Maimonides CEO Lights Brooklyn One More Time

Maimonides Medical Center invited Christian leaders to the hospital Nov. 18 to make sure they would have enough money to again bring light to their communities this Christmas season.

Christmas Lights at Co-Cathedral

A Christmas Concert and Tree Lighting will take place at St. Joseph’s Co-Cathedral, Prospect Heights, on Friday, Dec. 4. Mass will be celebrated at 4 p.m., followed by the outdoor concert and festivities.

Teen Newsflash: Christmas Carol at SFP

The Alvernian Drama Society at St. Francis Prep., Fresh Meadows, will perform a production of “A Christmas Carol,” on Dec. 4, 8 p.m., and Dec. 5, 7 p.m.

Grinch of Starbucks

The latest Internet outrage in the “war against Christians” is that Starbucks will no longer use a Christmas themed paper cup. No more “jazzy” Santas, no more snowflakes, no more reindeers — just a plain red, green, and white cup. According to Jeffrey Fields, Starbuck’s vice-president for design and content, “This year we wanted to usher in the holidays with a purity of design that welcomes all of our stories.” “We’re embracing the simplicity and the quietness of it. It’s a more open way to usher in the holiday,” he said. Bah, Humbug!

Bright Christmas Total Comes Close to Record

Well, Tablet readers have done it again! Our Bright Christmas Campaign finished with its second highest total, second only to 2012 when we were responding to Hurricane Sandy.

This year, 3,962 readers – 389 less than last year – donated $133,611 – $1,574 more than last year. That’s an average of $33.72 per donation, which also is higher than last year’s average contribution of $30.77.

Be Open to Life’s Epiphanies

By Fr. Robert M. Powers We conclude the Christmas season with a magnificent epiphany. We no longer end the season with last Sunday’s Epiphany of the Lord, the shining forth of the divine presence to the Magi at Bethlehem. We close with another epiphany, the Baptism of the Lord. And the recipient of this epiphany […]

St. Mary's Staten Island

Little Bethlehem in Long Island City

St. Mary’s Church, Long Island City, prepared the way for the Christ Child with an elaborate pageant performed in the days leading up to Christmas. Almost 70 youngsters joined adults in the musical and dramatic rendition of the Christmas story with a local baby playing Baby Jesus. This event was part of a series of […]

A Rockin’ Christmas at St. Patrick’s Academy

The annual Christmas pageant performed by students from St. Patrick’s Academy, Bay Ridge, featured two full-length shows, each of which captured the spirit of the season. First up, the eighth graders performed “Jingle Bell Jukebox,” a play that featured musical interludes from the entire school. The play centers around Santa and Mrs. Claus as they […]

The Humbling of The Wise Men

IT MIGHT SEEM that everything that could be said, has been said, about the shepherds, the wise men and the Christ Child. But that’s one of the marvels of Scripture: The unfolding history of the Church draws out of the inspired Word of God allegories and images previously unrecognized. Thus the familiar Christmas story and […]

Pope: Christmas Tree Touches Everyone

By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) – God did not come to the world with arrogance to impose his might; he offered his powerful love through a fragile child, Pope Francis said. The Christmas tree and Nativity scene are reminders of this mystery of the Incarnation and they both carry “a message of light, hope […]