'Glory to the Newborn King' Christmas Carol Festivals evangelize with music, witness and fellowship
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
By Rosemary Daniels and EmmaLee Italia | Correspondents
It’s that time of year, the old song goes, when every song you hear seems to say “Merry Christmas.”
To view photo gallery from the CCF in Farmingdale, click here.
To view a video clip from the CCF in St. Robert Bellarmine Parish, click here.
And since 2007, Christmas Carol Festivals in the Diocese of Trenton have been using the power of song – particularly Christmas music – to welcome the stranger and build fellowship.
Across the Diocese this year, 16 parishes hosted Festivals, which combine music, Scripture, witness and fellowship to the unchurched and fallen-away faithful is the aspiration.
While each Festival follows a similar format, the individual parishes organize and add different elements to keep their celebrations unique and thoughtful from year to year.
At St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Farmingdale, the theme of their Festival, held Dec. 10, was community. Throughout the evening, Deacon Dan Sakowski, master of ceremonies, and carol master Bill Ditto, emphasized their gladness at having participants from both within and outside the parish community.
Children were another main focus of the evening, whether singing familiar carols with family members or sharing a favorite Christmas memory. A few children arrived that evening knowing they would be part of the Nativity tableau; for others, it was a delightful surprise to be selected to play a part in the festivities.
Deacon Joseph Prioli and his wife Sherry made a large contribution to the casting effort. Their children, Nick, Elizabeth, Joseph, and Catherine Prioli, all had roles in the presentation. Another son, Thomas, joined parishioner Sarah Schuld in proclaiming text from the Book of Isaiah.
“The kids really look forward to this evening,” said Sherry Prioli. “Kids pay attention to tangible things. If you dress them up and include them, they remember it.”
During the evening, past and current members of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults process shared their faith journeys with the gathered crowd. Ross Cooper spoke of the importance of prayer in his life, and noted that people need to pray “not just when times are tough.” He himself prays four to five times daily, saying that for him, it’s a time when “you have a conversation with God.”
Parishioner Claire Schoenenberger, who has been helping out with the RCIA program for three years, explained how her own faith has grown while being involved.
“I didn’t realize how much of my own faith I had yet to learn,” she said. “What I enjoy most is seeing the transformation [of the candidates]. You can see it in their face; it says, ‘this is what I was looking for.’”
Father Angelito Anarcon, pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish, said that the Festival was a highlight of the season.
“It’s so wonderful to gather at this time of the year, to feel and experience the spirit of Christmas by singing together and having fellowship after the singing, and listening to life testimonies of our converts,” he said.
St. Robert Bellarmine Parish, Freehold, held its fifth annual Festival Dec. 4, filling its parish hall to overflowing.
“We set up for 300, had all the tables full, and a large wave of people flooded in toward the end,” said Martin Weisman, co-chair of the parish’s Festival committee. “People were setting up makeshift tables and extra chairs. All the donuts were gone in 10 minutes. The energy was up – it was great.”
Each year their event has grown, so they have come to expect a sizeable crowd. Along with co-chair Janet Fitzgerald, Weisman and about 12 other committee volunteers, including St. Robert Bellarmine pastor, Msgr. Sam A. Sirianni, plan the best way to reach as many people as possible with invitations to the festival.
“This year we sent out a broad-blanket email through our parish app,” Weisman explained, “and we did a mass-mailing of invitations along with Msgr. Sam’s reflection letter.” The invitation included not only the Festival information, but also Mass times for the Advent and Christmas season and parish details.
This year, the festival featured a special devotion to St. Lucia, personified in costume by parishioner Laura Cugini, daughter of Deacon Henry Cugini and Camille Cugini, who works in the parish office.
While Laura passed out St. Lucia holy cards and served hot cocoa and cookies to her parents – recalling something the real St. Lucia did for her family – Deacon Cugini talked about the saint’s life and costume.
The St. Robert Bellarmine music ministry led the caroling with a combined music group from the youth ministry, the adult choir and the folk group. One of the carols, “O Holy Night,” was another opportunity for a brief catechesis, as attendees heard the story of how the songwriter composed the poem for the song while he was away from his faith.
“The music throughout the event is dotted with references of the journey [of the Holy Family],” Wiesman explained. “If you hear it, if it speaks to you, it brings you to the manger.”
In St. Mary of the Lakes Parish, Medford, the highlight of the Festival is the congregation’s participation in the “12 Days of Christmas” song.
“People call it ‘calisthenics,’” said St. Mary of the Lakes Festival committee chair Christine Brandt. With direction from Sister of St. Joseph Regina McCalla, music ministry director, festival attendees sing along to the carol, taking turns.
“The church is divided down the center aisle, and one side is even, the other odd... People stand up to sing their part, and by the end Sister Regina speeds it up a bit. We hear about it for weeks afterwards! We make them work for those cookies,” Brandt joked.
St. Mary of the Lakes Parish hosted about 225 attendees Dec. 6. The carols portion was held in the parish church, with refreshments and fellowship following in the church hall.
