RELIGIOUS EDUCATION: Our Lady of Loreto Roman Catholic Church, 346 Waterman Ave., will offer religious education this fall.

A Liturgy Series will be led by Rev. Ronald E. Brassard, Pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish, Cranston, on the first Tuesday of each month from 7 to 8 p.m. The Dec. 2 program will be dedicated to Advent with an analysis of Advent and Christmas. All are welcome.

Members of Our Lady of Loreto are welcome to participate in a course entitled Catechism of the Catholic Church at St. Margaret’s Parish Center, Pawtucket Avenue. The course meets on the second Tuesday of each month from 7 to 8 p.m and is led by Father Michael Colello, administrative secretary to the Most Rev. Thomas J. Tobin. The next session will focus on Chapter One of the Catechism: My Soul Longs for You O God.

There is no fee to participate in any of these courses, however, registration is required by calling 434-3535.

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TOURING EXHIBIT: An exhibit that examines the diversity of family life in 21st-century America is on display at the Church of the Epiphany, 1336 Pawtucket Ave. Entitled, “In Our Family: Portraits of All Kinds of Families,” featured are photographs by Gigi Kaeser and interviews edited by Peggy Gillespie and Rebekah Boyd. The exhibit introduces viewers to single-parent families, families living with physical or mental challenges, immigrant families, adoptive families, foster families, divorced families, gay and lesbian-parented families, stepfamilies, multiracial families, multi-generational families and many others in the family circle.

“In Our Family” is a touring photo-text display created by the award-winning Family Diversity Projects of Amherst, Mass. It tours colleges, schools, libraries and other locations throughout the country. The exhibit will remain on display at Church of Epiphany until Dec. 5. For information on Family Diversity Projects, visit www.familydiv.org.

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LIGHTHOUSE SANTA TO VISIT: Pomham Rocks Lighthouse Santa and his elves will return to Narragansett Bay onboard a holiday-themed boat Dec. 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Children and adults of all ages are invited to welcome and wave to Lighthouse Santa as he travels along the coastline sending holiday greetings. There will be plenty of time to take photos, too. Lighthouse Santa will be quite visible in his jolly red suit and will be ringing a handbell and waving to onlookers along the East Providence shoreline. Santa’s visit will be weather-permitting. If the weather or water is rough, he will attempt his visit on Dec. 7 at the same time.

Lighthouse Santa will begin his journey from Bullocks Cove in Barrington/Riverside and will be traveling along the eastern shoreline of East Providence toward Providence. He will remain in his boat and will not be going ashore during this visit.

Due to weather and tidal conditions, the time schedule is estimated for seeing Lighthouse Santa and his elves. Their travel itinerary and best viewing locations will be: 10 to 10:30 a.m. for Narragansett Terrace and Rose Larisa Park. At approximately 10:30 a.m., they are scheduled to be in the Sabin Point Park area until 10:45 a.m. Then, they will travel further north along the Riverside coastline and East Bay Bike Path to Pomham Rocks Lighthouse. The boat will arrive and circle the Lighthouse between 10:45 and 11:00 a.m.

After visiting the Pomham Rocks Lighthouse area, Santa and his elves will continue traveling northward along the East Providence coastline toward Squantum Woods and over to Providence and Waterplace Park. From there, they will continue their journey by heading south on Narragansett Bay along the western shoreline of Providence and Cranston.

For more information and updates, visit www.pomhamrockslighthouse.org.

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HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS: John Hunt House, Hunt’s Mill Road, will be open Dec. 6 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. as part of a statewide event to benefit the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. Admission to each site participating will be non-perishable food donations that will go to the Food Bank to help families this holiday season. For information on Hunt House, visit www.ephist.org or, to view the event poster visit www.preserveri.org.

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COMPOST SITE OPEN: The City of East Providence Department of Public Works, Recycling Division, will open the Forbes Street Compost Site to residents Dec. 6 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Residents may drop off leaves, grass and other vegetative material suitable for composting at the site. Residents must show a valid driver’s license as proof of residency. Vehicles must be four wheel with a one ton capacity or less. No commercial vehicles are permitted.

Incoming material must be loose- no plastic bags, no contaminates. Residents disposing of contaminated material will be issued a first warning; a second offense will result in the vehicle and resident banned for the year. For information contact the Recycling Division office, 435-7710 or 435-7711.

