Loading...Inspired by a western Kentucky parish, members of Calvary Episcopal Church brought together a collection of creches and the owners' personal stories for a exhibition on Sunday, January 23.
The idea was borrowed from a story in the diocesan newspaper a couple of years ago about the Nativity display at Trinity Church in Fulton. Calvary's exhibition included 16 family creches and seven that were given over the years by members to the church school children, including one from Paraguay that folded in to a small box.
One of the best things about the creches were the stories that were shared. One creche was part of a family tradition in which newlyweds received a gift of the Holy Family for their first Christmas and additional pieces were given each following. The creche, pictured, was accompanied by a hand decorated cloth made by the father-in-law. Another family creche was hand painted by a Calvary member 36 years ago and included magnificent camels and the Three Kings.
Creches came from around the world. A Quechua Nativity from Peru had jaguars keeping watch over the Holy Family. It was acquired on a trip when the owners were stranded for two days due to a transportation strike. A creche from Aix-en-Provence, France, was acquired by a member during her college days. The "santons' (little saints) were hand painted and the entire nativity was less than six square inches in size.
Also on display were a creche from Italy with a young girl selling pizza, a hand-carved one from Ecuador, and one from Israel carved from an olive tree near the place of Jesus' birth. It was acquired by a member's mother during her 86 years of travel. Others included ornaments from Passau, Vienna, Rome and other European cities, and one family creche that is more than 50 years old had a music box that still played.