Many ministries of the parish help to bring the event to fruition. Teachers from the Parish Religious Education Program and from the parish school and youth ministry lent their assistance, particularly with the reading and acting out of the Nativity story. The evening included a mix of music from all branches of the music ministry, with participation from the pews, and several personal witnesses of faith.
“Someone will come up and talk about their faith and a point in their life where they made a choice to follow the Lord, and the impact that it had, and is having,” Brandt explained.
One of the most touching parts of the night is the filling of the crèche – a makeshift manger for the Infant Jesus.
“We give out strips of yellow construction paper for straw, and on the paper people write their intentions,” said Brandt. “Every single person does it, even if they have trouble walking – they find a way to make it up to the crèche and put their intentions in. It’s so moving.”
Brandt believes the Festvial provides a family-oriented atmosphere that slows the pace of holiday preparations and recalls traditional hymns not often heard in the secular world. “It brings people together, just for an hour...a time when they’re not just watching something – it’s interactive.
“It’s a time to decompress,” she said, “to bring the focus back to preparing for the coming of Jesus.”
Deacon Gino Esposito of St. Veronica Parish, Howell, which, like St. Mary of the Lakes is also in its participating in the Festivals, said that the evening brings a variety of faces – some familiar, some first-timers.
“It was a mix of parishioners and school people ... as well as new faces – some people just walked in off the street,” Deacon Esposito said, noting that the church’s large electronic sign near the street had been advertising the CCF and drawing people in. “We also send an email blast, printed hand-held invitations and gave those out to parishioners and the school, to share with others. The school does a lot of advertising for us.”
Parishioners brought baked goods to share with the multitude of guests who arrived, and several parish groups volunteered their time to make the event a success, including the PTA, various music ministry choirs, children of the school and the CCD program.
The St. Veronica School gym was set with 200 chairs, but that proved too few for the crowd that showed up.
“It’s a parish event, and the more people who are involved, the more people they bring with them,” said Deacon Esposito. “The chairs pretty much filled with overflow into the bleachers; about 250-plus came.”
Projecting words to the carols on a screen for all to follow along, the songs were interspersed with prayers and parish information, as well as a trivia portion with prizes. The Festival aimed to invite all who came to participate not only that evening, but to feel welcome to return.
“It just brings everyone together at a time when we’re supposed to be focused on Christ,” Deacon Esposito said. “Anyone who wants to can come and experience it. It’s a common ground – we’re there to bring the joy of Christmas into everyone’s heart.”
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By Rosemary Daniels and EmmaLee Italia | Correspondents
It’s that time of year, the old song goes, when every song you hear seems to say “Merry Christmas.”
To view photo gallery from the CCF in Farmingdale, click here.
To view a video clip from the CCF in St. Robert Bellarmine Parish, click here.
And since 2007, Christmas Carol Festivals in the Diocese of Trenton have been using the power of song – particularly Christmas music – to welcome the stranger and build fellowship.
Across the Diocese this year, 16 parishes hosted Festivals, which combine music, Scripture, witness and fellowship to the unchurched and fallen-away faithful is the aspiration.
While each Festival follows a similar format, the individual parishes organize and add different elements to keep their celebrations unique and thoughtful from year to year.
At St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Farmingdale, the theme of their Festival, held Dec. 10, was community. Throughout the evening, Deacon Dan Sakowski, master of ceremonies, and carol master Bill Ditto, emphasized their gladness at having participants from both within and outside the parish community.
Children were another main focus of the evening, whether singing familiar carols with family members or sharing a favorite Christmas memory. A few children arrived that evening knowing they would be part of the Nativity tableau; for others, it was a delightful surprise to be selected to play a part in the festivities.
Deacon Joseph Prioli and his wife Sherry made a large contribution to the casting effort. Their children, Nick, Elizabeth, Joseph, and Catherine Prioli, all had roles in the presentation. Another son, Thomas, joined parishioner Sarah Schuld in proclaiming text from the Book of Isaiah.
“The kids really look forward to this evening,” said Sherry Prioli. “Kids pay attention to tangible things. If you dress them up and include them, they remember it.”
During the evening, past and current members of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults process shared their faith journeys with the gathered crowd. Ross Cooper spoke of the importance of prayer in his life, and noted that people need to pray “not just when times are tough.” He himself prays four to five times daily, saying that for him, it’s a time when “you have a conversation with God.”
Parishioner Claire Schoenenberger, who has been helping out with the RCIA program for three years, explained how her own faith has grown while being involved.
“I didn’t realize how much of my own faith I had yet to learn,” she said. “What I enjoy most is seeing the transformation [of the candidates]. You can see it in their face; it says, ‘this is what I was looking for.’”
Father Angelito Anarcon, pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish, said that the Festival was a highlight of the season.
“It’s so wonderful to gather at this time of the year, to feel and experience the spirit of Christmas by singing together and having fellowship after the singing, and listening to life testimonies of our converts,” he said.
