This year, our chapel was adorned with a new crib, carefully crafted by Father Guillaume and Brother Rafael. Their patient, discreet and fraternal work has given our place of prayer a renewed look as the Nativity approaches. We would like to thank them warmly for this service to the faith community of our sanctuary: through their commitment, they help us to enter more fully into the mystery of God’s presence at the heart of our daily lives.
An ancient tradition, still alive today
The Christmas crib originated in the XIIIᵉ century, when St. Francis of Assisi, in 1223, organized a living representation of the Nativity in Greccio. Francis wanted to enable the people to contemplate
Even today, setting up a crib is a way of remembering that night in Bethlehem, when God chose poverty, simplicity and fragility to reveal Himself.
A spiritual message for all of us
The crib is not a decoration: it’s a place for contemplation. Each character says something about the Christian mystery:
- The Infant Jesus, lying in the manger, reminds us that the Lord gives himself as food and comes to dwell in our poverty.
- Mary, a silent and trusting presence, welcomes the Word and keeps it in her heart.
- Joseph, the faithful guardian, embodies protection, obedience and availability.
- The shepherds, the first witnesses, remind us that the Gospel is first and foremost for the simple and the poor.
- The angels, messengers of divine joy, still proclaim today, “Glory to God in the highest!”
- The Magi, on the move from afar, symbolize God’s universal quest and the offering of our talents.
The crib we contemplate in our chapel is therefore a spiritual invitation: to go back to basics, to watch God draw near, to entrust our families, our missions and those we serve to the light of the Nativity.
This crib becomes a path of hope for each and every one of us in this Advent season. May this fraternal work accompany us towards Christmas, in peace, simplicity and the joy of the Coming One.
