CLEVELAND — Monday marks a major holy day for the Catholic faith, and in Cleveland’s Little Italy, people are preparing for a feast of epic proportions to honor the holiday. 

The Feast of the Assumption on Aug. 15 is believed to be the date the Virgin Mary rising to heaven, body and soul. 

Vendors in Little Italy line the street outside Holy Rosary Church to celebrate the community’s rich Italian heritage and faith through food during the Feast of the Assumption. 

Laura Bastulli Parran spent several days in the church’s kitchen preparing sauce for the event. 

“If the sauce isn’t good, the food’s not good,” she said. 

She said Pastor Joseph Previte’s blend of spices is a good one. 

“You can just eat it with a spoon,” she said. “Which is what I do when I’m tasting it.”

There’s no exact science or written recipe for making sauce in the church’s large 80-gallon pots. Just taste tests and a lot of time. 

“At least four hours,” she said. “On low, and you stir it every five minutes. Because the goal is to have no burn on the bottom of the pot, so it’s like a slow simmer.”

As a former health care worker, Parran said she’s used to keeping a close eye on things. 

“When you’re a nurse, you go check on patients all the time,” she said. “And that’s kind of like stirring the sauce.”

She stirred while her husband, Ted, prepared cans for recycling. 

“Because I can’t cook,” he said. 

He also performed another important task, which was making sure the sauce will stay warm at the vendor booths. 

Meanwhile, in the church hall, Sister Helene had a handle on chopping onions. A role she said she just might have been born to tackle. 

“There’s some kind of magic,” she said. “My eyes may tear for a little bit, and then they stop. So maybe I’m a natural onion fumes survivor.” 

Her goal was to slice 150 pounds of onions for sausage sandwiches. She said other volunteers would prepare the peppers. 

“Because they’re younger kids and, you know, the last thing that I want is that they’re crying,” she said. “There’s enough time for them to cry as they get older.” 

The Feast of the Assumption celebration takes place Friday, Aug. 12 through Monday, Aug. 15, with a special procession and mass on Monday.

The event is a fundraiser for Holy Rosary Church and event organizers expect about 150,000 people to attend over the weekend.