Christmas Star to Shine Over Carroll Gardens, by Laura Eng

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On Saturday, December 8th, Sacred Hearts of Jesus & Mary-St. Stephen Church, will continue the parish tradition of lighting a five-foot Christmas star atop its 210-foot steeple.

The tradition of the star lighting dates back to the 1950’s but had been suspended for a number of years. It was resumed in 2012 after the arrival of the current pastor,Monsignor Guy Massie. That year, in the devastating aftermath of Super Storm  Sandy, Msgr. Massie felt the star would serve as a symbol of hope for all, not just Christian Catholics. Indeed, perched atop the 210 foot steeple standing directly above the Gowanus-BQE trench and being visible from the Brooklyn Bridge and from many points in New York Harbor, the star does serve as a beacon to the thousands who travel past it each day during the Advent and Christmas seasons. Msgr. Massie summed up the star lighting saying, “Our parish community displays this star as a reminder to all, that in this big city, the light of the star shines for the hope of peace.”

The Christmas star with four strands of LED lights attached, each over two hundred feet in length, will grace the 140 year old facade of the gothic church until the end of the Christmas Season which culminates on January 6th with the Feast of the Epiphany.

As in prior years, the lighting will be preceded by scripture readings of the Christmas story and singing from the SHSS Adult, Youth and Children’s Choirs who this year will accompany the young and very talented Charlie Romo. Mr. Romo who has been likened to crooners Bobby Darin, Dean Martin and Michael Buble, offered to provide a concert of time honored holiday songs and remembered “as a child seeing the star atop Sacred Hearts” as his family drove through Brooklyn to Manhattan on their way to observe other NYC holiday traditions. Mr. Romo reflected “Being able to be there to turn the star on this year and be joined by the outstanding choirs of the historic Sacred Hearts – St. Stephen Church is a moment of coming full circle for me as my childhood memories meet my present.” Also immediately preceding the lighting will be a countdown and refreshments will be served inside the church afterward.

Local residents shared what the Christmas star means to them. John Zodda, a longtime parishioner, who with his wife Carolyn is a Eucharistic Minister, noted  “The star symbolizes light, light from above, given to us by our Lord…it is the light that gives us the ability to see and do anything in our path and ultimately leads us to our eternal life in heaven.”Lifelong parishioner Lou Anne Manus remarked “Our church steeple was always my marker that I am nearing home. When we light the star atop our steeple, it becomes the lighted beacon to what was and still is ‘Home’ for me.”

And as the late John Iovine, a former parishioner who passed away last summer, commented several years ago, the SHSS Christmas star is “the crowning glory of Carroll Gardens.”

Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights

Hanukkah (or Chanukah), also known as the Festival of Lights, begins at sundown on Sunday,December 2nd and ends at sundown on Monday, December 10th.  The word hanukkah means “dedication” and the holiday commemorates the re-dedication of the Holy Temple of Jerusalem following the victory of a small band of Israelites known as the Maccabees over Syrian-Greek soldiers in 165 B.C.E. After they regained control of the Temple,the Maccabees sought to purify it by burning oil in the Temple’s menorah for eight days. They discovered that unfortunately there was only one day’s worth of oil left in the Temple; a miracle occurred when they lit the menorah anyway and the small amount of oil burned for the full eight days.

Hanukkah is celebrated by Jews around the world with the lighting of the menorah, also known as a Hannukiah, each of the nights of the the eight-day holiday by the helper candle, with another candle added every night so that by the eighth night, the entire menorah is burning brightly. Some menorahs are still lit with oil, reminiscent of the one the Maccabees used to purify the Holy Temple.Blessings are recited as the menorah is lit.

The holiday is also celebrated by giving to charity and giving token gifts, including small monetary gifts (gelt) and chocolate coins, especially to children, each of the eight nights.  Also during Hanukkah,families play games with the dreidel, a four-sided top, and eat foods fried in oil such as latkes (potato pancakes) and jelly donuts.

