Correspondent photo / Nancilynn Gatta
From left, Sister Biji Babu of the Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Rome, Italy; Msgr. Michael Cariglio, retired pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica in Youngstown; Mother Marilude Ascencao, who was visiting from Brazil; and Sister Shiny Soosayya, auxiliary coordinator for the Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Hubbard, who has a recipe in the cookbook, show off the final product.

This designation gave Msgr. Michael J. Cariglio, pastor emeritus of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica in Youngstown, food for thought.

He became the publisher of “Pilgrims of Hope: Reflections and Special Recipes from the Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,” which contains recipes that the Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus provided. This culinary work emphasized the connection of people through cooking and sharing a meal.

“The cookbook represents a strong community very committed to evangelical consultation with hope being among one of the more important theological virtues within the church,” Cariglio said. “I thought a good way to get the message across is by taking the table of the Lord, the table of the family and the community here and trying to put together the concept of we as a community around the table as the true experience of hope we have in the world.”

Sister Arcangela Martino, the Mother Superior of the Oblate Sisters’ Warner Road residence, discussed her thoughts when Cariglio — who is in residence there — mentioned the project.

“When Monsignor Cariglio approached me about doing something special to commemorate the Jubilee Year, 2025, I had to say ‘Si’ for the Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus have been and will continue to be Pilgrims of Hope,” Martino said.

The 17 recipes offer a full course meal with soups, salads, entrees, side dishes and desserts. Food selections include cheddar cheese soup, layered vegetable salad, pork chops and cranberry coffee cake.

“When we first shared the idea of creating the book, we felt it would be wonderful for each sister to contribute a special recipe that is dear to her and easy for everyone to make. Our community is multicultural, with sisters from almost four regions so we decided to include recipes from different cultures,” Martino said.

The recipes are from 15 Oblate sisters and two from Martino, who live and serve in the United States.

Sister Shiny Soosayya of India, Vice Superior of the Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Hubbard, contributed a recipe from her country.

“The recipe that I gave to the cookbook was chicken biryani,” she said.

This entree includes many easy to acquire ingredients such as chicken thighs, potatoes, basmati rice, tomatoes and a chicken biryani spice mixture that includes coriander, cumin, fennel seeds, cloves, cardamon and peppercorns. The spice mix is sold at local stores.

When selecting her recipe, Soosayya considered the availability of ingredients and the universality to create it.

“I wanted to make a good recipe that everybody can easily make. Rice is available all over and connects with the message,” she said.

Her recipe is a more modern representation of the traditional dish. Sister Biji Babu of India, who is part of the Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart in Italy, said that it is a dish made in all regions of India and by people of all faiths.

Many of the recipes are nostalgic, such as Sister Eva Marie Coulter’s OSHJ Cheddar Cheese Soup.

“The soup warms my heart. It is my father’s recipe and reminds me of his great love for me. My biological father reminds me of the love of my heavenly Father, who gives me all that I need and protects me,” Coulter said. “Just as my father gave me broccoli, something I am not fond of, in cheese soup, something I love, God often gives me what I need in a way I can receive it. The love of God gives me hope and strength to love others in great joy.”

Each recipe contains a reflection either about the concept of hope or the recipe itself.

Soosayya said, “We need hope in our lives, even when we face challenges and feel like we can’t make it through the difficulties we encounter. I began cooking in the great kitchen here because we didn’t have a cook available. As I started, I realized that when we begin something new, even if we don’t know how to do it, we gradually receive gifts from God, who is there to help us. We learn how to tackle things we aren’t familiar with and it is essential to believe in ourselves. As St. Paul said, ‘I can do things through Him who gives me strength.'”

If a second cookbook is published, it would contain more international recipes from women located in other countries. Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart Mother General Marilude Ascencao, who is from Brazil but resides in Italy, mentioned a favorite traditional recipe from her country that she would submit for the new cookbook.

“It is called farofa. It has bacon and cassava flour,” Ascencao said.

Soosayya said the grain dish can stay fresh for 15 days and, because of this, it is a good meal to take when you travel.

The Jubilee Cookbook started as a project to fulfill Pope Francis’ designation of hope but became so much more. It created community and support among the people cooking the meals and partaking in them. The recipes helped fundraising efforts toward a sewage treatment plant reconstruction at the Oblate Sisters’ Warner Road site.

To purchase a cookbook, contact the Oblate Sisters at 330-759-9329 or send a check with the suggested donation of $25 to the Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 50 Warner Road, Hubbard, OH 44425.