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HOLIDAY ART SALE: The Top Drawer Art Center, 2731 Pawtucket Ave., will offer its annual holiday art sale Dec. 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Featured will be lots of great gift items, reduced prices on fine art purchases (for the day of the sale only), and a special performance of incidental music from members of the Top Drawer Band. The exhibit will be on display Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. until February.

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CHORAL CONCERT: The Chorus of East Providence will present its Christmas concert Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. at Martin Middle School, 111 Brown St. The program, Christmas Gospel Jubilee!, features Christmas carols and music from the African American tradition. Robert Ray’s Gospel Mass, with guest musicians and gospel soloists from the Laughlin Family Singers, is a program highlight.

Tickets are $10 and there is no charge for children age 12 and under. A limited number will be sold at the door. To reserve tickets, call (401) 323-7041, (401) 438-4332 or email thechorusofep@gmail.com.

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CHRISTMAS CONCERT: The internationally acclaimed Boston Brass and the Brass All-Stars Big Band will perform the Stan Kenton Christmas Carols in Elmasian Auditorium at East Providence High School Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. The performance will feature titles from their recently released album of the same name. Admission will be $15 or $10 for students and senior citizens.

Performing over 100 concerts annually, the members of Boston Brass have dazzled audiences at concerts and jazz festivals around the world in such cities as Tokyo, Singapore, Taipei, Macau, New York, Portland, Seattle, Philadelphia, Detroit, Dallas, San Antonio, Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Sacramento and Los Angeles – and now East Providence. Featured on National Public Radio and the CBS Early Morning Show, the Boston Brass has recorded several ground breaking albums, and are also known as educational ambassadors for the clinics and master classes they offer to schools and colleges. The Brass All-Stars are comprised of former members of Canadian Brass, Dallas Brass, Empire Brass, and the Brass Band of Battle Creek.

Stan Kenton (1911 – 1979) was an influential and sometimes controversial jazz pianist, composer, conductor and educator. He left an unforgettable mark on the American jazz scene such that many ensembles today still perform in the Kenton style. Performed and recorded by The Stan Kenton Big Band, the Kenton Christmas Carols were originally released on Capitol Records in the early 1960’s. They remain as hip and exciting as they were back then.

For information about Boston Brass, visit www.bostonbrass.com. For concert information, call Scott Abrahamson, (401) 435-7806 ext. 133.

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CHRISTMAS PARTY: The Daughters of Isabella, Riverside Circle No. 28, will hold its Christmas party Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall, Crescent View Avenue. Tickets are $5 per person and there will be a $5 gift exchange. Members are reminded to bring their Shaw’s Supermarket receipts.

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HUMAN RIGHTS CELEBRATION: The East Providence Chapter of Amnesty International USA (AIUSA), Local Group 702 will host a celebration in honor human rights Dec. 13 at 1:30 p.m. at the Newman Congregational Church Hall, 100 Newman Avenue, Rumford. The event, called “Celebrate Human Rights,” will observe the 60th anniversary of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

The celebration will feature a performance of Child’s Play, a one-act drama written by Dorothy Abram and interpreted by the AWARE Alliance, an affiliation of Johnson & Wales students, worldwide refugees, and community partners for socio-cultural inquiry, global engagement, and artistic envisioning. The play illustrates the struggle of two different cultures living side by side and offers solutions to age-old conflicts delivered in a surprising twist by a young child.

Joshua Rubenstein, the Northeast Regional Director of AIUSA, will speak on the significance of the UDHR and the role that AIUSA has played in the human rights community. Rubenstein is a dynamic speaker who has been involved with human rights and international affairs for over 25 years. He has appeared in many radio, television and print interviews and he is the author of several books, articles and reviews on Soviet and international affairs.

A buffet will be served following the program featuring a menu of ethnic foods donated by local restaurants. The event is open to all and there is no admission fee, however, donations for AIUSA will be accepted.

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MEETINGS SCHEDULED: The City of East Providence’s Zoning Board of Review meets on the last Wednesday of each month. Meetings for 2009 and are scheduled as follows: Jan. 28, Feb. 25, March 25, April 29, May 27, June 24, July 9, Aug. 26, Sept. 30 and Nov. 18.