. 

There was something about being together in person during this time that would never, and could never be replicated. It was also cathartic--so many of us were made to feel like extremists, radicals and subversives for not "trusting the science" and being firm in convictions. We needed to know we weren't crazy, that there were others like us out there, and that need demanded proof I think--something tangible, something real. Something that started with a crazy, random idea materialized and gave me hope in this small bloc of "my people" and that the Faith could survive in a hostile world if we stuck together and leaned on each other. 

A few of these people I have fallen out of touch with, but many I consider dear friends and stay in touch with, even if we don't talk regularly. When you're on the same page with the faith, you've found your people, even if they are spread out across the country. When you're not sure if this month will be your last before the world ends and everything goes to pot, it's comforting to know you have a tribe to call on for prayer, support, and yes--to party til dawn with.

"Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine, There's always laughter and good red wine." 

--Hilaire Belloc