A Blessed Lighting in Belle Harbor

Story and Photos

By Katie McFadden

Belle Harbor is blessed with a sea of illuminated angels and trees this Christmas season. On Saturday, December 14, St. Francis de Sales parishioners gathered around the church rectory for the 9th Annual SFDS Angel and Tree Lighting.

For the first time, the lighting ceremony was held right after Mass and was done in front of the rectory, instead of in the prayer garden. “We moved it this year to see how it would go and I think it’s going very well,” Father Jim Cunningham said.

The ceremony began with the St. Francis de Sales children’s choir singing classic Christmas songs from the porch of the rectory. Father Jim then spoke to the crowd, thanking everyone who made the event possible, including Monsignor John Bracken, who began the tradition nine years ago, Mohammed Hakim of Beach Bagel, who was serving up hot chocolate for the chilly evening, The Graybeards and volunteers who helped install the many trees and angels around the church and prayer garden, Dorothy Brenna and Susan Gavigan from the rectory office, who collected donations for the trees and angels and made the signs in memory of loved ones to be placed on them. The NYPD was also on hand to keep everyone safe.

Father Bill Sweeney then led a prayer, reminding everyone of the reason for the season, the birth of Jesus Christ, and blessed the trees, angels and the nativity in the prayer garden with holy water. After a countdown from 20, the many trees and angels lit up to the joy of the crowd. Shortly after, the Point Breeze Volunteer Fire Department made a special delivery of Santa Claus riding on a fire truck, who stopped by to say hello to the kids and take photos, before heading back to the North Pole.