Our Decoration team is an essential part of the celebrations that take place in this Church. Not only do they enhance the beauty of our church before and after these main celebrations, but they ensure everything is prepared and in place beforehand for these specific liturgies and adoration times to be centered on the Lord.
 

• Christmas: to make this feast beautiful, the team sets-up a crib and lights-up a 14ft high tree, in addition to placing Poinsettias flowers to decorate the Church.
• Holy Week & Easter: the team is very active throughout the Easter period.

• Holy Thursday: the Grotto and the main church are decorated in anticipation of the adoration of the Holy Sacrament. The team also helps preparing the evening celebration for the washing of the feet (chairs, basins, towels, etc)
• Good Friday: the team then prepares the church for the adoration of the Cross. They strip the flowers from the main altar and sets up the crown of Thorns which lays on the piece of red fabric on front of the altar. Late in the evening, they prepare the Church Holy Saturday and Easter Vigil.
• Holy Saturday: the team cleans and polishes the brass and silver on the altar as well as the rest of the church as best as possible. They also help setting-up the different elements necessary for the Baptisms and Confirmations taking place during the Easter Vigil celebration.

 

• Watering of the flowers after the main feast celebration: many of the flowers placed in the church needs watering three times a week, a few weeks after the main feast days (about 1h each time, anytime in-between mass times). As the flowers are placed up high in the Grotto and next to the statues (St Joan, John the Baptist, St Anthony, St Anne), the team needs help from volunteers who are strong and agile enough to handle and climb our ladder.

 

• Cleaning the Garden: unfortunately, some people dis-consider our beautiful garden. Should you like to volunteer on a regular basis to pick-up the trash that is left there, we would welcome your help!

• French-speaking Sunday family masses: French-speaking Sunday family masses: once a month, the French-speaking community organizes a Family Mass. In honor of this celebration, the French-speaking decoration team comes together to make beautiful flower-compositions within our Church.
• For more information on the French-speaking decoration team, please contact Aumônerie Catholique de Manhattan.