Small and simple defines the Advent and Christmas season at Holy Family Parish in Blakely, Georgia. “We are a very small minority in Blakely – 44 families make up the parish. A lot of people don’t know we’re here and we try to find ways to put ourselves on the map. Our live Christmas Nativity scene is one of the ways we do this,” says Deacon Scott Watford who has ministered at Holy Family since 2020.
For the last two years, the parish religious education program has featured a live Nativity set in front of the church on Christmas Eve. Parish children don costumes representing Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds. “The kids look forward to being part of the Nativity and take turns so it’s not the same person portraying the same character each year. Parishioners build the stable. It’s a community effort. Right now there is an effort to procure a donkey and some live animals for the Nativity scene,” Deacon Scott continues.
The parish advertises the event in the local newspaper, on the city hall’s electronic marquee, and it distributes flyers. “We have hot chocolate and cookies inside the church for anyone wanting to stop by. It’s a small church, but when people come inside and ask questions, we give them a tour of the church if they want. It’s a chance to talk about their questions, evangelize a little. It’s very low key. We try to be welcoming and provide some hospitality. It’s a way to interact with the community during Advent and Christmas,” the deacon explains.
Inside the church parishioners decorate a Christmas tree, add wreaths, and set up a crèche. Special ornaments featuring pictures of the children adorn the Christmas Tree. The ornaments come in different shapes — circles, squares, triangles — with the image of the child at the center. After Christmas the children get to take the ornaments home to hang on their own trees.
Holy Family Parish is composed of Vietnamese families, Indian families, transplants from other parts of the US, and one family of converts from southwest Georgia. “The diversity is amazing. We don’t have the numbers to host large celebrations but it’s a very family-oriented parish and that’s certainly true at Christmas,” notes Deacon Scott.
During Advent, the parish has occasionally held Bible studies. “We’re always looking for new ideas and we try to do a little bit more each year.”
Deacon Scott finds it rewarding “to have people know we’re here and what we’re about. A lot of the attitude that is presumed to be anti-Catholic, I don’t think really is. When people who’ve never been in a Catholic Church before come and meet us, they find Catholics are just people like everybody else. We believe in the same things about Jesus and want to be good neighbors.”
– Mary Ellen Pellegrini
