Officials at a Catholic church near Boston are refusing to modify their Nativity scene where figurines of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus are missing, defying an order from the Archdiocese of Boston. A sign reading ICE WAS HERE explains their absence by raids by immigration agents in the region, a criticism of Donald Trump’s policies.
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The nativity scene, located outside St. Susanna Parish Church in Dedham, Massachusetts, features traditional shepherds, sheep and wise men gathered around a hay-filled manger. The Child, Jesus, Mary and Joseph are conspicuous by their absence.
“The Holy Family is safe in the sanctuary of our church,” adds a small note inside the nativity scene, which is protected by a plastic screen.
“If you see ICE, please call LUCE,” it reads with the telephone number of this immigrant advocacy group where the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Massachusetts can be reported.
In September, ICE launched a massive arrest campaign in the Boston area, as in other major cities.
Speaking to the media on Monday evening outside the church, Father Stephen Josoma said the aim of the nativity scene was to “spark dialogue” and not to provoke. But, he added, “the fact that some do not agree (…) does not make it sacrilege”.
Parish officials will meet with the archdiocese before making a final decision on the nursery, he said.
Order of the archdiocese
On Friday, the Archdiocese of Boston ordered the parish to remove the signs from its nursery: “The faithful have the right to genuine opportunities for prayer and Catholic worship rather than divisive political messages,” the archdiocese said in a statement. The archdiocese also recalled that the Church prohibits “the use of sacred objects for purposes other than the devotion of the people of God”.
On Saturday, Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, also criticized the daycare, calling it in the Boston Herald of “absolutely disgusting”. According to him, it is part of a “dangerous discourse” which would be responsible for an outbreak of attacks against ICE agents.
In the parish and elsewhere in Dedham, some are surprised by the archdiocese’s order, which came a month after a near-unanimous statement by U.S. Catholic bishops condemning the Trump administration’s heavy-handed immigration methods.
PHOTO BRIAN SNYDER, REUTERS
The nativity scene at St. Susanna Church, above, is not its first non-traditional take on the Nativity. In 2018, she represented the Child Jesus in a cage, at the time when children of arrested migrants were separated from their parents.
“We are saddened by the state of the current debate and the demonization of immigrants,” the bishops wrote in November, saying they were “concerned about conditions in detention centers and the lack of pastoral support. We deplore that some immigrants to the United States have arbitrarily lost their legal status.”
Climate change
The nativity scene at St. Susanna Church, on a busy street in an affluent Boston suburb, is not its first nontraditional take on the Nativity.
That of 2018 also sparked controversy: it depicted the Child Jesus in a cage, a scene which, according to Church leaders, reflected the current immigration policy. In 2019, the parish addressed climate change, showing some figures in waist-deep water.
Other politically themed Christmas nativity scenes have been popping up across the country this year. Thus, a church in Evanston, Illinois, depicts the Child Jesus with his hands bound by plastic ties. Near Chicago, Mary, Joseph and Jesus are absent; much like in Dedham, a sign states that “due to ICE activity in our community, the Holy Family is in hiding.”
In Massachusetts, Catholics are generally more liberal than in other areas, and St. Susanna Parish has gained much support.
On its Facebook page, reactions to the crèche are mixed. Some thank the parish for “speaking truth to power,” but others judge it harshly. “The devil has infiltrated the church,” said one.
“What a shame to parody the birth of Christ in this way,” wrote one observer.
“You are on the right side of history,” replied another.
“I wish I lived close enough to this church to attend it,” lamented one woman.
Elizabeth Doris-Gustin, 67, a longtime neighbor of the parish and member of an Episcopal church, says she and many of her neighbors look forward to the Christmas nativity scenes at St. Susanna Church each year.
“We may not agree with everything, but it makes you think,” she said. I wish more churches had the same boldness. »
She hopes that the parish will keep its 2025 nativity scene: “I will pray that they keep it. »
This article was published in the New York Times.
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