During the 2023 Advent and Christmas seasons, the sanctuary of St. Bonaventure Church of Paterson was beautifully decorated with creamy white, pink, and bright red poinsettias and Christmas trees of assorted sizes, with the tabernacle being the focal point of where the adornment took place.
And then, to the left of the altar, there was a reverent display of Joseph and Mary lovingly peering in at the baby Jesus in his creche.
Teresa Gallo-Tomcho, the coordinator of the St. Bonaventure Church of Paterson Environment & Decorations Team, which ensures the inside of the church building looks lovely during all the liturgical seasons, said about her parish church and her ministry, “It has all the original art. It is so beautiful, it really is. And it is just so beautiful to decorate and to be a part of the ministry.”
Father Daniel P. Grigassy, O.F.M., who has been pastor of St. Bonaventure Church for 15 years, said of the ministry, “They make things happen. And that is a real advantage.”
In addition to Gallo-Tomcho, who is also director of Religious Formation for the parish, the other members of the Environment & Decorations Team are Alice Filippelli, Kathy Castaneda, Kathy Capizzi, Silvana Henriquez, Gary Berdan, and the Brost and Rogers families.
The ministry is just over a month removed from the Christmas season, and the focus is now on Ash Wednesday and the 40 days of Lent, and then the Easter season. Among some of its responsibilities, the group gets prayers ready for the Lenten season and, starting Ash Wednesday, changes the altar linens in the liturgical environment and hangs Lenten banners. The ministry also has a very large crown of thorns that is displayed for the entirety of Lent. By Easter Sunday, the complexion changes to rebirth with lilies and decoration of the Resurrection Cross.
And there is no downtime for the Environment & Decorations Team, not even during Ordinary Time.
Gallo-Tomcho said, “During Ordinary Time, the environment is decorated with plants, and we also make sure that there is some greenery, flowers, and plants within the environment during special feast days. For example, the feast of St. Francis is during ordinary time, as is the feast of St. Bonaventure. Those are occasions that we make sure that we have flowers in front of the statues to highlight their feast day.”
Gallo-Tomcho proudly summed it all up for her and the Environment & Decorations Team. She said, “I look at it as an honor and a privilege to serve my God. Whatever I can do to help make his home a welcoming environment that serves His people, that is my prayer for everyone: to come forward and to become closer to the Lord.”