Something amazing happened in 1223 in the town of Greccio, Italy. After returning from the Holy Land, St. Francis of Assisi created the first crèche in a cave so that the town could adore the “Babe of Bethlehem,” as he referred to the baby Jesus.
In reflecting on the crèche, Servant of God Fr. Paul Wattson, SA, declared, “All ages have shown their love for this Divine Child, but nowhere is it seen more than in the Seraphic [Franciscan] Order, where it springs from the Christlike One of Assisi.” In his 1931 Midnight Mass sermon, Fr. Paul beautifully proclaimed, “That which distinguished this birth from any other that had taken place previously, or would take place in the years to come was that the Infant was God.”
The Atonement Friars carry on St. Francis’ and Fr. Paul’s adoration of the “Babe of Bethlehem” by displaying 150 crèches from all over the world. Each year, beautiful examples from Japan, Italy, Nigeria, and other countries are shared with visitors to Graymoor.
This year, they can be enjoyed from the first Sunday of Advent, Dec. 1, 2024, to the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, January 5, 2025, in the Piux X building. Each crèche is truly unique. Some are made of straw, wood, ceramic, stone, paper—even elk horn!
Advent is a season of hope, and it can prepare us for the 2025 Jubilee Year. The theme “Pilgrims of Hope” speaks to all of us as we keep our eyes fixed on Heaven and await our infant God, who comes to dwell among us.
Plan your visit to Graymoor this holiday season to see this wonderful free exhibit and celebrate the reason for the season: “The Word became flesh and lived among us” (John 1:14).
