It’s Feeling Like Christmas in Bayside
Children at Sacred Heart of Jesus parish, Bayside, opened the Advent season by having breakfast with Santa, making Christmas wreaths, above, enjoying a train display and some sweet treats on Saturday, Dec. 1. Parents had the chance to do crafts with their children and take raffle tickets for baskets filled with goodies.
Know any married couples expecting a child in the next few months? Here’s a Christmas gift idea, courtesy of Holy Cross Church, Maspeth: Consider buying the expectant parents a copy of Butler’s Lives of the Saints to help them in naming their child. What could be better than giving a child a holy and heroic patron to admire throughout his or her life?
Our Lady of Fatima Church, Jackson Heights, invites you to join them for a Gaudete Sunday Christmas Concert, Dec. 16 at 3 p.m. in the church. The concert will star soprano Josephine Sanges, keyboardist John Cook and organist Emanuel Bologna. The Bell Choir of St. Thomas Aquinas, Flatlands, under the direction of Lisa Allongo, will also be featured. The suggested donation is $10. For more details, contact the rectory, 718-899-2801.
Prepare your heart for the Christ Child by bringing some joy and cheer to the boys and girls at St. Mary’s Hospital for Children, Bayside. Martin A. Gleason Funeral Home is once again sponsoring a Christmas Toy Drive for St. Mary’s children. Gleason Funeral Home is accepting new and unwrapped toys and games; gift cards; and checks made payable to St. Mary’s Children’s Hospital. Checks are welcome since some of the families affected by Hurricane Sandy have lost wheelchairs, ventilators and medical supplies. Outerwear (coats, gloves, hats and scarves), clothing and diapers are also needed. Drop off donations now through Dec. 16 at any one of the Gleason Funeral Home locations. For more details, call 718-359-6300 in Flushing; 718-359-1122 in Whitestone; or 718-428-2210 in Bayside.
The Diocesan Vicariate Choir will present “Hodie Christus Natus Est,” a sacred music concert in celebration of the Nativity at Resurrection Ascension, Rego Park, Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, call 718-651-6359.
This week’s Tip of the Tablet TALK Top Hat goes to Knights of Columbus Council No. 5911 at St. Anastasia, Douglaston. On Dec. 2, the Knights, including Grand Knight Frederick Bedell Jr. and Vincent Lino Sr., sold “Keep Christ in Christmas” car magnets outside of church to benefit both the parish and the N.Y.S. Knights of Columbus disaster relief program which aids the victims of Hurricane Sandy. Nice job gentlemen!
Don’t miss the Greccio Service at St. Adalbert, Elmhurst, Dec. 15 at 6 p.m. Sponsored by the Secular Franciscans, the service reenacts the first Christmas in Scripture and song. For details, call Connie, 718-821-1875.
Texans Help Sandy Victims
The Brothers of Holy Cross in Queens and Holy Cross H.S., Flushing, recently received a check for more than $2,400 from the Student Government Association (SGA) and Campus Ministry of St. Edward’s University, Austin, Texas, for local victims of Hurricane Sandy. The Brothers used the funds to assist Holy Cross H.S. faculty, staff and students affected by the storm. From left, Brother Larry Atkinson C.S.C., and Father Peter Walsh, C.S.C., St. Edward’s assistant director and director of campus ministry, respectively, SGA President Brady Faglie; Vice President Nairod Woods, HCHS ’09; and Chief Financial Officer George Kuhle, HCHS ’11.