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Institute for Pastoral Initiatives News

Beautiful Religious Imagination

By John LeComte

Those revered words are from one of my co-workers here at the Institute for Pastoral Initiatives.  Indeed we are so excited to see thirty elaborate nativity scenes displayed here at Curran Place (Starting November 20). The nativities are available on loan through the University's Marian Library, so we asked if we could showcase a portion of this incredible collection.

"The opportunity to display Crèches at Curran Place enables the University to bring artistic beauty from around the world into our public forum," says Sister Angela Ann Zukowski, MHSH, D.Min., Director of the Institute for Pastoral Initiatives. "This really stimulates the religious imagination during the Advent and Christmas Season." 

One of the 30 Crèches you'll see at Curran Place is an M.I. Hummel (Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel) creation.  Its value is listed at $2,000 and is described as a "posthumous tribute to the humble artistic genius of a religious sister who wanted people to look at holy figures with children's eyes and behold them with a child's heart. Her porcelain creations are like a passport to paradise lost, for a time at least." (See photo in gallery below.)

Dating back to 1994, the Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute began an earnest effort to collect various contemporary cultural expressions of the nativity scene.  

According to Michele Devitt, Curatorial Assistant & Volunteer Coordinator at the Marian Library, other Crèches are  spending Christmas in Indiana, Illinois, and Connecticut.   

"Over 6,000 volunteer hours are spent on maintaining the crèches," says Devitt.  "Most of the volunteers are retired professionals who are here weekly, year round. They do it all, including setting up the fragile sets in the cases, also cleaning, repairs and packing."

The university hires a piano moving company for delivery, then the volunteers handle set-up.

To date, the collection holds more than 3,500 crèches from many parts of the world, and some of them are on permanent display in the Marian Library's Crèche Museum.  

With more than 100 countries represented, these crèches convey how Christianity has shaped the culture and faith of people all over the world. The Marian Library uses its crèches to promote the study of culture and religion,

In the coming weeks visit the lobby and first floor of Curran Place at 1700 South Patterson Blvd.  Give yourself a break to view and contemplate our Christian Story during this Holy Christmas Season.

Visit the seventh floor of Roesch Library to see more nativities. There are hundreds currently exhibited in the At the Manager display.

We'd like to thank the Marian Library staff and volunteers, the Office of Special Programs/Continuing Education, UDRI, the MBA Program, The Center for Leadership, and the International Marian Research Institute for their support.  All were instrumental in bringing the crèches to Curran Place.

This reminder to alumni, faculty and staff; our next  cycle of online classes begins January 20. Visit VLCFF.Udayton.edu

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