St Joseph’s Day Dinner 2026

Dignity Washington celebrated the St Joseph’s Dinner — a tradition that was begun in the 1980s —on Saturday night, March 21st, at All Souls’ Episcopal Church in Woodley Park, DC. The ceremony, led by Fr. Rick, was meaningful; the food and desserts were delicious; and the atmosphere was highly spirited.

Special recognition was given to two key players for the dinner over these many years. Len Latham, who died earlier this year, was a major player for the Executive Committee of the St Joseph’s Dinner for over 10 years. He served in the menu planning stage, shopping, and was a lead in the kitchen up until the 2024 dinner. He is certainly missed and a memorial was on display to remember him and his contributions.

A most significant contributor to the success of the dinner — for as long as Peter Edwards has managed it — is Nikolai who is retiring from his job and preparing to move away by year’s end. Over the years, Nikolai has served as head chef — leading a team of volunteers in preparing the dinner from scratch. He also led the procession for the liturgy portion of the program. In his spare time, Nikolai would join Peter in visiting the many and varied vendors who provided food and supplies for our dinner. Nikolai was recognized for his years of service to the community and being Peter’s friend.

There was a 50/50 Raffle the proceeds of which were donated back to Dignity Washington by the winner. Many thanks to all who participated! Overall, it was a wonderful evening with lively conversations and social interactions.

The Executive Committee of the St Joseph’s Dinner would like to thank our lead chef, all of the many volunteers who prepared the dinner, participated in the liturgy / ceremony, helped clean-up afterwards, but most importantly, all of the dinner guests — one of our largest crowds since the advent of the Covid19 pandemic. The evening could not have been such a success without your participation and enthusiasm.