• The Special Environment Ministry is a subset of the Environment Ministry. Our job is to decorate the interior of the church for two very special feasts: Christmas and Easter.
  
  A small handful of volunteers plan how to dress the church interior, order the needed materials (greens, flowers, potted plants), and then put them in place a few hours before the vigil of the feast day. Our goal is to create an environment where worshipers can catch the spirit of the liturgical celebration. We want worshipers attending Masses at Christmas and Easter to feel especially inspired, welcomed, and refreshed, and we hope that the decorations contribute to that goal.
  
  Unlike the year-round work of maintaining the church in proper liturgical environment, which requires constant and consistent attention throughout the year, timing is crucial for the special environment ministry: planning and execution must be in sync with the actual dates the holidays fall on the calendar. The ministry has a small budget for supplies based on contributions specifically made by parishioners for Christmas and Easter flowers in those seasons (recall those little envelopes with poinsettias or lilies pictured on them?).
  
  If you enjoy decorating your own home for the holidays, this can be viewed as an extension of that - which is after all appropriate if we consider the church as an extension of our home life.

  Contact: Parish Secretary, 914-271-4797 X10.