“From the Archives” — A Christmas Tree Calamity Averted!

At Christmas time during his tenure as Saint Mary pastor (1981 to 1991), Monsignor Frank J. Hendrick always had two very large Christmas trees set up on either side of the sanctuary.

One Christmas, as an altar boy headed to the altar to light the candles before Mass, his shoe caught on the extension cord connecting the tree lights to the electrical outlet. The big, green tree – and its hundreds of twinkling lights – began to precariously sway back and forth, as the congregation watched the scene unfold.

Fortunately, the sacristan on duty for that Mass saw what was happening. He quickly pulled the plug, stopping the boy just in time and saving the day – and the tree!

 

— Kitty Guy, Parish Historian

 

In 2020, to commemorate the 225th anniversary of our parish, we started “From the Archives” as a weekly feature online and in our bulletin to spotlight the history of Saint Mary’s. Due to its popularity, we are continuing the series in 2022. An archive of the features is located here.