At this time of year, when I see all the preparations here at Saint Helen, I can’t help but reflect on all those who have given so generously of their time, talent and treasure not only to make Advent and Christmas so special but also so much of what we do here at Saint Helen so special.
At the same time, I think it must be said that Advent and Christmas uniquely manifest the incredible generosity of the people of Saint Helen throughout the year. So many of you donated Christmas Gifts for families in need as well as children who attend Sr. Pat’s kids camp.
Some of you even coordinated gifts from your place of business and one of our local schools coordinated many additional donations! Thank you to both adults, youth and children who collected mittens. Our hallways, conference rooms and offices have been filled with gifts galore. I consider them part of our Christmas décor that truly goes out at Christmas and help make a joyful Christmas for many.
Thank you to all you who made donations as well as those who helped in coordinating and delivering all the gifts to the agencies we support. Every year you are more generous than ever.
The decorations designed and set-up by Jessica Nicolosi and her team are looking truly amazing as things are being put in place. I cannot thank Jessica and her team enough as they to truly transform our Church into an amazing expression of Christmas joy. I also thank Chris Steiner for the support and work he gives to the effort.
Our Annual Christmas Concert this past Friday was spectacular. It was again an amazing witness to the Christmas spirit and truly brought Emmanuel into our midst. I thank Adrian Soltys, our Director of Worship, our Choir, our Hummingbirds and Katie
Wills and her choir of Immaculate Heart of Mary who truly gave us not only an incredible performance but an experience of God’s incarnation in Jesus Christ. A special thank you to Saint Helen Voices, another of our choirs under the direction of Cindy Brogan, and will provide the same for those at Complete Care here in Westfield.
I also want to acknowledge the hard work done in planning and implementing the trip to see The Miracle of Christmas, at the Sight and Sound Theatre in Lancaster, Pennsylvania this week. Judy and Bob Catania organized this trip, as well as others to Sight and Sound plus the New Jersey Tenors, the Comedy Night, and Carole’s Kings, who came right here to Saint Helen.
Thank you to all those who have helped and helped in the soup kitchens and food pantries, both young and old. Thank you to those who helped make our Advent Small Groups such a meaningful experience. Thank you to Bekah Irion and her team for the Advent Wreath Making, to Mary and Tom Pickert and their team for Breakfast with Santa, to Don Rodriguez and Tony Levorse for the Men’s Advent Prayer Breakfast and to Peggy Walsh for the Women’s Morning Prayer Group. Thank you to Rosalie Intartaglia and her team for the organization of the Veneration of the Relic of Saint Jude, and to the many parishioners and the Knights of Columbus for their help.
Without the support of our staff and amazing volunteers we could never have delivered so many wonderful experiences. Thank you for all you have done to make this season so beautiful. May your Christmas be as filled with the same experience of the Christ child as we’ve had here at Saint Helen, thanks to all of you.
God Bless You,
Msgr. Tom
