Blessing of Creche
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
Students in St. Leo the Great School, Lincroft, were invited to bring statues of the infant Jesus to be blessed during the school-wide prayer service held Dec. 12. The statues, such as the one that fourth-grader, Caroline Dnistrian is holding in this picture, were blessed by Father John Folchetti, pastor of St. Leo the Great Parish. At the behest of Father Folchetti, the school has begun holding monthly prayer services as a way to help enhance an environment of spirituality in which the students learn. Father Folchetti chose to have the December prayer service and blessing of the crèches on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and to highlight Mary’s unique role in God’s eternal plan of salvation as the instrument through whom his son would come into the world. The tradition of displaying a crèche, or nativity scene, dates back to 1223 when St. Francis of Assisi assembled the first live nativity scene to enable Christians to have a better understanding of all that occurred on the very first Christmas. At the time, St. Francis used a wax figure of the infant Jesus, and had people, who were dressed in costumes, portray the roles of Mary and Joseph. Francis’ friend, John Velita, loaned him a donkey and an ox to complete the scene. Photo courtesy of Rosemary Daniels, St. Leo the Great School
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Students in St. Leo the Great School, Lincroft, were invited to bring statues of the infant Jesus to be blessed during the school-wide prayer service held Dec. 12. The statues, such as the one that fourth-grader, Caroline Dnistrian is holding in this picture, were blessed by Father John Folchetti, pastor of St. Leo the Great Parish. At the behest of Father Folchetti, the school has begun holding monthly prayer services as a way to help enhance an environment of spirituality in which the students learn. Father Folchetti chose to have the December prayer service and blessing of the crèches on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and to highlight Mary’s unique role in God’s eternal plan of salvation as the instrument through whom his son would come into the world. The tradition of displaying a crèche, or nativity scene, dates back to 1223 when St. Francis of Assisi assembled the first live nativity scene to enable Christians to have a better understanding of all that occurred on the very first Christmas. At the time, St. Francis used a wax figure of the infant Jesus, and had people, who were dressed in costumes, portray the roles of Mary and Joseph. Francis’ friend, John Velita, loaned him a donkey and an ox to complete the scene. Photo courtesy of Rosemary Daniels, St. Leo the Great School
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