DOUGLAS, Mich. — It’s not uncommon to see nativity scenes at churches during the holiday season, but St. Peter Catholic Church in Douglas took the tradition a step further.
The church has 50 scenes on display, showing nativities from across the globe. It’s called Little Towns of Bethlehem: Many Cultures, One Christmas. This is the exhibit’s inaugural year.
“You can recognize it and it speaks to the one Christmas we are celebrating: the birth of our Lord,” says Parishioner Beth Huffman. “We are celebrating the incarnation of God here on Earth, and that is a story that is told around the world this time of year.”
Father Evelio Ramírez, the church’s new priest, was the one who came up with the idea. Most of the nativity scenes were given to him, but he thought it would be beneficial to show everyone how the story of Jesus’s birth is told in different cultures.
“I found that Christmas is everywhere,” says Ramírez, “and I really love our logo for the group from the Catholic church called the Knights of Columbus, the ‘keep Christ in Christmas,’ that Christmas is around the world.”
The event is free and runs through Dec. 17.
