Live Nativity first for cathedral

PATERSON  After the sun went down on Dec. 23, spotlights went up on high drama like the faith community of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here had never experienced before: a big production of a Live Nativity on the grounds of the Mother Church of the Diocese in the heart of the City of Paterson. All the elements of this first-ever production — live actors and animals, music and reflections, period sets and costumes and a Star of Bethlehem high up on a flagpole — pointed the 300 onlookers to the most important reason for the Christmas season: the birth of the Christ Child and his invitation to us to have a loving relationship with him.

After the 7 p.m. Mass two nights before Christmas, parishioners of St. John’s mounted the elaborate Live Nativity with 17 actors from its parish on the corner of Main and DeGrasse streets on a side of the neo-Gothic cathedral. Under bright spotlights, the actors portrayed three short scenes: two of the Holy Family being refused lodging and one of them being offered space in a manger, followed by Jesus’ birth, the announcement to the shepherds and arrival of them and the Wise Men. Each scene was accompanied by short reflections in English and Spanish by Msgr. Geno Sylva, St. John’s rector. He noted that Jesus came as a meek child to invite us into an intimate relationship with him and that he is available to us each week at Mass to give us strength and joy in our faith journey.

“The Live Nativity was a success. The people loved it. It brought together the English- and Spanish-speakers of our faith community to celebrate the birth of Christ in downtown Paterson,” said Msgr. Sylva, who also serves as diocesan vicar for special projects. The rector credited Father Luis Alberto Hernandez, one of St. John’s parochial vicars, for devising the Nativity and spending two weeks to organize the production with the help of an army of volunteers from inside and outside the cathedral faith community, including St. John’s Knights of Columbus Council. “Father Luis, a talented young priest, demonstrated his creativity. This was a way for our parishioners to experience something that they would not normally experience. This Christmas, we started a new tradition here at St. John’s Cathedral,” Msgr. Sylva said.

That night, the children here delighted in seeing live animals, such as the donkey that brought the Blessed Virgin Mary, pregnant with Jesus, to Bethlehem, along with goats, calves, sheep and alpacas — a rare sight in Paterson. In the first scene, Mary, dressed in white and blue robes and played by Genesis Balarezo, and Joseph, dressed in brown robes and played by Hugo Castro, knocked on the door of an innkeeper, who told them, “There is no room here. Get out of here!” In the next scene, the couple knocked on the door of another innkeeper, who also refuses them, although more politely.

In the final scene, they secure lodging in a full-size manger, the site of the birth of Jesus, represented by a doll in Mary’s arms. Then, the spotlights were extinguished, leaving a light only on the star high up on a flagpole. The angel announces the birth, prompting the shepherds and Wise Men to make their way to the manger. Jessica Mattiace, St. John’s music director, led and accompanied the Spanish choir and children’s choir on keyboard in performing songs that set the scene, such as “Burrito Sabanero,” or “The Little Savannah Donkey,” and “Away in a Manger.”

In organizing and directing the production, Father Hernandez said he had intended to highlight the role of Joseph in St. John’s Nativity story.

“Joseph is so important. He went from place to place, knocking on doors. It must have been hard for him when people said that they did not have anything for the Holy Family. He is always there for Mary and Jesus and serves as a model of a husband and father,” said Father Hernandez, who fondly recalled attending live Nativity plays as a child in his native Colombia. As a seminarian there, he put together a live Nativity in 2006. Of the Nativity at St. John’s, the priest said, “The people were so happy. It was a nice night — the weather was warm. It brought the people a step closer to heaven.”

For the first scene, Msgr. Sylva said in his reflection that God “came as a child for one special reason: so that he…could ask us for our love…It is by loving our God as a child that we learn to enter his will, thoughts, and feelings.” For the second scene, he noted that the “manger becomes a symbol of the altar, on which lies the bread, which is Christ himself” — “the true food for the nourishment of our hearts.” For the final scene, the rector said that, like the shepherds, “We are to set out in our hearts to discover this child and to let him be our strength and our hope. It is a journey that will bring us to what we long for most in life — joy!”

The Live Nativity event ended with a sing-along with the crowd, led by the parish choirs and Mattiace. Then, the children delighted in petting and feeding the animals. Everyone enjoyed hot chocolate and foods from Latin countries, such as Bumuela, cheesy bread, during fellowship in the Rodimer Center next to the cathedral.

The Nativity event continues the initiatives being introduced at St. John’s under Msgr. Sylva’s leadership. The cathedral also established its first-ever Knights council; started From Mercy to Hope, a new social services outreach; is currently renovating the Rodimer Center; and preparing to begin construction on its Catechetical and Educational Building next year, the rector said.

Fresh from playing the role of Joseph, Castro, a 22-year-old paralegal in New York City, called it “a humbling experience.”

“We always hear about the Nativity: a beautiful moment in our history and a tenet of our faith. I have better appreciation of Joseph, who plays a big part — maybe not as big as the Virgin Mary — in the story,” said Castro, who had some acting experience in high school drama club. “In the Bible, not a lot is known about Joseph but he supported Mary physically and emotionally. He stuck around even though the Child Jesus was not his biologically,” he said.