St. Patrick’s hosts Christmas Spectacular

December 21, 2022 Theodore W. General

Santa Claus greets St. Patrick's Rev. Michael Falce and Rev. Brian Dowd.

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Bay Ridge’s St. Patrick’s Church and its Catholic Academy held a glorious Yuletide celebration Dec. 13. It started with a concert in the school’s auditorium, where students from each grade sang traditional carols. Principal Kathleen Curatolo emceed the program.

After the concert, the children, parents, friends and well-wishers packed Fourth Avenue, which was closed to traffic from 95th to 97th Street, to await the arrival of Jolly Old St. Nick. With Christmas music filling the air via a local DJ, Santa arrived in a white carriage drawn by two horses. The nighttime program concluded with a colorful fireworks display. The outdoor festivities were hosted by St. Patrick’s pastor, Rev. Brian Dowd, and Parochial Vicar Rev. Michael Falce.

Santa arrives in a horse-drawn carriage.

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Fort Hamilton High School held a lively holiday concert and art show. The two-day event featured performances by the choruses, jazz band, orchestra, symphonic band and the award-winning marching band. Additionally, the art department displayed large panels of students’ work in the lobby. The program and show were directed by Assistant Principal and Maestro Thomas Oberle.

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The Bay Ridge Historical Society will present a free Zoom session by guest authors Stuart Blumin and Glenn Altschuler on Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 7:30 p.m. They will discuss how the Town of New Utrecht, which included Yellow Hook (later Bay Ridge), evolved from a community of farms and summer homes to become part of the expanding metropolis of Greater New York. Blumin and Altschuler, who wrote “The Rise and Fall of Protestant Brooklyn,” will also talk about the denominations, history and extent of Protestant churches in this section of Brooklyn.