Jan Lay, a charming friend from our old DISA workplace, made the arrangements with the "Are We There Yet" tour company for our group of "Kindred Spirits"-- a dozen of former co-workers and friends.
The highlight of yesterday's tour was a visit to the rectory of St. George's Catholic Church, located at 128 West Fourth Street. The old Franciscan Rectory has become a must-see attraction for tourists to Hermann each December.
For the past several years, the non-Franciscan pastor -- Father William Debo, a priest from the Jefferson City Diocese who is known as Father Bill -- plans, designs, and orchestrates the decorating effort.
Parishioners volunteer their time and donate many of their treasures to transform the rectory into a Christmas delight, which they share with visitors from across the country. The St. George Rectory open house is an annual fund raiser for the Hermann Ministerial Alliance, with free-will offerings used to assist needy families in the community.
During Christmas time, the four-story rectory holds more than 50 Christmas trees and dozens of Nativity scenes. My descriptions won't do justice to the displays, so I'll post some photos I took of the many rooms in the rectory.
Enjoy!
Next week I'll post more photos of the rectory, along with a few snapshots from our visit to the Wurst Haus and Stone Hill Winery.
