About 500 took part in the annual Christmas Eve service at St. Pius X R.C. Church in Plainview, held in the school's gymnasium to accommodate the large crowd.
It’s the most popular Mass of the season known as "Advent" and includes the tradition of the giving tree.
As in years past, parishioners are treated to the annual Christmas Nativity story, performed by the children of the parish prior to the start of the service. The play tells the ancient story of the birth of Jesus, contained in the Gospels of St. Luke and St. Matthew.
During the service, instead of his usual homily, Monsignor Domenick Graziadio, pastor of St. Pius X, gathers the children around him in front of the altar and talks about the meaning of Christmas, among the most meaningful events in Christian history.
