Joyful children of all ages tell about Jesus’ birth

By Tanya Connor | The Catholic Free Press
 
SOUTHBOROUGH – The traditional, not-quite-traditional Christmas pageant at St. Anne Parish excites children, delights their families and inspires the man who plays St. Nicholas. 
After the Lord’s Day vigil Mass Saturday, people filled the church hall for a meal and pageant.
Carmine Cerna, 7, said it was “fun” being an elf; he liked the boots he got to wear. He was also a Wise Man and was one of six cousins in his family with roles in the pageant, in which an angel tells the elves about saints and introduces them to St. Nicholas, the original Santa Claus.
“Here comes Santa Claus” the audience sang, as the Bishop of Myra (St. Nicholas) came among them. 
St. Nicholas then read the story of Jesus – from the Annunciation to his birth – as children acted out different scenes. A candle-crowned St. Lucy narrated.
Audience members participated by refusing Mary and Joseph lodging, one let them use his “stable,” and musicians led everyone in singing Christmas carols.  
All were asked to stand for the Gospel reading from John 1, the prologue in which it is proclaimed, “The Word became flesh.” Rachelle Carmony, religious education director, said she added the prologue to the original pageant started by Monica Shay in 2018.
That touched James Garden, who plays St. Nicholas each year. He said he used to dress as St. Nicholas and tell about the saint during a Mass, taking over a role once played by parishioner Thomas Gittins.
“It was a little intimidating, but then I found out the kids” didn’t know St. Nicholas was the precursor of Santa Claus, and “I began to become more confident in my ability to tell the story,” he said.
When reading from John’s Gospel in the pageant now “I have to have an understanding of what it is I am proclaiming,” he said. He said he has heard the word of God repeatedly in his 80 years of life, but proclaiming it is different.
“I know it’s not just words. … It’s the revealed word of God and I’m being called to pay more attention,” he said.
Pageants also affect children and their families.  
Parishioner Nicole Cerna said she once acted in a pageant that told this same story at St. Anne Parish in Marlborough, now closed.
“I just remember doing it as a child and how fun it was,” she said. “The meaning of Christmas is proven when you participate in something like this.”
Saturday her children were in the Southborough pageant for the second time. 
“They talk about it all year, and how they can’t wait to participate again,” she said. 
Her daughter Camila, 10, who played an angel, said she likes performing.
“I lost my great-grandfather,” Camila said. “I know that he’s in the sky with God and Jesus, and I’m down here doing a play about Jesus. “
“We love this,” said Mrs. Cerna’s mother, Tina Thebado, there with her husband, Kris. “This is the best gift, seeing these kids on stage. It’s such a beautiful thing for them to know about Jesus in this way, through the play. … All my kids did it in first grade.” She liked that her grandchildren and others of all ages can participate.
Parishioners Daniel and Melissa Ball brought their daughter Mirabelle, 2. 
“Every time we finished singing, she said, ‘More,’” Mrs. Ball said. “We’re hoping she can start (being in the pageant) when she gets old enough.”
Roger Chengat said his daughter Magdalena, 7, was very excited to make her debut in a play. He’s from St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Church in Framingham, but attends weekday Mass at St. Anne’s.
Mrs. Shay, parish council chairwoman, said she found the pageant online, with no author or copyright, and adapted it for St. Anne’s in 2018 when she was religious education director. 
She figured it was a teaching moment to show that the story of Santa came from the real St. Nicholas. And having seen Mr. Garden play St. Nicholas around the saint’s feast day, she asked him to perform that role in the pageant.  
Mrs. Shay said she has a background in theater and wanted to involve the audience; she had actors walk through their midst and asked some to refuse the Holy Family lodging.
“The community enjoyed telling the story of Jesus’ birth together,” she said.
The pastor, Father Albert Irudayasamy, calls the pageant a “community building activity” through which children and families get to know each other and relive the Gospel.
“It’s not only (that) the adults can teach the children; children can also teach us,” he said. “Children do play a great role. ... They make us joyful.” 

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