Breakfast With Santa At St. Maria Goretti Church

LYNNFIELD – As busy as he is this time of year, Santa once again made sure he found time to stop off at St. Maria Goretti Church.

SMG's traditional "Breakfast with Santa" event started off with Deacon Mark Ruiz gathering the children to tell them about the Magi, also known as the Three Wise Men or Three Kings, who brought the first Christmas gifts to the baby Jesus. Then the kids were treated to a breakfast of Dunkin' Donuts doughnuts and hot chocolate, courtesy of parishioner Maryann Coletta. Orla, a Golden Retriever certified therapy dog, was also on hand to calm any anxiety over meeting the “big guy from the North Pole”.

The headlining attraction was, of course, the arrival of Santa Claus, who spent time with each child, listening carefully to his/her wishes and posing patiently for photos.

The event also raised money for the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless’ "250 Beds for 250 Kids for Christmas" initiative that provides beds for needy children. For more information, visitwww.abedforeverychild.org.

Photos by Marie Lagman; Serving as Joseph and Mary in the story of the Magi: Vincent Reed and Genevieve Sechrist; Santa's Helpers: Maddie Cook, Sarah Rose Doherty, Keira Burns; Isla and Addie Wolf; Lorenzo, Victoria, Christopher and Maria Ruisi; Francesca and Lucia Palmer; Orla the Therapy Dog and her human Kate McGrath (Lynnfield Catholic Collaborative's Pastoral Care Coordinator and Faith Formation Coordinator for Grades K-6 at Our Lady of the Assumption)