St. Robert Bellarmine Parish, Freehold, held its fifth annual Festival Dec. 4, filling its parish hall to overflowing.
“We set up for 300, had all the tables full, and a large wave of people flooded in toward the end,” said Martin Weisman, co-chair of the parish’s Festival committee. “People were setting up makeshift tables and extra chairs. All the donuts were gone in 10 minutes. The energy was up – it was great.”
Each year their event has grown, so they have come to expect a sizeable crowd. Along with co-chair Janet Fitzgerald, Weisman and about 12 other committee volunteers, including St. Robert Bellarmine pastor, Msgr. Sam A. Sirianni, plan the best way to reach as many people as possible with invitations to the festival.
“This year we sent out a broad-blanket email through our parish app,” Weisman explained, “and we did a mass-mailing of invitations along with Msgr. Sam’s reflection letter.” The invitation included not only the Festival information, but also Mass times for the Advent and Christmas season and parish details.
This year, the festival featured a special devotion to St. Lucia, personified in costume by parishioner Laura Cugini, daughter of Deacon Henry Cugini and Camille Cugini, who works in the parish office.
While Laura passed out St. Lucia holy cards and served hot cocoa and cookies to her parents – recalling something the real St. Lucia did for her family – Deacon Cugini talked about the saint’s life and costume.
The St. Robert Bellarmine music ministry led the caroling with a combined music group from the youth ministry, the adult choir and the folk group. One of the carols, “O Holy Night,” was another opportunity for a brief catechesis, as attendees heard the story of how the songwriter composed the poem for the song while he was away from his faith.
“The music throughout the event is dotted with references of the journey [of the Holy Family],” Wiesman explained. “If you hear it, if it speaks to you, it brings you to the manger.”
In St. Mary of the Lakes Parish, Medford, the highlight of the Festival is the congregation’s participation in the “12 Days of Christmas” song.
“People call it ‘calisthenics,’” said St. Mary of the Lakes Festival committee chair Christine Brandt. With direction from Sister of St. Joseph Regina McCalla, music ministry director, festival attendees sing along to the carol, taking turns.
“The church is divided down the center aisle, and one side is even, the other odd... People stand up to sing their part, and by the end Sister Regina speeds it up a bit. We hear about it for weeks afterwards! We make them work for those cookies,” Brandt joked.
St. Mary of the Lakes Parish hosted about 225 attendees Dec. 6. The carols portion was held in the parish church, with refreshments and fellowship following in the church hall.
Many ministries of the parish help to bring the event to fruition. Teachers from the Parish Religious Education Program and from the parish school and youth ministry lent their assistance, particularly with the reading and acting out of the Nativity story. The evening included a mix of music from all branches of the music ministry, with participation from the pews, and several personal witnesses of faith.
“Someone will come up and talk about their faith and a point in their life where they made a choice to follow the Lord, and the impact that it had, and is having,” Brandt explained.
One of the most touching parts of the night is the filling of the crèche – a makeshift manger for the Infant Jesus.
“We give out strips of yellow construction paper for straw, and on the paper people write their intentions,” said Brandt. “Every single person does it, even if they have trouble walking – they find a way to make it up to the crèche and put their intentions in. It’s so moving.”
Brandt believes the Festvial provides a family-oriented atmosphere that slows the pace of holiday preparations and recalls traditional hymns not often heard in the secular world. “It brings people together, just for an hour...a time when they’re not just watching something – it’s interactive.
“It’s a time to decompress,” she said, “to bring the focus back to preparing for the coming of Jesus.”
Deacon Gino Esposito of St. Veronica Parish, Howell, which, like St. Mary of the Lakes is also in its participating in the Festivals, said that the evening brings a variety of faces – some familiar, some first-timers.
“It was a mix of parishioners and school people ... as well as new faces – some people just walked in off the street,” Deacon Esposito said, noting that the church’s large electronic sign near the street had been advertising the CCF and drawing people in. “We also send an email blast, printed hand-held invitations and gave those out to parishioners and the school, to share with others. The school does a lot of advertising for us.”
Parishioners brought baked goods to share with the multitude of guests who arrived, and several parish groups volunteered their time to make the event a success, including the PTA, various music ministry choirs, children of the school and the CCD program.
The St. Veronica School gym was set with 200 chairs, but that proved too few for the crowd that showed up.
“It’s a parish event, and the more people who are involved, the more people they bring with them,” said Deacon Esposito. “The chairs pretty much filled with overflow into the bleachers; about 250-plus came.”
Projecting words to the carols on a screen for all to follow along, the songs were interspersed with prayers and parish information, as well as a trivia portion with prizes. The Festival aimed to invite all who came to participate not only that evening, but to feel welcome to return.
“It just brings everyone together at a time when we’re supposed to be focused on Christ,” Deacon Esposito said. “Anyone who wants to can come and experience it. It’s a common ground – we’re there to bring the joy of Christmas into everyone’s heart.”
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