In what can only be described as a Christmas miracle, an anonymous donor purchased every Christmas tree from St. Mary School's annual fundraiser in the historic neighbourhood of German Village in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday. And then to everyone's surprise, the anonymous donor left the trees behind for anyone in need to pick them up for free.
Though Principal Kayla Walton does not know what the mysterious benefactor paid, the trees left on the lot on Monday were priced at $40 and $50 each.
The tree sale, which has been an annual tradition for more than 40 years, will see benefits being split between the Knights of Columbus Council 5429, a charitable Catholic fraternity, and the Saint Mary Home and School Association, which provides St. Mary School with classroom supplies, buses for field trips, and other support.
A Facebook post announcing the generous donation by the mysterious Christmas angel had about 15,000 views and 229 shares as of Tuesday morning. The Virgin Mary statue on the side of the school gazed out over a nearly vacant lot as people showed up in droves overnight to get the trees.
"The whole way here I was praying that there would still be a tree available and that someone would be here to help me with it... Whoever (the donor) was...that's just awesome," a woman was quoted as saying by dispatch.com
The noble gesture by the anonymous well-wisher was also a much timely relief for the Parish of St. Mary, the church and the school at 700 S. 3rd Street. The 148-year-old church building was forced to be closed in October since structural damage to the building was revealed after it was hit by lightning in August. Services are now taking place in the school gym.
Repairs, that began last week, are estimated to cost as much as $2 million.
"After so many ups and downs, I think this has been a huge morale boost...We've had a couple of challenges, but our Lord will definitely provide for us," said Principal Walton.
