Greensburg monastery to open Nativity scene collection display to public

The Nativity scene collection at St. Emma Monastery is so large, so diverse and fills so many rooms, it is easy to lose track of the simple story they tell.

“Jesus became human, so every country, every nationality, sees Jesus as one of them. These Nativities represent different cultures because Jesus came to be human and loves each one of us,” said Mother Mary Anne Noll, prioress of the Benedictine women’s monastery.

Each year during Advent, the Greensburg monastery tells that story by putting more than 300 Nativity scenes on display for the public to see. This year’s Visit & Vespers event is scheduled for 1 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, followed by carols at 3:30 and Vespers at 4. It is free to attend.

The tradition goes back to the mid-1960s, when Sister Walburga Fruth started displaying Nativity scenes she purchased with savings from her job at Saint Vincent Archabbey, Seminary and College. The practice of an annual display grew in the 1970s as the monastery started acquiring more Nativity scenes as donations — scenes of all sizes, styles and materials, representing countries from all over the world.

“We get wonderful sets because we have a flea market and the Christmas shop, so we always get first dibs on whatever is brought in,” Noll said.

The scenes that visitors will see come from Italy, Poland, Germany, Mexico, the Philippines, Haiti, Peru, Ecuador, Tanzania, South Africa, the Holy Land, Brazil, Cyprus, Guatemala, Nigeria, France and beyond.

Noll relishes the fact many were made in China, an officially atheist country.

Scenes range in size from tiny
to big enough for a lawn display.
Materials include ceramic, porcelain, clay, wood, mother of pearl, plastic, cornhusks, bamboo, shell, metal, coconut and wax.

“So many of them are special,” Noll said.

One that stands out for her is a “special needs” Lladro Nativity scene handmade in Spain. “We all have special needs,” she said. “The most special need we have is to love and be loved.”

Noll also is struck by the Nativity scene on display in the Cor Jesu Chapel, especially the “tender” faces of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and the wise men.

“They’re the faces of people caught up in adoration and awe and something beyond them,” she said.

Stephen Huba is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Stephen at 724-850-1280, shuba@tribweb.com or via Twitter @shuba_trib.