Chiara Center is set to present its Franciscan Nativity Festival, a display of more than 100 Nativity sets, Dec. 4 from 2-7 p.m., and Dec. 5-6 from noon-4 p.m. The event is held annually at Chiara Center, 4875 LaVerna Road, Springfield on the grounds of St. Francis Convent, the home of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis.

The festival, which is free and open to the public, includes new entries each year. Among the entries is a Nativity set purchased 40 years ago at Templegate, a Springfield Catholic supply store owned by Hugh M. Garvey from 1947-80. According to PJ Staab, president of Staab Funeral Homes, Springfield, "My Aunt Marie Staab loved to shop for collectables and purchased inspirational works of art, although suffering for 12 years from multiple myeloma, for the Staab Funeral Home, Springfield. During these years she had a steady stream of letters and phone calls to her sources about art not only within the United States but other countries as well.

"Aunt Marie also loved a sale and purchased a 16-piece Hummel Nativity set on Dec. 26, 1975 for $1,250 from Templegate and displayed six of the figurines in the north parlor of the Staab Funeral Home for a number of years until her death in June 1983."

In April 1985, this Hummel Nativity set was given as a wedding gift to PJ and Ruth Staab on behalf of Marie, who had often presented newlyweds in her family with a Nativity set to honor their new lives together, explained Ruth. That display has been on display in their living room annually since 1985. "I set it up on the mantle every year," said Ruth, who knows where to place each piece so they fit just right. She said just as some people now take photographs to remember from year to year what looks best when decorating for a holiday, Marie Staab kept notes.

"In keeping with the tradition of Aunt Marie, we kept the notes she so meticulously saved of all the purchases she made, including notes about this Nativity with its cost and instructions on how it should be displayed," PJ Staab said. "In this way the future generations would be able to keep her memory alive and be inspired by all that Aunt Marie could do despite her suffering … ."

Taken from writings about the Hummel industry, the series of porcelain figures are based on the drawings of Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel, OSF (1909-46), a member of the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Siessen in Bad Saulgau, Germany that began to appear in the 1930s in Germany and Switzerland and were mostly pastoral drawings of children. The Swiss art publisher Ars Sacra was involved in the early popularization of the art on postcards. Hummel's art cards became popular throughout Germany and Franz Goebel, porcelain maker and head of W. Goebel Porzellanfabrik, acquired the rights to turn Sister Innocentia's drawings into figurines, producing the first line in 1935.

Goebel was one of many mid-size porcelain firms competing in the United States market and his skill for marketing caused the figurines to become popular in the U.S. during the 1930s. The base for the popularity was among German immigrants on the East Coast and after the end of World War II, Hummel figurines grew as American soldiers stationed in West Germany began sending the figurines home as gifts.

"History tells us that the tradition we know of Nativity displays in our homes and churches began in 1223 with St. Francis of Assisi in Greccio, Italy. Throughout the centuries, Christians worldwide have interpreted Christ's birth in unique ways and therefore we see the internationality and individuality expressed in this moment when God became man," said Brian Blasco, director of Communications and provincial archivist. "This festival has become a holiday tradition for individuals and families throughout central Illinois who seek ways of enhancing their observance of Advent and Christmas."

Founded in 2007, Chiara Center is a ministry of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis and 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.