Creche Festival at Mepkin Abbey

Sr. Mary Remedios is going back to the Philippine Islands on Monday. We will miss her as she has endeared herself to our community with her joyous spirit and indefatigable generosity! She is also a graceful dancer and for Sr. Mary Martin's feast day performed a meditative dance for us at recreation.

Sister has a friend at Mepkin Abbey and recently she received their newly released "Nativity" a DVD about their over 500 crèche collection. Since Sister is taking the DVD with her back to the Philippines we did the unheard of thing (for us). Tonight for recreation we watched it INSTEAD of waiting until Christmastide. Unheard of because we have a real, full, all-embracing Advent and the Christmas decorations go up during the 4th week of Advent only because it would be impossible to do it all on Christmas Eve. (Later, we'll tell you how "quiet" the last week of Advent is in the monastery!)

I thought that this DVD would be the usual boring commentary but in fact it was not only delightful but had substance. Could it be because Fr. Paul Philibert, one of our Dominican Friars did most of the commentary? Nah!

We highly recommend that you purchase this DVD from Mepkin Abbey. The presentation of the many nativity scenes—from the tradtional crèche and praesepio to African, Mexican and Indian and modern renditions—strikingly conveys the message of the Son of God becoming man for our redemption and how each age and each culture has embraced this message of salvation. Come, Lord, Jesus!