16 NOVEMBER 17 - NOVEMBER 23, 2017 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP
Annual Celebration of Light to kick off
BY JAIME DEJESUS
JDEJESUS@BROOKLYNREPORTER.COM
Oh, Christmas tree!
Maimonides Medical Center
kicked off its 23rd Celebration
of Light on Wednesday, November 8
as over 38 parishes, staff and others
gathered in the board room of the
Eisenstadt Administration Building
for the presentation of checks for
Christmas decor at churches across
the borough.
Attendees discussed the significance
of the day that signifies the
beginning of the holiday season and
presents the schedule of church tree
lightings across the borough.
“It’s always a great time of the year to
celebrate our faith and to bring people
together,” said Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello.
“This kicks off the holiday
season for us and Maimonides helps
us to do that, but for me personally it’s
reminiscent because I was around for
the first tree lighting. I’ve been around
for the last 23 years and I look at all
the pictures and see all of the different
parishes that I have brought the lights
to like St. Patrick’s, Mary Queen of
Heaven, Saint Bernard’s and now Our
The Celebration of Light was kicked off on Wednesday, November 8.
Lady of Mount Carmel. I’m glad to see
the tradition continues and even grows.”
“It means we have a hospital in our
community that cares deeply about
the well being of everyone and in the
spirit of the holidays is reconnecting
all of us to continue to strengthen
the bridges that we’ve built together,”
added Reverend Khader El-Yateem.
“There’s just a beautiful spirit about it.
BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photo by Jaime DeJesus
It’s an amazing event.”
Frank Naccarato, a Maimonides
trustee, gave the event’s welcoming
remarks. “It is amazing to see the
attendance grow year after year,” he
said. “It’s a wonderful thing. Any time
we can build that bridge and reach
across the community to the different
organizations, it is a wonderful thing.
In life it’s always better to build bridges
than fences.”
“In America, hospitals didn’t start
as secular institutions and the church
played the role of building hospitals,”
explained President and CEO of Maimonides
Kenneth Gibbs. “In a way, the
Jewish community was responding to
what the churches had become when
Maimonides was founded and the
thing that is so important and that we
carry forward is that the health of everybody
is in their faith, community,
and every aspect of who they are as
human beings. That’s why the fabric
of our relationship with you is so important
because we will not take care
of people unless we treat them for who
they are. In that spirit, it’s wonderful
for us to host this event and invite new
members as we expand our circle.”
Below is a list of some of the lightings.
To see the full list, go to brooklynreporter.
com.
Thursday, November 30
• Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church,
8401 Ridge Boulevard, at 6 p.m.
Friday, December 1
• Fort Hamilton Army Base Chapel,
219 Grimes Road, at 5 p.m.
Saturday, December 2
• Our Lady of Angels Church, 7302
Fourth Avenue, at 6 p.m.
• St. Anselm Church, 356 82nd Street,
at 6 p.m.
• St. Patrick’s Church, 9511 Fourth
Avenue, at 6 p.m.
• St. Dominic Roman Catholic Church,
2001 Bay Ridge Parkway, at 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 3
• Visitation Monastery, 8902 Ridge
Boulevard, at 6:30 p.m.
• St. Agatha’s Church, 702 48th Street,
at 7 p.m.
Friday, December 8
• Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 6917
Fourth Avenue, at 7 p.m.
• St. Mary Mother of Jesus Church,
2326 84th Street, at 8-8:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 9
• St. Andrew the Apostle Church,
6713 Ridge Boulevard, at 5:45 p.m.
• Regina Pacis Church, 1258 65th
Street, at 6 p.m.
• St. Ephrem Church, 929 Bay Ridge
Parkway, at 6 p.m.
• Our Lady of Guadalupe Church,
7201 15th Avenue, at 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 10
• Salam Arabic Lutheran Church, 414,
80th Street, at 12 p.m.
• Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, 414
80th Street, at 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, December 13
• Redeemer St. John Lutheran Church,
939 83rd Street, at 11:30 a.m.
• St. Bernadette Church, 8201 13th
Avenue, at 7 p.m.
Saturday, December 16
• St. Athanasius Church, 2154 61st
Street, at 6:30 p.m.
• St. Finbar Church, 138 Bay 20th
Street, at 6:30 p.m.
• St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, 1072
80th Street at 7 p.m.
Wednesday, December 20
• Immaculate Heart of Mary Church,
2805 Fort Hamilton Parkway, at 7
p.m.