photo:Aleteia Young parishioners in Co. Wexford will be given a unique Christmas gift at Masses on Sunday December 15 in Glynn and Barntown.
Each child will receive an olive wood Christmas decoration for their Christmas tree at home – a decoration from Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ which was blessed at the original manger in early October.
It marks Bambinelli Sunday – a Sunday where the children of the parish are invited to bring along the baby Jesus from their homes for a special blessing at the 10 am Glynn or the 11.15 am Barntown Masses. Local parish priest Fr John Carroll said that “this annual event is one that children readily understand and appreciate, a gathering that has great following among children and adults alike.”
Manger scene
He said that “the manger scene has all the key elements of life – the darkness of the sky which signifies human suffering and pain; the manger house itself which is in need of repair as is fallen humanity and a broken world; the straw and the animals, a humble abode where the poor feel at home and at ease; loving parents – the bedrock of all family life; the child Jesus Himself – the God of surprises who lives among us humbly and who begins his earthly life as we do -– with milk from his mother, with sleep and with smiles, with cries and with play”.