In the lead-up to the third annual living Nativity Dec. 3 at the Benedictine Living Community — Duluth continuum-of-care facility in Minnesota, the campus is abuzz with excitement.
Rev. Christine Sabol, a spiritual care director for the facility and the orchestrator of the production, is figuring out which residents and staff to cast for each of the dozen or so roles. The would-be actors are perusing the options in the costume closet. Sabol is scheduling the arrival of the animals, which are part of the Nativity and available before and after for petting, and inviting Duluth-area performers to share their talents as part of the event. Local singers are practicing the tunes they'll perform. And Benedictine Duluth is receiving light-a-bulb donations for the memorial tree it will light immediately before the living Nativity begins.
"I get a little nervous about the living Nativity," Sabol admits. "There are so many variables, and everyone has so many different capabilities. But I have to remind myself, if it's chaotic, oh well! It was chaotic the night Jesus was born. And, however the living Nativity at our campus unfolds, it will be real. And it will bring the Nativity to life, and that's the beauty."
An instant favorite
Sabol says the holiday event started small a couple of years ago and has taken on a life of its own.
Benedictine Duluth, which has independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, memory care, a day program and home health, took donations to purchase a ceramic manger scene about a decade ago, a set that remains a focal point today. People came to love the figures, and community members began visiting the campus to see the set. Having an influx of visitors inspired the campus to have a petting zoo one year, and a pet blessing another year.
As a former parish pastor, Sabol was familiar with living Nativities and mentioned the concept as a group of staff and residents were coming up with ideas of how to expand Benedictine Duluth's Christmas activities for the campus community and visiting guests. Staff and residents immediately embraced the idea and set plans in motion for the first Nativity.
Each year has been a little different, Sabol says, with a unique mix of staff, residents and community members pitching in and with varying logistical details. But the basic format has remained about the same: About a dozen residents and staff dress in period costume, playing the roles of the holy family; the wise ones, as they are called for this performance; and shepherds and angels. There is a reading of the Christmas story from Scripture and some spoken lines by the actors. Local performers carol or play tunes throughout the Nativity. And visitors can stop by the petting zoo before or after the performance. Some of the animals from the petting zoo are recruited into the living Nativity. No one can tell how cooperative those four-legged actors will be!
A community effort
Dozens at Benedictine Duluth and the surrounding community will pitch in to make the living Nativity special this year.
Plans call for hot chocolate, cookies and caroling in the facility's lobby, the lighting of the memorial tree, then a procession to Benedictine's circle drive to start the program. The actors and visitors will walk along the circle drive as the actors portray the Nativity story. Benedictine Duluth's new director of nursing will take on the role of Joseph. A staff member will play Mary as her 1-year-old plays Jesus. A resident from independent living who Sabol says was "the cutest little angel" last year will again don a halo. The facility's executive director, Brian Pattock, will play King Herod, having played Joseph last year. There's been some jostling for the role of camel wrangler. Last year, Sabol says, the camel stole the show, refusing to cooperate with the wrangler, a 6-foot-4 man who mistakenly thought he could easily maneuver the animal.
As Dec. 3 approached, the costume closet was bursting with garments donated by a local parish that was replacing the ones it had used for its living Nativity. Sabol made her own contribution, her great-great-great-grandmother's embroidered night gown, for an angel's dress. The maintenance crew was busy building a creche on wheels for easy maneuvering the night of the event.
A 'bright, happy mood'
The Benedictine Duluth campus is home to the Benedictine Sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery motherhouse as well as a college founded by the sisters and some corporate offices of the eldercare system. Janis Kivela Hooey, communications manager for Benedictine, says in prior years, staff and sisters from all those organizations have shown up to enjoy the living Nativity — last year, the sisters sang at the campus' entrance to welcome visitors.
"We were all outside — we all came, and there was this bright, happy mood, and it was very emotional as we were all reacting to the moment," she says.
Resident Viola Maas jokes that as an observer this year, she expects to keep tabs to make sure the production is historically accurate. If her daughter, who is on the Benedictine Duluth administrative team, repeats her role as donkey handler, Maas anticipates some hilarity if the animal shows its stubborn side.
Resident Ifiemi "Iffy" Ombu says she plans to portray one of the wise ones, and she says joining the reenactment will be a blessing.
She recalls that last year, she was very pleasantly surprised to run into a friend at the living Nativity. She wonders what fun serendipity will happen this year.
Hooey says, "the living Nativity is a great kickoff to the Christmas season."
