SOUTHPORT, N.Y. (WENY) -- For 70 years, Notre Dame High School in Southport has helped hundreds of local students and families through their Golden Mass tradition, happening every year around Christmas.

The Golden Mass tradition has gone on every year since the school's establishment in 1955. Over that time, hundreds of local families have received gracious donations of food, clothes, and toys during the holiday season.

Staff, students, and alumni came together in the auditorium of Notre Dame High School in Southport for Golden Mass, an annual service effort geared at providing less fortunate families and children with gifts, clothes, and food for the holiday season.

"This year we were able to adopt 20 families, which includes 61 children. And because of the generosity of our families here, those children will have presents under the tree and food on their table. And it's something that has been a long standing tradition that we're very proud of here," remarked Interim Head of School, Bernadette McClelland.

The seniors of Notre Dame play a pivotal part of the Golden Mass — as they will be packing and delivering the donated gifts and provisions to the many sponsor families and children.

"I know myself and a lot of other students look forward to being a part of our Crusader Christmas and our Golden Mass and we're really fortunate, our families and the students in our school have worked since December to put together gifts and we're really excited to give them to our 20 families," added Makenna Keough, one of Notre Dame's senior students.

As they near the conclusion of their high school careers, they give back to their communities through an act of service that brings generations of alumni back to their old stomping grounds.

"It's a homecoming, really. I'm an alumni as well. I graduated back in 1984, but you are able to see people who will come back from the years that they were here in our school. And it's just so nice to see people that you don't get to see very often," added McClelland.

This afternoon's ceremony was open to the public and served as the capstone event to a week's worth of Christmas celebrations, referred to as 'Crusader Christmas.'

Notre Dame's commitment to service falls in line with their affiliation with the Sisters of Mercy and the Mercy Foundation. This commitment has helped the tradition grow over the last 70 years.