BOROUGH PARK — Elizabeth Coffaro, president of the Rosary Society at Sts. Simon and Jude Church in Gravesend, said Christmas at the parish will be extra special this year, thanks to Maimonides Health, which is donating money to her church and others to make the holidays brighter.
On Monday, Dec. 4, Maimonides Health hosted a reception to kick off the 28th annual Celebration of Light, a program in which the hospital, located in Borough Park, donates money to churches in the Diocese of Brooklyn to help pay for Christmas trees, holiday lights, and other decorations. This year, 43 churches took part in the Celebration of Light, each receiving $1,000.
“This is beautiful,” said Coffaro, a retired nurse who worked at Maimonides Health for 39 years. “In this day and age, we need more light. There’s a lot of darkness in the world.”
The highlight of the reception came when Ken Gibbs, president and CEO of Maimonides Health, and Msgr. David Cassato, a member of the hospital’s board of trustees, walked around the room handing out checks to pastors.
The hospital sees the Celebration of Light as part of its mission, Gibbs said.
“To really care about the health and well-being of someone you need to think about them in their totality, their total humanity. And faith is a central part. At Maimonides, we’re proud of the fact that we have clinical excellence. But we are really proud of our connection to our communities,” he explained.
The donation is a big help, said Msgr. Andrew Vaccari, pastor of St. Mary, Mother of Jesus Church in Bensonhurst. “It helps us proclaim the word and the message of Christ in a joyful way with the lights coming to brighten the darkness as Jesus is the light of the world,” he added.
The Celebration of Light was inspired by the Sisters of the Visitation in Bay Ridge in the mid-1990s. The sisters asked Marty Golden, a city council member at the time, and Larry Morrish, a community activist, for assistance paying for a Nativity scene.
Golden and Morrish contacted Brian Long, owner of the construction company Long and DeLosa, who agreed to build the Nativity. Maimonides Health offered to fund the costs and the Celebration of Light was born.
This is a list of the churches taking part in the celebration of light program at Maimonides health, along with the dates and times of their tree lighting ceremonies. as you will see from the list, most of the churches held them already.
Fort Hamilton Army Base, Dec. 1, 4 p.m.
Blessed Trinity Parish, Dec. 1, 6:30 p.m.
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Dec. 1, 7 p.m.
Redeemer St. John Church, Dec. 2, 6 p.m.
St. Andrew the Apostle Church, Dec. 2, 6 p.m.
St. Anselm Church, Dec. 2, 6 p.m.
St. Catharine of Alexandria Church, Dec. 2, 6 p.m.
St. Ephrem Church, Dec. 2, 6 p.m.
St. Gregory the Great, Dec. 2, 6 p.m.
Holy Cross Church, Dec. 3, 5 p.m.
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church, Dec. 3, 5 p.m.
St. Brendan Parish, Dec. 7, 7:30 p.m.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Dec. 8, 6:30 p.m.
St. Mary, Mother of Jesus Parish, Dec. 8, 7:30 p.m.
Basilica of Regina Pacis, Dec. 9, 6 p.m.
Our Lady of Grace Church, Dec. 9, 6 p.m.
Sacred Hearts and St. Stephen Church, Dec. 9, 6 p.m.
St. Athanasius Church, Dec. 9, 6 p.m.
St. Bernard Church, Dec. 9, 6 p.m.
St. Patrick Church, Dec. 9, 6 p.m.
Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Dec. 9, 6:30 p.m.
St. Finbar Parish, Dec. 9, Time to be determined
St. Kevin Church, Dec. 10, 5 p.m.
St. Mark Church, Dec. 10, 5 p.m.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Dec. 10, 6 p.m.
St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Dec. 10, 6:30 p.m.
St. Francis DeSales Church, Dec. 12, 6 p.m.
Most Precious Blood-Sts. Simon and Jude Parish, Dec. 12, 7 p.m.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Dec. 12, 7 p.m.
St. Bernadette Church, Dec. 13, 7 p.m.
Good Shepherd Church, Dec. 16, 6 p.m.
Holy Innocents Church, Dec. 16, 6 p.m.
Holy Name of Jesus Church, Dec. 16, 6:30 p.m.
There are also churches that received donations but did not set their tree lighting ceremonies yet.
Divine Mercy Parish-St. Cecilia
Our Lady of Angels Church
Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church
Salam Arabic Lutheran Church
St. Agatha Church
St. Dominic Church
St. Edmund Church
St. Frances Cabrini Church
St. Michael Church
St. Philip Episcopal Church
Visitation Monastery