Goshen Christmas House Tour tops $25K for local Catholic Charities programs
Goshen. Guests toured seven festively decorated homes and two historic locations.
Goshen /
| 22 Dec 2019 | 09:09
For Marguerite and Michael Reilly, who featured their Murray Avenue home, the house tour was a fun way to celebrate baby Philomena's first Christmas. (
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Catholic Charities board members Susan Murray-Tetz (left) and Ginny Brown helped welcome some of the 450 guests as they arrived at the Harness Racing Museum to pick-up their guidebooks and enjoy the live music and refreshments. (
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More than 450 guests kicked off the Christmas season with an inside look at the festive holiday décor of seven Goshen homes participating in Catholic Charities of Orange, Sullivan, and Ulster’s annual Christmas House Tour.
Now in its fifth year, the tour also included stops at two historic Goshen locations, Limoncello Restaurant at the Orange Inn and the Orange County Tourism Office in 1841 Courthouse, curated by the Orange County historian.
The day raised more than $25,000, which will support Catholic Charities’ programs in the community, including emergency food and shelter assistance and addiction prevention and treatment.
A community effort
The tour launched from the historic Harness Racing Museum in the heart of Goshen, which was also open for guests to visit. During check-in at the museum, guests were treated to live holiday music and singing provided by students and teachers from the Goshen High School Music Department. They also enjoyed a variety of fresh-baked goods donated by ShopRite Supermarkets, home-made cookies from the Bellvale Burderhof Community, and hot apple cider courtesy of Soons Orchards.
Student volunteers from John S. Burke Catholic High School and Goshen High School assisted homeowners with a variety of tasks throughout the day to welcome guests and help the tour run smoothly.
“It takes a great many people to make the Goshen Christmas House Tour a reality each year,” said Susan Murray-Tetz, House Tour Committee Chairperson and Catholic Charities Board member. “Catholic Charities is incredibly blessed to have the support of so many generous community members who play a role in making this a great community day and successful fundraiser. We are grateful to our homeowners, as well as the Harness Racing Museum, Limoncello, and Orange County Office of Tourism, for opening their hearts and their homes to our guests to raise much-needed funds to support Catholic Charities’ mission to provide help and create hope for our neighbors in need."
A variety of architectural styles
Each home was unique in its decorating style and Christmas displays. This year’s tour also featured a variety of architectural style and eras – from new construction to an 1870s grand Goshen classic. For homeowners, the tour kicked off Friday evening with a house blessing provided by Father George Hafemann, pastor at the Church of St. John the Evangelist. The festivities ended Saturday evening with a dinner reception for homeowners at the Harness Racing Museum. The wrap-up reception provided the homeowners and their families a chance to relax, unwind, and swap stories from the day with each other, committee members, and volunteers.
Before heading out on the self-guided tour, participants received a guidebook that featured a map, photo, and description of each location.
Planning is already underway for the 2020 Catholic Charities Goshen Christmas House Tour, which will be held Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. Anyone interested in featuring their home should contact Sheila Toohey at 845.294.5124 ext. 308, or Sheila.Toohey@cccsos.org.
About Catholic Charities:
Catholic Charities of Orange, Sullivan, and Ulster, as one of the human service agencies of Catholic Charities of The Archdiocese of New York, is committed to building a compassionate and just society.
Catholic Charities serves the homeless, the hungry, the emotionally and physically handicapped, immigrants, and the marginalized and vulnerable of Orange and Sullivan Counties.
Catholic Charities collaborates with parishes, Catholic, and non-Catholic partners alike to help people of all religions who are in need.
For more information, visit cccsos.org.