Christmas pageant shows Nativity through the eyes of children
The Three Wise Men at the Nativity at St. Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic Church looked a lot younger than the Bible made them seem to be. In fact, every member of the live Nativity cast was played by a child on Christmas Eve at the church.
Herb Nichol, a member of the church’s pastoral council, said Sunday, Dec. 24, the Christmas pageant is a decadeslong tradition.
“Many of the folks who are showing up now with children, they were in it when they were children,” Nichol said. “It's a long-standing tradition in our church.”
The pageant preceded a regular Christmas Eve Mass at the church. The Nativity featured children ages 4 to around 13, and all most of the cast had to do was follow the narration of an eighth-grade student, who read the story of Christmas for the show.
According to Nichol, the children have only one rehearsal for the live Nativity before they do the real thing. He said most of them enjoy getting to be in the show, and learn from the older children who have done it before.
“Because we are using narration, because we are using music, if the children listen to the narrator and remember the directions that I have given them, they tend to remember and know what to do,” Nichol said. “It kind of just naturally comes together. It’s very simple.”
Kamryn Martin, 14, of Butler, has narrated the show for a few years now. She said she enjoys overseeing the Nativity story and likes being a leader for children younger than herself who are in the pageant.
Kinsley Thompson, 9, of Butler, played Mary this year, after being an angel for several years before. She said she liked being a part of the pageant, which is what brought her back to do it again this year.
“I like to do the stuff,” Kinsley said.
Parents and other churchgoers crowded around the Nativity set to watch the short production Sunday afternoon. Nichol said churchgoers come early before the 4:30 p.m. Mass to watch the live Nativity because they enjoy seeing the scene played out by children.
“We recount the birth of Jesus, and it’s done through a child's eyes,” Nichol said. “This allows us to bring the story home to the younger kids, so they know what the meaning is, what the reason for the season is.”
