Santa paid an early visit Dec. 4 to one of his North Pole workshops --- the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Conference Center -- which Catholic Charities of Los Angeles had transformed for the annual Cardinal's Christmas Party for Children.
When Santa arrived, he found his elves busy making balloons into animal shapes, painting faces on the 300 children, and helping them create frames for their soon-to-be-taken portraits with Santa. Children also watched a video on the Nativity and the true spirit of Christmas, were entertained by marionettes and "Rick the Magician," and went home with a bag of Christmas goodies. From the looks on their faces, this was one of the nicest Christmases they have ever experienced.
A tradition since 1949, the Cardinal's Christmas Party for Children raises funds to help provide toys and food for nearly 20,000 needy children and their families each year. For the past 26 years Santa (a.k.a. Sergio Arredondo) has helped Catholic Charities with the party.
"When I walk in here, I see all these children and I thank God for all my blessings!" said Arredondo, a St. Philip the Apostle (Pasadena) parishioner. "These children give me inspiration and I say, 'I can give them a little pleasure for a few minutes.' I thank the cardinal for having us here; having this event at the Cathedral is very meaningful."
The adult volunteers who helped make the Cardinal's Christmas Party for Children such a success were also beneficiaries. "This is so very heartwarming," said Sandi Arnold, Catholic Charities director of Resource Development. "Sometimes the children say they want to take their presents home and give them to a sister or brother." Many children held up their Polaroids of Santa so others could admire them, saying they were giving them to their parents as presents.
"Every year," observed Msgr. Gregory Cox, Catholic Charities executive director, "the adults come up to me and say, 'This is more beneficial for me than it is for the children.' Many feel that it is a reminder, a religious experience about the meaning of the season." |