BOROUGH PARK — The twinkling lights adorning Christmas trees in dozens of churches throughout Brooklyn and Queens will shine a little brighter this year, thanks to the Maimonides Medical Center Celebration of Light program.
This year, Maimonides is donating $1,000 to 44 churches and the Fort Hamilton Army Base in Bay Ridge to help cover the cost of Christmas decorations. The churches included Catholic and Christian religious institutions.
Kenneth Gibbs, president and CEO of Maimonides Medical Center, presented checks to representatives from many of the churches at a luncheon at the Maimonides Doctors Pavilion in Borough Park on Dec. 2.
This is the 31st year of the Celebration of Light program.
Msgr. Robert Romano, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Bensonhurst, said his church has participated in the program ever since he arrived there 17 years ago.
“And we build up on it every year. One of the things that people really love is that we have blue lights in the grotto of Our Lady, and we keep them up even after Christmas,” he said. “When you walk down the church street, the lights are on. It’s beautiful.”
For Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Annunciation Parish in Williamsburg, the Celebration of Light program is a reminder of the partnership between churches and health care institutions like Maimonides Medical Center.
“[Maimonides] has done wonderful things for the larger community over the years, and this event helps them get in touch with all of the churches,” he said. “There’s a partnership. They say it takes a village to raise a child. It takes a borough like Brooklyn to bring about the light of God in our world.”
The program began in 1995, when the Sisters of the Visitation, who lived in the Visitation Monastery in Bay Ridge, requested help setting up their Nativity scene, recalled Brian Long, owner of Long & Delosa Construction. That led community leaders to ask Maimonides to help churches offset the costs of their Christmas decorations.
“We started out with just a small handful of churches. But look at us today,” Long said.
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Gibbs, who smiled as he handed out envelopes containing checks to pastors and church representatives, said the donations serve a larger purpose than just Christmas decorations. They’re part of the hospital’s holistic approach to health care, he said.
“It’s a recognition of the notion that in health care we don’t just treat patients for the physical ailment,” he said, “but we partner with the institutions that meet our patients’ needs in the world of faith and create social fabric, which is so needed in this city.”
Celebration of Light’ Tree Lighting Ceremonies
St. Edmund Church: Friday, Dec. 5, 6 p.m.
St. Patrick Church (Brooklyn): Saturday, Dec. 6, 5:30 p.m.
St. Athanasius Church: Saturday, Dec. 6, 5:30 p.m.
Immaculate Heart of Mary Church: Saturday, Dec. 6, 6 p.m.
Basilica of Regina Pacis: Saturday, Dec. 6, after 5 p.m. Mass
St. Anselm Church: Saturday, Dec. 6, 6 p.m.
Sacred Hearts and St. Stephen Church: Saturday, Dec. 6, 5:45 p.m.
St. Agatha Church: Saturday, Dec. 6, 6 p.m.
St. Finbar Church: Saturday, Dec. 6, 7:15 p.m.
St. Gregory the Great (Brooklyn): Sunday, Dec. 7, 12:30 p.m.
Our Lady of Angels Church: Sunday, Dec. 7, 4 p.m.
Holy Cross Church: Sunday, Dec. 7, 6 p.m.
St. Mark Church: Dec. 7, 4 p.m.
St. Dominic Church: Sunday, Dec. 7, 6 p.m.
St. Andrew the Apostle Church: Monday, Dec. 8, 7:50 p.m.
Shrine Church of St. Bernadette: Wednesday, Dec. 10, 7 p.m.
Fort Hamilton Army Base: Friday, Dec. 12, 5:30 p.m.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church: Friday, Dec. 12, 7 p.m.
Our Lady of Grace Church (Brooklyn): Saturday, Dec. 13, 4:30 p.m.
St. Frances De Sales Church: Saturday, Dec. 13, 4:30 p.m.
St. Brendan: Saturday, Dec. 13, after 5 p.m. Mass
Most Precious Blood-Sts. Simon and Jude Parish: Saturday, Dec. 13, 5 p.m.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church: Saturday, Dec. 13, 6 p.m.
Holy Name of Jesus Church: Saturday, Dec. 13, 6:30 p.m.
Good Shepherd Church: Saturday, Dec. 13, after 5:15 Mass
Divine Mercy Parish: Saturday, Dec. 13, after 5 p.m. Mass
Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel: Sunday, Dec. 14, after 6 p.m. Mass
St. Ephrem Church: Tuesday, Dec. 16, 6 p.m.