The calendar said Aug. 27, but those attending the noon Mass prior to Church of the Holy Angels? annual picnic were greeting each other with ?Merry Christmas.? The gathering song was ?O Come, All Ye Faithful,? and the closing song was ?Joy to the World.?
?It?s a beautiful day for Christmas in Cleveland,? said Father Dan Schlegel, Holy Angels pastor.
The Mass and picnic took place at Santa?s Hide-A-Way Hollow, a nonprofit organization dedicated to working with seriously and terminally ill children and their families to provide comfort and support through the final stages of a child?s illness. The Hide-A-Way Hollow meets children?s requests for one last Christmas at any time of the year.
The occasion doubled as a blessing and groundbreaking of the site for the new North Pole Chapel at the Hide-A-Way Hollow, a project made possible by Holy Angels parishioners. Santa Claus and some of his elves attended Mass and the groundbreaking.
Santa?s Hide-A-Way Hollow is a tiny village that Santa Claus said is a place where he and Mrs. Claus stay when they?re not at home in the North Pole Village. Open only to invited guests, there are reindeer, alpacas, ponies, Santa?s workshop, a bakery, ice cream shop, tailor shop, post office and more to provide a special experience for the children and their families.
?This is a special place,? said Father Schlegel.
He explained how the Diocese of Cleveland began the We Give Catholic initiative last November to coincide with the National Day of Giving, which is observed the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
?Having known Santa for many years, our parish got on board right away,? he said, adding that Holy Angels decided to raise funds for a chapel at The Hollow.
?We are standing on sacred and holy ground,? he said, before the ground was blessed and broken. Holy Angels? initiative raised $27,000 to help build the chapel, which will join other buildings at The Hollow.
?We are here today because of you