Happenings/Upcoming Events

Congregation Mount Sinai
250 Cadman Plaza West

• Hanukkah Party on Friday, December 7 with prayer at 6:30 and live music at 7:15. Latkes,doughnuts, crafts and presents! RSVP admin@cmsbklyn.org.
• Tot Shabbat for ages 0 – 5 on select Saturdays from 11 am – 12 noon. Immerse your child and yourself in Jewish and Israeli culture with song, story times, movement, play and holiday celebrations. Free of charge with kiddush lunch afterward. For more information, call 718-875-9124 or email admin@cmsbklyn.org.

Kane Street Synagogue
 236 Kane Street

• OpenBeit Midrash, a creative, informal learning academy each Tuesday evening continues with “Our Greek Heritage” on December 4, 11 and 18 and “Protest and Political Engagement in Israeli and Palestinian Poetry and Fiction” on January 8, 15, and 22. Dinner at 6:45 and class from 7:30 – 9:00pm. Cost is $40 per each three-week course. For more information, contact BeitMidrash@kanestreet.org.Drop-ins are welcome.
• Sundays Open Play Returns – Weekly open play and music from 9am -12 pm for families with kids age 4 and younger. Sundays through March 2019.Join us with your infants, toddlers and preschoolers to enjoy a big open place to play and for parents to spend time with friends and meet new people over coffee, bagels and fruit. Includes two music sets each session led by program director and song leader Lauren Demby. Fee information and registration atkanestreet.org.

Redemption Church Red Hook 
767 Hicks Street

• Advent: The Miracle of Christmas – Our Advent Series will take a look at how God used the perfect moment in history, the perfect message of salvation, the perfect method and the perfect birth to bring forth the Miracle of Christmas. on Sunday, December 2, 9, 16 and 23 from 11 am – 12:30 pm.

Riverof God Christian Center
110 Wolcott Street

• Christmas Production, Dinner and Ugly Sweater Contest on Sunday, December 23. Call the church at 646-226-6135 for details.

Sacred Hearts/St. Stephen Church
Summit& Hicks Street

• Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8 – Masses at 8:30 am and 12 noon.
• Christmas Star Steeple Lighting on Saturday, December 8 following the 5:30 Mass.
• Day of Reconciliation on Monday, December 17 from 3:00 – 5:30 pm, 6:30 – 9:00 pm and by appointment.
• Church Decorating Party on Sunday, December 23 from 1 – 5:30 pm. Parishioners of all ages are invited to come and help decorate our church. RSVP to John or Maria Heyer at Family@SacredHearts-StStephen.com.
• Christmas Masses:Family Mass on December 24 at 4:30 pm; Midnight Mass with caroling beginning at 11:30 pm; 11 am Mass on Christmas Day.
• Feast of the Solemnity of Mary- Mass on Monday, December 31 at 5:30 pm and  Tuesday, January 1 at 12 noon.
• Do You Love to Read? -The 2019 Book Club, sponsored by SHSS Church, starts Monday, January 7 at 7 pm in the Church Parish House at 108 Carroll Street.  We will be discussing “Small Great Things” by Jodi Piccoult. Join us for an evening of exchange and discussion and help us to determine our future readings. All are welcome!

