Chiara Center in Springfield will host the annual Franciscan Nativity Festival Dec. 6-8 at 4875 LaVerna Road, on the grounds of the motherhouse of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis. Specific dates and times for the festival, which is free and open to the public, are: Friday, Dec. 6 from 2-7 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 7 from noon-4 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 8 from noon-4 p.m.
The Nativity festival, which is the Hospital Sisters' gift to the community, is always presented in early Advent. It was first shared in 2007; the year Chiara Center was opened. The festival serves as a way to offer Franciscan hospitality and to educate the public about the long-standing tradition of the Nativity scene, which was initiated nearly 800 years ago by St. Francis of Assisi.
The festival will display more than 100 international Nativity sets. Additionally, visitors will be able to tour St. Francis of Assisi Church, the 1920s Romanesque church of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis. A large Nativity set, created by Helmut Bourger in the ceramic studio of Gregor Leechen in Germany, is on permanent display in the church. The figure of St. Francis, who had a great love for the Child Jesus, is included in that display.
"History tells us that the tradition recreating the birth of Christ at Bethlehem began in 1223 with St. Francis of Assisi in Greccio, Italy. Since that time, Christians have interpreted Christ's birth through their culture — thus we see the internationality and the individuality expressed in this moment when God became man," said Sister Renita Brummer, OSF, program director of the Chiara Center.
When the first Nativity scenes were enacted on Christmas Eve, there were no statues, only animals led in by Francis to a manger that he had built — along with people from the surrounding neighborhood who came to recognize God becoming flesh. It was at midnight when candles and torches were lit at Greccio, signifying the new life that came with the birth of Jesus.
Over the years thousands of people have come out for the Nativity festival at the Chiara Center; for some it has become an annual tradition. Because the display contains so many unique pieces, a program accompanies the Nativity scenes and it contains the story behind each entry, whether it was purchased, created or acquired, said Brian Blasco, director of communications for the Hospital Sisters.
The Chiara Center is an ecumenical faith community dedicated to the discovery and healing presence of God within one's self, everyday life, relationships and all creation. All programs, services and hospitality are grounded in the spirit and heritage of Francis and Clare of Assisi. For more information, visit www.chiaracenter.org or call (217) 523-0901.