Christmas arrives early in Paterson

PATERSON  Christmas arrived early this year in Paterson when the faith community of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here came together to bring Santa — but more importantly the love and hope offered by Jesus — to the city streets for several hundred children who live in impoverished circumstances.

During the weekend of Dec. 19–20, an army of volunteers from various ministries at the cathedral joined clergy and several staff members in a historic distribution of new winter coats and toys to children. It started on Saturday with giving away about 500 new coats at St. John’s. It continued on Sunday with giving out more than 700 wrapped new age-appropriate and gender-specific Christmas gifts for the children — and a friend — at the cathedral — along with a warmly received visit from Santa.

These weekend festivities concluded on the afternoon of Sunday, Dec. 20 with a “Christmas caravan” of clergy, staff and volunteers of St. John’s — again with an appearance by Santa — through the streets of Paterson. They visited the homes of 11 severely special-needs children of the parish who could not make it to the cathedral and brought them Christmas gifts. All together, these three activities represented the largest gift giveaway in cathedral history, said Msgr. Geno Sylva, St. John’s rector and diocesan vicar for special projects.

“That weekend was unbelievable. There were so many smiles from the kids,” Msgr. Sylva said. “We can bring these kids and their families Santa but only through sharing Christ, present in the Body of the Church, can we bring them the true hope of Christ that the world cannot give — that he is with us and keeps in promises in dark times and good times,” he said.

Among the many cathedral ministries that helped with the toy and coat distribution were: Knights of Columbus of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Council No. 17254, led by Hector Jimenez, grand knight; From Mercy to Hope, a committee chaired by Pilar Pedraza, which helps the cathedral better address the pressing human needs of parishioners; and catechists from the Family Faith Formation program, led by Ivannia Vega-McTighe, director. She also helped oversee and plan the toy drive with Msgr. Sylva, Pedraza said.

Also assisting in the organization of the toys was Margaret Lynaugh, a friend of St. John’s, who has worked for years to ensure that the children of the cathedral have toys for Christmas, and members of Young Prophets, St. John’s youth ministry. Two state officers for the Knights, Jim Sweeney, state warden, and Mike Leyden, district deputy, also helped coordinate the donation of the coats and toys, Pedraza said.

Generous parishioners from several faith communities in the Diocese donated coats and gifts for the children, including: St. John’s; Our Lady of the Holy Angels, Little Falls: Notre Dame of Mount Carmel, Cedar Knolls; and St. Luke and Our Lady of the Mountain parishes, both in Long Valley, Pedraza said.

On Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., volunteers helped distribute winter coats in the Bishop Rodimer Parish Center next to the cathedral. Families were each given a 20-minute time slot in which to pick out and pick up the coats, all while wearing face masks and practicing social distancing COVID-19 protocols, Jimenez said.

“The coats were for all the kids but this year was a special because we got bigger sizes in modern styles for the teens. Everybody loved them,” Jimenez said.

On Sunday, volunteers gathered again in the parish center to distribute the toys — from a play wheel on a crib for an infant to a ride-on car for an older child. They gave out the toys after the 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Masses, also while practicing coronavirus safety guidelines. The largest distribution of toys occurred after the 10 a.m. liturgy. Kids from the cathedral, up to 13 years old, were invited to bring a friend to receive a gift, no matter what their faith, Jimenez said.

Before that event, From Mercy to Hope got ready by picking up the coats and toys from the donor parishes, bringing them back to St. John’s, sorting them by gender and age and then wrapping the few that were still unwrapped. At the Mass, catechists of Family Faith Formation distributed vouchers that entitled children and a friend to receive a Christmas gift, Pedraza said.

“It was amazing. The pandemic did not change the generosity of the parishes that donated,” Pedraza said. “We had a great turnout of kids. It felt good to serve others and to know that, in this tragic year, these kids are getting something for Christmas. It was a blessing,” she said.

After receiving theirs gifts, the children got the opportunity to visit with Santa, played by Jose Rodriguez, a Knight. The event was so popular that two lines formed around the block and that officers of the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office and Paterson Police Department had to close Grand Street in front of the parish center, Jimenez said.

“Msgr. Geno was running around. People from the neighborhood came out too. There was so much excitement,” said Jimenez.

Later on Sunday afternoon, Father Sylva and Luis Alberto Hernandez and Father Javier Bareño, St. John’s parochial vicars, again joined Santa — perched on top of a trailer decorated as Santa’s sleigh — and an army of volunteers for a “Christmas caravan.” They drove through the streets of Paterson to the homes of young disabled parishioners to deliver gifts to them. They played Christmas music from their cars, which mixed with the whirl of police sirens, and waved to residents who greeted them from the sidewalks or their apartment windows, Jimenez said.

“The people were moved by what we were doing. You could feel the warmth of Christmas,” Jimenez said. At one house, Msgr. Sylva ran up to a handicapped girl in a wheelchair waiting outside and greeted her with excitement, causing the family and neighbors looking on — even those who were not Catholic — to burst into tears. “They were all so filled with joy,” he said.

Msgr. Sylva called the caravan “powerful” for the handicapped children who because of COVID-19 restrictions, “are not back in school yet and don’t get out of the house. To see their smiles was beautiful.”