Brooklynites light up St. Gregory’s

Brooklyn is becoming brighter as the holiday seasonapproaches.

At St. Gregory’s Roman Catholic Church, 224 Brooklyn Avenue inCrown Heights, the annual Celebration of Light was kicked off onSaturday, November 27 with the lighting of a Christmas tree andornamented bushes surrounding the structure.

The event is held every year during the first week of theChristian holiday of Advent, said Father Lamartine Petit-Monsieurof St. Gregory’s. Petit-Monsieur remarked that he was excited toattend the ceremony because it was his first year presiding overthe lighting of the tree.

The parish dressed a holiday wreath, then held a Mass andfinally illuminated the tree, sparking holiday anticipation.

The Celebration of Light began in 1995 with a single treelighting ceremony held at Visitation Monastery in Bay Ridge. LarryMorrish, one of the founders of the endeavor, proudly noted thatthe celebration has grown over the years, with tree-lighting eventsnow held at 29 different locations across the borough, includingSt. Gregory’s.

The Celebration of Light is made possible by Maimonides MedicalCenter, which provides each church in the program with a $1,000grant to use towards Christmas trees, lights and decorations.

For a list of all the ceremonies this season, visit the HomeReporter Calendar at www.homereporternews.com/calendar.