Crêche 2020

La Crèche - Nativity Scene - Holy Family Parish

Because the pandemic has prevented the community from celebrating Christmas inside the church, Father Baxter, the pastor and I, the artist, have created an outdoor scene in the hope that the nativity installation will display a message of LOVE, HOPE and PEACE to all passersby. Holy Family Community respects all faiths and all are welcome in this church. I have created other installations inside the church. Once the pandemic closure is over you are welcome to visit and or participate in the weekly Sunday liturgy at 10:30.

Thank you for stopping and taking the time to observe our creation.

Raynald Murphy, artist 

Parce que la pandémie nous préviens de célébrer Noël à l'intérièur, le curé Father Baxter et moi, l'artiste, avons crée cette installation de crêche afin d'apporter le message d'AMOUR, ESPOIR et PAIX à tous passants. Cette communauté respecte tous les religions. J'ai crée d'autres installations à l'intérièur. Vous êtes bienvenue de les visiter autant que participer à notre célébration les dimanches à 10h30 aussitôt que les portes vont ouvrir de nouveau.

Merci d'arrêter et d'admirer notre installation.

Raynald Murphy

raynaldvincentmurphy@gmail.com

facebook.com/raynald.murphy.7

A BIT OF HISTORY 

The installation constructed is a traditional artistic Christian Christmas display. The art form has several names, one of them is “crêche”, which seems to be a corruption of Italian 13th century town Grecio where the first installation was set up in 1223 at the request of St. Francis of Assisi.  The figure of the Newborn Baby Jesus rests on a bed of hay in a ‘manger’ (a feeding trough for animals). He lies between representations of his mother, Mary, and his adoptive father, Joseph, and there is one sheep representing the animals. The environment representation is of a natural cave utilized as an animal shelter once located at the edge of the ancient town of Bethlehem, a Palestinian town south of Jerusalem in the West Bank. An underground space, a grotto, forms the crypt of the 6th-century Church of the Nativity which fronts on the town’s Manger Square as does the 1860 Mosque of Omar.

This artistic installation is presented freely to the public in the spirit of Christmas Giving during this terrible wintertime, December 2020, when Montreal is in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is meant as a public service to offer a bit of spiritual comfort, artistic enjoyment, and historic education to the general public.

Cette installation est présenté gratuitement au publique dans l'esprit de partage durant la période des fêtes, surtout durant le confinement de la pandémie. Le but est d'offrir aux passants un peu de confort spirituel, d'appréciation artistique ainsi qu'un peu de faits historiques à propos de la tradition de la crêche. (Je recommande l'excellent livre de Dominique Trudeau JOYEUSES CRÈCHES éditions GID)

Merci de votre intérêt.