St. Francis de Sales' Father Ryan gets 69th birthday parade
A grass-roots event came together on Sunday, April 26, at St. Francis de Sales parish in Lake Zurich.
A surprise drive-by birthday parade was held in the church parking lot to honor Father David Ryan, pastor of St. Francis de Sales, on his 69th birthday.
After livestreaming the 9:30 a.m. Sunday Mass, Father Ryan stepped outside to find over 230 cars stretching out over a mile along Buesching Road. Cars filled with enthusiastic well wishers and decorated with handmade signs, streamers and balloons, drove through the church parking lot to wish him happy birthday.
Many people gifted Father Ryan with bags of nonperishable food items to be donated to the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry.
In this time of isolation, it was a blessing to see bright smiles, hear laughter and feel a part of something bigger than ourselves.