An Ecumenical Church Dinner c 1956

Here's a good story, courtesy of one of my clients.  You'll recognize quite a bit of it, even if it didn't happen to "us":
The ladies of the Methodist church were planning a dinner in their church basement to raise funds, as usual.  Each member was expected to go sell tickets, presumably to other protestants in the community.  My client (I'll call her Nelly) thought some of the nearby Catholics might like to buy tickets, so she went to the local parish house and asked the priest, Fr Denery, if he'd like to participate.  Nelly says he was so thrilled to be asked that he bought 20 tickets.  He was thinking along ecumenical lines...making peace with the rebels, etc....and asked Nelly who sent her?  She said no one.  She was doing this on her own, so Fr Denery knew he'd create a ruccus.  It didn't stop him.
'Course, Nelly went back to the group and said she'd sold 20 tickets at one house.  The good ladies were horrified at who bought them, tho....
The night of the dinner, Fr Denery  came down the stairs of the Methodist Church followed by 19 nuns--a stream of black--each with a ticket in hand.  I'm sure the place became suddenly SILENT...lol
Nelly greeted them because no one else would, and once they were seated, she was their waiter, since no one else would, either.  She admitted it was uncomfortable, but a few weeks later their minister went to preach at the Catholic Church, and Fr Denery came to the Methodist Church to return the favor.  I don't know that it helped solve rampant religious rivalry in Waite Park or not, but I could imagine every minute of it.  Can't you?
Larry wishes we had an account of this event from the viewpoint of one of the other ladies....lol