The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1961-07-07
SPORTS of TIMES
St. Peters
Fishing Lures
By LOU FABRO
Times Sports Editor

Now that the hot gentle breezes of summer are
here to stay for awhile, we can direct our attention to
that easy, quiet pastime which takes our minds from
the turbulent cares of our noisy world and allows
us many happy moments for leisurely reflection. We're
speaking, of course, about fishing.
It's been many years since we first liked to the
Olentangy River bordering the Ohio State University
to dangle our first line into the streams lazily flow
ing waters. But we can still remember clearly how
nervous we were when we had to hook our first slip
perry, red worm. It almost was enough to cause us to
WITH This MEMORY in mind, we have to adj
mire the boldness of Sister Mary Angelica, a nun in
Sancta Clara Monastery near Canton, Ohio.
While trying to think of some way to provide
for the support of the monastery, she hit on the sur
prising idea of raising live fishing bait, including those
squishy red worms, and selling them. The job of raising
the bait, according to her plan, would be shared by the
nuns OF the community.
Before going any further, we might point out
that the nuns of this particular monastery are members
of a clustered, ~contemplative franciscan order. Since
these nuns, often called the Poor Clares, are shut out
from the outside world and are dedicated to perpetual
alteration of the Blessed Sacramen this idea certainly
becomes all the more startling.
IT WAS STARTLING ENOUGH for Mother Mary
Veronica, superior at the monastery, to vote thumbs
down on the idea. The thought of worms wiggling and
crawling about the monastery, she declared, just wasn't
conducive to prayer or easy sleep.
Undaunted, Sister Angelica unveiled another idea.
"sHow about making artificial lures?" Well, this was
more like it. After all, artificial lures can't crawl and
wiggle around the monastery, can they?
Off went a letter to a friendly fishing tackle
manufacturer. Not only did he furnish advice, but he
gave the nuns some material to get the project started.
THUS CAME INTO BEING est. Peters Fishing
Lures, named appropriately, after the first Pope who
had been a fisherman before he became one of the
Twelve Apostles and later ga fisher of men,"
The good sisters make II types of plugs which
vary in size and color and which can be used for
spinning or casting in salt or fresh water. The lures
are nodded of cyminite and are Speckled with plastic
paint. They weigh from s to Is of an ounce. Attached
are spinners or %propellerS to provide needed action in
the water. Prices range from 80 cents to S1.50.
Names, rejecting the rich Imagination Of the
nuns, have been assigned to the various plastic pro-
ducts. Lures carry such distinctive names as Double
Trouble, wits End, !" "Baby Jigit," "Flat Face" and
Tandem"
BEslDE MAKING PLASTIC worms in red, brown
and black, the nuns offer four different flies named
for the archangels - ST. Michael, st. Oriel, st. Gabriel
and st. Raphael.
With requests for more than 1000 lures a month
coming in, project st. Peter" keeps a dozen sisters
at the monastery busy turning out these plastic items,
Requests, of course, are made by mail.
Each purchaser of a st. Peter Lure, including
applicants for brochures describing the lures, receives
a "bonus plug for a good CATCH in the form of prayers.
While there is no particular prayer offered for fisher
men, anglers are remembered by the nuns in prayers.
at every Mass, in the Divine Office and in the daily
recitation of the rosary. ~.
IN ADDITION TO PRAYING for the success of
fishermen, the nuns pray that anglers are protected
from accidents.
Plastic worms? What an improvement over
those wiggly things we lugged in old tin cans to the
banks of the Olentangy insour c~arefree days Of vars
ago.