SFX students observe impressive Italian ‘Presepe’ in honor of 800th anniversary of the first Nativity scene
St. Francis Xavier (SFX) Catholic School students observed the impressive Italian-style “Presepe” (Nativity scene) displayed in the church vestibule after the Holy See granted a special plenary indulgence to the Diocese of Birmingham.
St. Francis of Assisi, himself a native of Italy, first reproduced the Nativity scene in 1223. Last month marked its 800th anniversary, which inspired the Holy See to grant the indulgence.
St. Luke describes the Nativity in the second chapter of his gospel:
“And [Mary] gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. The Shepherds and the Angels. In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.”
Italian Presepes customarily include various historical and contemporary figures and settings in a diorama along with the Holy Family, whereas other nativity scenes generally feature Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus alone.
The Presepe in the vestibule features rural villages, houses and shepherds as well as various workers and poor people.
Elisa Middea and her husband Gianfranco Bianco, St. Francis parishioners and parents of two SFX School students, helped create the Presepe along with Gianfranco Bianco, Stuart Pepke, Godelieve Bartolucci and Stergio Li Calzi. Elisa and Gianfranco both grew up in Italy, where Presepes are commonplace around Christmas.
Elisa and Gianfranco came to the church and shared with students the story of the Presepe.
Elisa said she and the other parishioners who worked on the Presepe used various materials including cardboard, foam clay, food materials and even moss gathered outside.
Elisa and Gianfranco made a Presepe last year, but this year’s Presepe is much larger, and Elisa said the new additions took about a month to construct. Their son Joseph, a St. Francis Kindergartener, helped them put it together.
Elisa explained how the first Nativity scene was designed to end fighting in the Holy Land by bringing the Holy Land to the home.
“God is everywhere,” she said. “He’s inside of us. He’s inside our hearts. We don’t have to go there and fight people and have war to have God close to us. We can recreate the night that Jesus was born in our house.”
St. Francis Xavier Catholic School is an accredited classical Catholic PreK-8 school in Birmingham’s Crestline neighborhood that uses the time-tested Catholic Intellectual Tradition to form students in virtue through the pursuit of academic excellence and service toward God and neighbor.
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