Nativity display at St. Anthony Parish elicits a deeper meaning

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The Nativity set above belongs to Father Nathan McNally, OFM. Sister Connie Probst, OSF, of St. Anthony of Padua Food Pantry organized a Nativity set on display at the parish hall.

Sure, the parish hall contained a simple display of Nativity scenes.

The three dozen or so displays representing cultures from around the world held a much deeper meaning than just works of art that brought smiles to visitors' faces and pride to their owners.

And it was fitting that the display, set up last weekend, was in an urban parish staffed by Franciscans.

St. Francis of Assisi is credited with beginning the tradition in the year 1223 when he was visiting the Italian town of Grecio to celebrate Christmas.

The display at St. Anthony of Padua Church in south St. Louis, staffed by Franciscans, benefited the food pantry at the parish and helped raise awareness of its needs. The cribs were lent by friends and relatives of the pantry staff, Franciscan sisters, priests, brothers and secular Franciscans.

Sayings throughout the display helped illustrate the meaning. Viewers were urged to take their time to contemplate God's love in the cribs and to "let Jesus speak to your heart. Let Jesus share His love and oneness with you."

Franciscan Sister Connie Probst, director of the food pantry, said the display showed "God's great love for us dwells within us. ... God's great love sent Jesus to become one of us. We were not a second thought."

Franciscan Father Michael Fowler, pastor of the parish, agreed with Sister Connie that people get so caught up in consumerism that they forget the greatest gift of Christmas -- Jesus becoming human.

Sister Connie explained that each culture has a different way of portraying the Nativity. "Everybody has their own way of exhibiting how Jesus is born in their lives."

She pointed to a simple Nativity scene from Oregon made from pine cones and pine branches; a scene from Guatemala etched into a rock-like covering; one from Uganda made from banana leaves; a large display made by a woman from Russia; and others originating across the world.

One display was of a crib scene on a tablecloth. Another was on a puzzle. The scene was particularly appropriate, Sister Connie said, because "every puzzle piece of our lives births Jesus every day."

As one of the signs read: "We pray not to 'ascend' to God but to 'give birth to God,' to allow the image in which we are created to become visible. We pray to bear Christ anew."

The sponsor of the display, a food pantry operated by St. Anthony's Society of St. Vincent de Paul conference, seeks donations of food and other items as well as monetary contributions. For information call (314) 352-1460 or email stanthonyfp@att.net. Contributions can be sent to St. Anthony Food Pantry, 3140 Meramec St., St. Louis, MO 63118.