Christmas cards becoming hallmark of parishes

Catholics who care enough to send the very best Christmas card this season may not need to look any further than their own church.

Several parishes in the Albany Diocese have been selling or giving away Christmas cards this season. The cards depict their sanctuaries decorated in all their holiday splendor.

The cards have been quite popular and are a nice alternative for people who want to spread Christmas cheer with a religious message, according to pastors and personnel.

Christmas touches

The Church of St. John the Evangelist in Schenectady, for example, offers a card featuring a panoramic photograph of the sanctuary, including a 25-foot Christmas tree, several smaller trees, a life-size Fontanini creche that is a replica of a set given to Pope John Paul II, and numerous poinsettias.

A poetic Christmas wish inside the card reads: "May God who loved the world so much/That He gave His only Son,/Grant you a year of Christmas days/With a blessing in every one."

St. John's began its tradition of selling cards four years ago, using photographs taken by parishioners, according to Rev. John Provost, pastor. Previously, Rev. Arnold English, late pastor of St. John's, had some photographs taken of the church and provided them to parishioners in the form of Christmas cards.

Special picture

This year's card is special because the photograph, taken by parishioner Robert Bezio, encompasses the entire sanctuary, as well as the dome and the side walls of the church, Father Provost pointed out.

"Any particular part of the church that you want to point out to somebody is in there," he said. "It's pretty dramatic. We're getting a lot of compliments on it. But every year, we've had comments on the pictures."

Several hundred sets of cards are ordered each year, with 20 cards in a set. Although they go on sale in October, parishioners often inquire about them before then, and they are often sold out several weeks before Christmas. "We don't have any problem selling them," Father Provost said.

Touch of home

Many people who buy the cards are longtime parishioners whose children or friends previously attended Mass at St. John's but have since moved out of town. A card featuring a photograph of the church serves as a nice reminder of the place of worship they once knew.

The pastor also sends out the cards -- if any are still available. "For the most part, they go so quickly, sometimes there aren't enough left for me," Father Provost said.

Sketch of faith

At St. Teresa's Church in Albany, cards designed by Denise Chonski, a parishioner and an art teacher at the parish school, are being sold up until the week of Christmas. The outside features a pen-and-ink rendering of the exterior of the church; the inside contains an illustration of the Holy Family and a message saying that the person receiving the card will be remembered during Christmas Masses.

In previous years, cards featuring a photograph of the church decorated for Christmas were available, but Ms. Chonski was asked to design a card for this holiday season.

About 2,000 Christmas cards were printed for this year, with 10 cards per set. In addition, about 1,000 "thank you" cards, were printed. Inside is the pen-and-ink drawing of the church.

The cards have been selling well, and parishioners seem to appreciate being able to send a card telling loved ones that they will be prayed for by churchgoers this Christmas.

"People really have found it meaningful. They didn't realize that they could actually send something like that to someone," Ms. Chonski said. "For a layperson to be able to have something like that available really impressed people."

Ever Greenbush

At the Church of the Holy Spirit in East Greenbush, Christmas cards are available for the first time this year after the Social Concerns Committee of the parish decided to sell them as a fund-raiser, according to Rev. George St. John, pastor.

The card features a picture taken in 1992 by local photographer Glen Cook & Son after the church was renovated and had an addition built. On the outside of the card is the photograph of the sanctuary, complete with poinsettias, greenery, a Nativity set and a Christmas tree decorated with red ribbons.

A message inside reads: "May the Spirit of Christmas with its Peace and Joy abide with you through the year."

Father St. John, who has mailed a few cards to friends who are Maryknoll priests serving in Mexico, Taiwan, Japan and Peru, said that the cards should be available again next year. He likes them because they convey the religious component of Christmas that might be lacking in other cards. "It helps them to appreciate the real meaning of Christmas," he said.

Beauty captured

St. Vincent de Paul parish in Albany also is selling Christmas cards for the first time. It features a photograph of a stained glass window depicting the Nativity, which has been part of the church since it was built in 1906, according to Rev. Leo O'Brien, pastor.

The idea for the card came about after several people, including Sister Joan Byrne, SNJM, administrative assistant, came to appreciate the window's beauty and pointed out that it would make a nice greeting card for parishioners.

"We just thought it would be a good thing to try," Father O'Brien said. "So far, we've had a lot of people ordering them."

He's glad that his parish is offering a religious card for parishioners to send during this holiday season. "It says something about Christmas," he said, adding that a typical secular card "doesn't seem to say much about the Nativity."

Free cards

Parishioners of Sacred Heart Church in Sidney have been picking up their free cards during the holiday season. This marks the third year that the parish has offered its own Christmas card, according to Rev. Gordon Polenz, pastor.

The card, which includes a photograph taken last year by a parishioner to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the parish, features the sanctuary decorated for the Christmas season.

Originally, the cards were for sale, but the parish is giving them away this year -- and parishioners are taking advantage of the deal.

"They're grabbing them up," Father Polenz said, adding that he has mailed several cards himself.

(12-18-97) [[In-content Ad]]