"Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter People, and 'Hallelujah!' is our song."
- Pope John Paul II, 1920-2005
The Gospel of Sebastian Barry is told in yeast, flour, water and salt.
Centuries before Moses was a baby floating down the Nile in a basket, these were the basics of bread, the "staff of life" that sustained humanity through its leanest ages. The Atkins Diet is possible only in an era in which you are never more than a 15-minute drive away from a supersized Big Mac Meal, a 16-ounce Porterhouse or a bucket of chicken wings.
In an ancient world where nearly all travel was done on sandals, carbs were king. Anyone who weighed more than 100 pounds could be considered obese. Some toddlers weigh that much today, but in a society that is famously eating itself to death, millions of Americans still go hungry.
That bothers Sebastian Barry, which is why he began baking Our Daily Bread.
It started as his senior project. The 17-year-old Abington Heights junior was heartened by the generosity of Americans willing to help the needy overseas, but he wanted to make a local impact. The economic recovery that has provided Wall Street with historic good fortune hasn't done much for Main Street. Whatever is trickling down isn't prosperity.
"A lot of people in our area are desperately in need," Sebastian said Tuesday as he weighed and cut dough in the kitchen of Beta Bread Bakery and Deli at 404 S. State St. in Clarks Summit. It was just before 8 a.m. and he had about 10 minutes to spare before shedding his apron and heading to class.
Beta Bread owner Mike Bonczar took the dough and rolled it into loaves. The Dalton man has donated his space, materials and labor to Sebastian's cause. Without Mike's help, Sebastian says Our Daily Bread would never have evolved from one young man's idea into fresh bread to feed the hungry at St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen in Scranton.
On four occasions, the pair has produced 50 loaves of fresh bread and delivered them to the kitchen. Both hope to make the gift a regular thing.
"It's just a good thing to do," Mike said with a simplicity that mimics his ingredients. His breads are made of yeast, water, flour and salt. No preservatives, oils or anything else. He is happy to be a local merchant helping his neighbors eat healthy. Fifty loaves cost him an $18 bag of flour and a few hours of sweat.
"If you're a small business owner, you're always being asked for donations," he said, but he would rather give bread than money.
That's fine with Monsignor Joseph Kelly, director of St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen. The struggling economy and needlessly cruel state budget cuts have made any outside help desperately welcome.
"Every bit of charity is deeply appreciated," he said Tuesday, shortly after the kitchen had served 250 free meals. Monsignor Kelly praised the volunteers who were preparing for greater demand this week as Easter arrives and the month ends. There are many working families who have three weeks worth of pay and four weeks worth of hunger, he said.
Sebastian and Mike want to ensure those people always have bread. Sebastian hopes to develop Our Daily Bread into a nonprofit that will carry on when he moves on. It was his idea, but he understands that the need it serves is bigger than he.
Although a beloved pope most eloquently called them to action, Easter People need not be Catholics, or even Christians. They come from every religion, and some observe no religion at all. The world has always been subject to a struggle between those who care about others and are willing to share the sacrifices required of a decent society, and those who don't give a damn about anyone other than themselves and will ruthlessly move to stifle any voice, idea or fact that threatens their earthly supremacy.
Too often, it seems the latter side is winning, but do not despair. There has never been anything wrong with the world that Easter People can't fix.
Let's get to work.
CHRIS KELLY, the Times-Tribune columnist, wishes you and yours a happy Easter and Passover, or just a nice spring Sunday. Contact the writer: kellysworld@timesshamrock.com