By Ed Wilkinson and John Alexander

WILLIAMSBURG — A rock legend, a Grammy Award winner, an American Idol finalist, and a New York Tenor highlighted the Spirit of Christmas Concert that benefitted Catholic education in Brooklyn and Queens.

The festive annual event was held on Dec. 13 at the Emmaus Center in Williamsburg, a diocesan center for evangelization through the arts.

The packed house of more than 600 people was treated to some beloved rock, pop and Christmas classics, along with some Grammy Award-winning hits courtesy of Al Jardine of The Beach Boys and singer-songwriter Peabo Bryson.

World-renowned New York Tenor Christopher Macchio hosted the show and performed alongside each featured guest, including 10th season American Idol finalist Haley Reinhart, female vocalist Jackie DiMaggio, harpist Erin Hill and celebrated pop and Doo-Wop singer Joel Katz.

The star-studded cavalcade of popular music performers took the stage along with such notable guests as Bishop Robert Brennan and Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Williamsburg.

The show opened with Juan Morales and his group performing a well-received rendition of “Feliz Navidad.” Anthony Mangano, host of NET-TV’s “City of Churches” welcomed everyone with a prayer and a rendition of “A New York Christmas,” before singer Joel Katz impressed the audience with his cover of the late Johnny Maestro’s classic “16 Candles.” Especially moving was the fact that Maestro’s widow was in the audience.

The audience erupted in applause when Al Jardine performed a selection of The Beach Boys hits including “Surfin’ USA,” “California Girls,” “I Get Around” and the 1965 No. 1 hit “Help Me, Rhonda,” that featured Jardine singing lead on the original recording. Macchio joined Jardine for a touching rendition of “What Would I Do Without You.” Erin Hill and Jardine performed a heartfelt duet of The Beach Boys favorite “In My Room.”

Msgr. Gigantiello called it an “extra special” evening because all proceeds from the show benefit Futures in Education, an organization that for more than 30 years has helped provide financial aid and tuition for students attending Catholic schools and academies in the Diocese of Brooklyn, and allowed the audience to reflect upon the true meaning of Christmas.

Bryson has released more than 30 albums, with five being certified Gold, and 57 charted singles, including the 1984 top-20 duet classic “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love” with Roberta Flack, and the top-10 hits “If Ever You’re in My Arms Again,” and the chart-topping “A Whole New World” with Regina Belle.

Bryson was joined by DiMaggio for his Grammy Award-winning duet “Beauty and the Beast,” which he originally recorded with Celine Dion. Bryson mentioned Dion’s recent health struggles and asked the audience to pray for her.

Reinhart dedicated a stunning performance of “Silent Night” to Bishop Brennan as she reflected upon attending Midnight Mass and recalling all that it means to her and her family.

Macchio, who has performed in some of the most esteemed venues around the globe, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Apollo Theater, and the White House, performed devotional standards, including “Ave Maria,” and Msgr. Gigantiello’s favorite hymn, “O Holy Night,” which Msgr. Gigantiello said it best sums up “the true meaning of Christmas and the night Jesus was born and became man to be with us.”

To conclude the program, Macchio invited Bishop Brennan and all the performers to join him on stage for the timely hymn “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”

The Emmaus Center is a world-class performing arts theater housed in the historic Williamsburg Opera House, which was built in 1897 and renovated in 2021. The 800-seat venue is situated above Ss. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church and located at 299 Berry Street in Williamsburg.

Craig Tubiolo, executive director of the Emmaus Center and founder of Godsplanproductions.com, said that the purpose of the concert was to bring people together.

“The audience was blessed by legendary performances by our very own Chris Macchio and special guests,” Tubiolo added. “It was clear to see that their God-given gifts and talents were on display in honor of the Christmas season.”

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Henry Giron walked 12.6 miles from Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, to Jamaica, Queens, on Monday morning. But he wasn’t empty-handed, and he wasn’t walking alone.

Giron was one of the dozens of torch runners who participated in Masses celebrating the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, had their torches lit by Bishop Robert Brennan, and then led processions of parishioners on foot back to their neighborhood churches.

For some, the journey would take hours.

“It’s not about the miles. It’s about the journey,” said Giron, a parishioner of Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Jamaica. While he has attended the Mass in previous years, this was his first time as a torch runner.

“It’s an honor,” he added.

One of the most colorful celebrations in the Catholic Church, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12, commemorates the day the Blessed Mother appeared to a peasant, Juan Diego, in Mexico in the year 1531.

This year’s feast was the largest ever held in the Diocese of Brooklyn, according to Father Baltazar Sanchez Alonzo, coordinator of the Mexican Apostolate for the diocese. In anticipation of large crowds, the celebration was split up into two Masses to accommodate the estimated 3,000 faithful who came to the co-cathedral. There was a morning Mass for the Queens churches and an afternoon Mass for the Brooklyn churches.

Forty-four parishes from across the diocese participated in the celebration, sending torch runners and delegations — packing the co-cathedral twice.

“It’s filled with people but filled with hearts full of love — love for Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, love for Jesus, who accompanies us wherever we go,” Bishop Brennan said.

Mary is the patron saint of Mexico, and many Mexicans who came to live in the U.S. brought their deep devotion to the Blessed Mother with them. An estimated 175,000 Mexican-Americans live in the diocese.

“It was the apparition of Mary to Juan Diego that brought the faith to Mexico, and now many of the people from Mexico and other Latin American countries are coming here, bringing about a renewal of faith right here in Brooklyn,” Bishop Brennan explained.

While the apparition took place 491 years ago, it is still relevant today, Father Alonzo said.

“She spoke to Juan Diego, and she continues to speak to us,” he added.

Beatriz Garcia, a Mexican-American and a parishioner of the Basilica of Regina Pacis in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, grew emotional when asked about her devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

“She means so much to me,” she said. “Every time I pray for her intercession, I feel closer to our Lord because they know she is that connection for our Lord Jesus Christ.”

A highlight of the morning Mass came when dancers dressed in traditional Aztec clothing, complete with feathered headdresses, danced up the long aisle of the co-cathedral to a steady drumbeat. There was also a mariachi band providing music.

At the end of both Masses, the torch runners climbed the steps of the co-cathedral to have Bishop Brennan light their torches.

The torch is significant, Father Alonzo explained, because “it symbolizes the presence of Jesus in our parishes and in our family.”

The fact that Our Lady of Guadalupe chose to appear before Juan Diego, a mere peasant, is significant, according to Bishop Brennan.

“It’s a lesson for all of us really, to be simple, to be open to allowing God’s grace to be the driving force in our lives,” he said.

Garcia also thinks a lot about Juan Diego’s low station in life and the lessons it offers.

“Our Lord decides when and who he will choose, and it can be in the most simple person,” she said. “Egos are irrelevant. It’s about being a kind, humble person and being open to saying yes to believing.”