St. Agnes/St. Paul’s Parish
Hoyt &Sackett Streets/234 Congress Street

• Broadway Show Raffles; Two tickets to “Come From Away” (January 19 performance at 8 pm) and “The Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes” (December 29 performance at 11 am). Drawing will be at the Christmas concert on Saturday, December 22. Proceeds to benefit St. Paul/St. Agnes Parish and Puerto Rico Relief Fund.
• Feast of The Immaculate Conception – Mass on Friday, December 7 (Vigil Mass)at 4:30 pm; and on Saturday, December 8 at 4 pm at St. Agnes and at 8:30 am and 5:30 pm at St. Paul.
• Annual Christmas Tree Lighting and Children’s Party at St. Paul on Saturday, December 8 following the 5:30 Mass. Will include refreshments, games, pictures with Santa, gifts and much more! Free and open to the public!
• Memorial Mass for Monsignor Perfecto Vasquez – a bilingual Memorial Month’s Mind Mass and reception for the repose of the soul of our former pastor on Sunday,December 9 at 12:30 pm at St. Agnes. All who knew him and were touched by his ministry our invited.
• Annual Parish Advent Party on Sunday, December 16 from 2-5 pm at St. Agnes Hall.
• A Christmas Celebration In Song featuring Christian Lee Branch on Saturday,December 22 at 7 pm.

The Brooklyn Oratory Parishes of The Assumption of the BVM/
St. Boniface
55 Cranberry Street/190 Duffield Street

•  “What’s That Flapping Sound?”: An Advent Retreat on the Angels on Saturday, December 7 from 11 am – 4 pm at St. Boniface. In our wrenching times, we need all the help we can get! Looking at what the Bible, the Catholic tradition, and great works of art say about God’s messengers, guardians and friends. Led by Nadine Hundertmark, M.Div., and Rob Meadows-Rogers, Ph.D.,retired Fordham art history professor.
• Christmas Social on Saturday, December 8 at  5:00 pm at Assumption Church. Tickets are $50 for adults and $10 for children.
• Children’s Nativity Pageant on Friday, December 14 at Assumption Parish Hall. For information contact Suzanne.holohan@gmail.com

St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
157 Montague Street

• ChristmasEve Services on December 24:  Children’s Pageantand Family Service at 4:00 pm;  CommunityCarol Sing at 8:30 pm;  and Festival Service of the Nativity with HolyEucharist at 9:00 pm.
• Book of Books Book Club will meet on the first Thursday of each month from 7:00-8:30 pm. The goal is to read the entire Old Testament/Hebrew Bible by May 2, 2019. Those who join the group can read the entire thing, read the essential stories chosen from each month’s reading, or read just the few stories/passages that we’ll discuss at the monthly meeting. A reading schedule is available at www.craigdtownsend.com.

St.Mary Star of the Sea Church
467Court Street

• 4th Annual Family Christmas Sing-A-Long and Children’s Nativity on Sunday, December 16 at 2 pm.
• Day of Reconciliation/Confession on Monday, December 17 from 4 – 8 pm.
• Our 167th Annual Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, Monday, December 24.
• Parish Family Christmas Mass at 10 am on Tuesday, December 25.
• Feast of the Solemnity of Mary – Mass on Monday, December 31 at 4 pm and Tuesday, January 1 at 10 am.
• Please visit our website www.stmarystarbrooklyn.com and click on the first picture on our home page… that will take you to our latest bulletin with all current events.

St.Paul’s Episcopal Church
Clinton& Carroll Streets

• Christmas Children’s Book Drive for NEW children’s books (ages 4 to 18, with emphasis on elementary and middle school children), cash or checks (made out to St. Paul’s and labelled “Book Drive”) are most welcome until Sunday, December 16. Books will be delivered to the Miccio Center for distribution.
• Sock Drive to collect new socks for the homeless. The collection bin will be in the Parish Hall through Sunday, January 6.
• Rose Sunday and Creche Service on Sunday, December 16.

Visitation BVM Church
98 RichardsStreet

• Healing Masson Wednesday, December 12 at 7 pm in Spanish and Friday, December 28 at 7pm in English.
• Christmas Day Mass at 11 am on December 25 will feature the Children’s Choir under the direction of Sr. Máire Close.
• Masses Live Streamed- Live streaming of the 10:00 am Spanish and 12:30 English Masses may be viewed each Sunday on Youtube Koinonia John the Baptist New York!
• St. John Bread and Life Mobile Soup Kitchen on Tuesdays from 1 pm – 2:30 pm and Fridays from 10 am – 12 noon (except first Fridays of the month).