St. Thomas of Villanova’s Christmas Program Spreads Cheer

On December 18th, 2019, St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic Church in Palatine was bursting at the seams with Christmas spirit, as family and friends gathered to watch the 59th annual Christmas Program, performed by students in preschool through 8th grade at St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic School.

The show was directed by music teachers Jane Liquin and Meghan Newell and began with the preschool 3- and 4-year-olds, who belted out adorable renditions of “Little Drummer Boy” and “Christmas Don’t Be Late.”

This was followed by a performance by the beginner, intermediate and advanced school bands, who played a collection of favorite seasonal tunes, like “Jingle Bells” and “We Three Kings,” under the direction of Band Director Rob Slater.

Next was The Great Big Holiday Bake -off, a musical skit featuring grades K-8th that included songs about sugar cookies, cinnamon rolls and the ingredients in fruitcake.

The program ended with a retelling of the Christmas story through a tableau and the singing of several Christmas hymns, like “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and “We Wish you a Merry Christmas.”

Earlier in the evening, students presented a special holiday gift to the church’s new pastor, Father Kris Janczak, who began the evening with prayer. Principal Mary Brinkman also announced a special 2-for-1 match for Illinois tax credit scholarship donations made to Empower Illinois through February 29, 2020. Empower works to expand quality education options for low-income and working-class families. The application process for scholarships begins January 15, 2020.

St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic School serves students in preschool through 8th grade. The school is located at 1141 E. Anderson Drive Palatine, IL 60074. For more information about the school and applying for or donating to the Empower Illinois Scholarship Program, call (847) 358-2110 or visit the school’s user-friendly website, www.stvschool.org