Christmas 2010
Fr. Georges Bouchaaya and sacristan Bob Stolar discuss preparations for mass
Posted on 12/08/2011 2:13:17 PM PST by NYer
As many of you already know, the parish church burned to the ground back in the 60's. The small parish lacked sufficient funds to rebuild. Instead, they raised enough money to convert an outdoor shrine into a new place of worship, slapping up some walls and raising a roof. That structure has served as their place of worship ever since, requiring renovations over the course of time to install air conditioning and, more recently, renovate the interior, following a freak ice storm that perforated the roof and flooded the church.
Despite the small church, the 60 family community approach Christmas with the same great enthusiasm as large parishes. The arrival of a young new pastor from Lebanon has resulted in the introduction of more traditional Lebanese decorations. One of the young parents constructed an elaborate nativity scene last year.
Christmas 2010
Fr. Georges Bouchaaya and sacristan Bob Stolar discuss preparations for mass
You will notice the nativity is stationed in front of the altar and the sanctuary is decorated in a typically festive manner. This year, the same young man has taken this scene to a new level. Last Sunday, when we arrived at church, we were greeted with this amazing scene.
Christmas 2011
He calls this a work in progress and claims it is nothing compared to what one finds in the churches of his homeland. The entire structure, including the wall covering is made from paper mache. With time, he hopes to replace the small houses used to decorate the scene with others more in proportion and complementary in design to those of the Holy Land, 2000 years ago.
Just wanted to share his work with my friends here on FR. Hope you enjoy the artistry of Michel and Cathy Boutros.
Advent ping!
A visual way of teaching the Advent/Christmas timeline.
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