When the students from St. Helen Catholic Academy arrived at the Bishop’s Annual Christmas Luncheon at Russo’s on the Bay, they were appropriately dressed in their school uniforms — blue plaid for girls and blue shirts and ties for boys.

When the students from St. Helen Catholic Academy arrived at the Bishop’s Annual Christmas Luncheon at Russo’s on the Bay, they were appropriately dressed in their school uniforms — blue plaid for girls and blue shirts and ties for boys.
Almost 900 people joined Bishop Robert Brennan at Russo’s on the Bay, Howard Beach, on Dec. 7, and more than $300,000 was raised to help Catholic school students pay tuition and to assist the Diocese’s Catholic Youth Initiative.
Thousands of Catholic school students will receive scholarships thanks to donors who attended the 2021 Bishop’s Christmas Luncheon, one of the biggest events of the holiday season in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
The central message throughout the first virtual Christmas luncheon presented by the Catholic Foundation for Brooklyn and Queens (CFBQ) was clear: even during a pandemic, one can still get into the Christmas spirit and help support the diocese’s youth.
The Catholic Foundation for Brooklyn and Queens held its annual Bishop’s Christmas Luncheon Dec. 5 at Russo’s on the Bay, Howard Beach, to raise funds for scholarships to Catholic elementary schools in Brooklyn and Queens.