Indonesian Cathedral Exhibits 100 Nativity Scenes

December 24, 2022241 views0

Indonesian Cathedral Exhibits 100 Nativity Scenes

2022-12-24T09:25:40+01:00

By Church News

A cathedral in Indonesia has kicked off the country’s first-ever exhibition showcasing 100 nativity scenes, as Christians resume public Christmas celebrations.

The 17-day event at Beatae Mariae Virginis Cathedral Church in Bogor in West Java province runs from Dec. 23 to Jan. 8.

The event takes inspiration from Pope Francis’ invitation to maintain the holy traditions of the Catholic Church as highlighted in his 2019 Apostolic Letter Admirabile Signum on the Meaning and Importance of the Nativity Scene, said Father Alfonsus Sombolinggi, coordinator of the exhibition.

The pope said, “As we contemplate this aspect of the nativity scene, we are called to reflect on the responsibility of every Christian to spread the Gospel” and “each of us is called to bear glad tidings to all, testifying by our practical works of mercy to the joy of knowing Jesus and his love.”Father Sombolinggi said the event aims to help people realize the significance of the birth of Jesus.“We want Catholic families to see this Christmas moment as a treasure for their children to have a better understanding of the birth of Jesus. We also want to make this Christmas a special moment for them,” the priest said.“How beautiful it is to see them coming to this exhibition altogether. How beautiful it is to see them all enjoying the Christmas joy together,” he added.The priest said Catholic individuals and families as well as Catholic school children took part in making the nativity scenes with various materials, such as used cardboard and cement.He continued, “The exhibition is the first of its kind in Indonesia and is open to all, It is open to followers of all other religions. It is religious tourism for all faithful. We invited the Bogor mayor, who is a Muslim.”Franciscan Bishop Paskalis Bruno Syukur of Bogor said the Catholic Church has maintained a tradition of making nativity scenes in order to help Catholics to deepen their faith about the birth of Jesus.“It is like a visualization of the incarnation mystery of God becoming a man,” he said.The bishop, the secretary-general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Indonesia, said the exhibition is a new way of evangelization.“Such visualization is a new creativity. We can see in this exhibition that participants use different materials to make the nativity scenes. Some make child Jesus statues according to their own cultures, for example, there are Javanese and Florinese child Jesus statues. This is a way of new evangelization,” he said.ALSO READ Turning Point Ministries to Release New Nativity Movie