During their Winter General Meeting in Maynooth, bishops offered prayers of thanksgiving as 2023 marks the 800th anniversary of Saint Francis of Assisi constructing the first Christmas crèche in a cave in Greccio, Italy. To mark this special annivesary in our faith history, bishops invite everyone to share a picture, or video, of their crib whether it is at home or in the workplace, along with a message.
As every crib has its own story, sharing Christmas memories of the crib would provide inspiration to many people during this season of goodwill and celebration for Christian families. To help spread the spirit of Christmas, why dont you tag us in your crib post on: Facebook at Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference; Instagram on @catholicbishops; and, X/Twitter on @CatholicNewsIRL.
Bishops reiterated Pope Francis’ words that a key message of the Nativity scene is that the mystery of Christmas ‘loves to hide within what is infinitely small … [the Nativity] is like a living Gospel overflowing from the pages of Holy Scripture’.
The above picture of the Nativity crib is from the archive of the Catholic Communications Office.
You can read the full statement of the Bishops’ Winter 2023 General Meeting here
ENDS
