Diocese of Montreal’s 2012 Christmas Pageant Project

Christmas pageants are not just opportunities to put sheep ears on some very adorable children. They are not nostalgia fieldtrips. They are not Sunday School showcases for visiting families with children. They are not an excuse to skip the sermon.

They are so much more.

Christmas pageants are live-action, full-colour proclamations of the Good News, an opportunity to throw our whole selves – body, voice, imagination – into the work of telling the incredible story of God’s love for the world and the remarkable gift of God’s Son.

In other words, Christmas pageants are what Christian life is supposed to be.

And when we fully embrace that life, we can’t help but grow – grow in faith, grow in community, grow in impact, and yes, maybe even in numbers.

So although Christmas pageants may seem very small, I really believe that they can be a sign of something much, much bigger. They are ministry action.

So gather your children but not only your children. Adults deserve to feel the fear and hope of Mary and Joseph, the wonder of the shepherds, the joy of the angels, too. And children deserve to see their adults enjoying this glorious story of our faith. And our communities need to know that we take this story seriously – that Christmas is not only for children. Because faith in Jesus is not only for children.

And Kidstuff, the diocesan committee on ministry for children, wants to help every parish take that action, no matter the size of your parish, mo matter the age of your congregation.

On Nov. 10th, there will be a Christmas Pageant Working Bee. Kidstuff will provide materials, patterns, and expertise. We provide the labour and the enthusiasm. And at the end of the day, everyone will go home with props and costumes and energy for this work.

Then, over the following weeks, every parish is encouraged to send photos and videos of your practices and pageants as evidence that every parish in this diocese is united in their passion for proclaiming the Gospel!

And those of you reading along from elsewhere are invited to join us! Many of us (though not all) will be using the Stories on the Way script and I will post patterns and ideas here as they come along. Your plans, as well as photos and videos can be sent to me through the ‘contact us’ page.