Compiled by Christina Leslie | Correspondent
Whether it was by answering the call of church bells on a cold Christmas Eve night or rising early to joyfully sing “O Come, All Ye Faithful” Christmas morning, faithful from throughout the Diocese commemorated the Birth of Our Lord Dec. 24-25 in a myriad of ways. Along with coming together in prayer and worship with their brothers and sisters in their parish communities, some also chose to spend their Christmas by bringing comfort, joy and friendship to others through works of service. At the heart of each celebration, the message resounded on giving glory to the newborn King.
Family, faith foremost in St. Ann Parish
Deep, abiding faith and enduring family traditions were the ties that bound together the congregants in Keansburg’s St. Ann Parish at Midnight Mass this Christmas.
Patricia Schoenfelder, who has served as reader for the Mass for the past several years, said she saw the Christmas season as a special and holy time to reflect on the importance of her Catholic faith.
Photo Gallery: Midnight Mass in Keansburg
“My faith was instilled in me as a child,” she said. “It gives me stability and a very positive outlook on my life. … I reflect on how good God has been to me, not only this year, but so much in the past.”
Fellow parishioner Donna Layden attends the parish’s Midnight Mass despite her family’s move to Holmdel.
“I lost a son five years ago,” Layden revealed through tears. “Christmas means a lot, every day does. Take it for all it’s worth,” she advised. “Life is so short.”
George Hoff’s attendance at Midnight Mass marked the renewal of a family tradition.
“My wife and I and her mother had always attended Midnight Mass, then we began attending the children’s Mass when the kids were young.” Hoff remembered. “Christmas has always been special to our family.”
Over the past 23 months, Hoff and his family have experienced the loss of five members of their extended family and will keep them in prayer at the liturgy.
As a way of healing, “my daughter suggested we start a new tradition, so we’re all attending Midnight Mass this year,” he said. “My son and daughter were altar servers.”
Warm meals, full hearts at St. Mary dinner
The warmth emanating from Barnegat’s St. Mary Parish Christmas Day Dinner wasn’t just from the steaming-hot platters of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy. About 175 volunteers in the Manahawkin worship site, St. Mary of the Pines, donned red pom-pommed hats, white aprons and joyous smiles as they extended heartfelt greetings to roughly 100 visitors eager for a hot meal, toy or a little companionship on the feast of the Lord’s birth.
Volunteer Joseph Rua explained the dinner’s humble beginnings – eight years earlier as a meal distribution for the poor and homeless in a local park. Due to the grateful reactions from recipients, “the next year, we asked Msgr. Ken [Kenard Tuzeneu] for space in the parish center,” Rua said. “It’s slowly grown over the years, and it’s been an amazing outpouring.”
Photo Gallery: Christmas Day Dinner in St. Mary Parish
The army of volunteers included the parish’s Knights of Columbus council, which cooked for days in advance of the meal, while others amassed toys, stuffed animals and board games for donation to the littlest visitors. Both those who gave and those who received the generous offerings reaped rewards.
“It’s not just for people in need, but for people who find themselves alone,” Rua noted. “We encourage volunteers even just to come in for an hour or so, not to just hand out food, but sit and talk for a while.”
He continued, “This might be the only opportunity for people to enjoy fellowship. We all benefit from it. The volunteers want to spend their day doing something good. My favorite is when you see a family asking for help one year, but in a year or two come in to volunteer. To us, it’s so beautiful.”
Fellow volunteer Heather Tatur, a five-year veteran of the event, agreed. “We support one another. We can share the true meaning of Christmas.”
“There’s friendship, familiar faces and the love of Christmas. They truly need us to be there like we truly need for them to be there for us,” she said.
Freelance photographers Michael Glenn and Kyle Plumstead contributed to this report.