ALBEMARLE — Knights of Columbus Council 10495 and Our Lady of the Annunciation Parish joined together to pack and deliver 60 bags filled with food to enable Stanly County families in need to host a Christmas Day dinner.
Don Barker, program organizer and Knight, has led the Save Tears on Christmas mission for the past 15 years.
“We are able to raise the money partially from winning a $1,000 mini-grant from the diocese, which helps significantly, and also from donations from parishioners, along with Baskets of Cheer raffle tickets,” Barker said. “Without the help of the parishioners, the charity that they give, and their commitment to come in and pack and deliver, we could not do it.”
— Photo provided
GREENSBORO — Santa is delighting passersby this Christmas season – making a surprise return to the attic window of St. Pius X Church’s rectory overlooking North Elm Street.
Parishioners worried the tradition would be lost when their beloved former Pastor, Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, died in July – and the original Santa he had displayed for years went missing.
Although he was a little late this year, a three-foot, light-up Santa returned to his perch before Christmas where he will remain until Jan. 12, when the Church celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
One commuter wrote a letter of thanks: “I was worried you had moved away when I didn’t see Santa in your window…This little detail has brought me so much joy at Christmas. Thank you for putting a smile on my face!”
The church’s new pastor, Father Christian Cook, says: “People were asking about the attic Santa, so I contacted the North Pole and he agreed to return to Greensboro. For all the things Monsignor Marcaccio did for this church, it’s amazing how much this one little gesture meant to people, and what it said about him.”
— Photo provided