Editor's Desk: The Creche Lady

By Michael F. Flach
^{HERALD Editor}

Rita Warren is at it again.

Best known for her continuing battle in Fairfax County, the Christmas creche champion has succeeded in placing her nativity scenes and menorahs at two new locations this year: New York’s City Hall and Boston’s State House.

The creche will be placed in Boston’s rotunda on Monday, Dec. 15, at noon. The New York creche will be placed on Thursday, Dec. 11, at 1 p.m.

Warren and Citizens of Fairfax County already have placed their Christmas creches at several local sites. The creche at Fairfax City Hall (at the intersection of Chain Bridge Road and Armstrong Street) will be on display from Dec. 18 at 10 a.m. through Dec. 26. Governor Allen’s office at the State House in Richmond will display a creche on Friday, Dec. 12, at noon. The Fairfax County Government Center building will house a creche on Friday, Dec. 19.

Finally, the creche at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., will be set up and removed daily on the East Steps (the side facing the Supreme Court) from Monday, Dec. 15, through Thursday, Dec. 25, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Setting up a creche, or Nativity scene, is a popular Christmas custom around the world. It is an ancient custom that was reportedly started by St. Francis of Assisi. According to one account, St. Francis visited Pope Honorius III in 1223 seeking approval for a Nativity scene. After the pope agreed, St. Francis went to a place south of Assisi named Greccio on Christmas Eve, where he grouped together images of Mary, Joseph, shepherds and animals around Jesus’ crib. As a result followers of St. Francis promoted the custom of setting up a creche and the tradition spread through Europe in the 14th century.

Warren is a native of Italy who lived in Boston prior to her arrival in Northern Virginia 13 years ago. She has been fighting for years to preserve the true meaning of Christmas in the public square. She recently received the St. Paul Award for Religious Freedom from the Natural Law Study Center.

One of Warren’s Christmas creches was seized last year by Fairfax County officials. She filed suit in Federal Court, not for monetary damages, but for the right to hold a public display. She contends these rights are afforded her by the First Amendment and the U.S. Supreme Court. She was defended in the case by attorney Victor Glasberg of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

In his opinion, Judge A.T. Ellis stated that Fairfax County is a public forum as outlined in the Supreme Court ruling. Warren said she is still awaiting Judge Ellis’ ruling in the case. She received a temporary restraining order to place the nativity scenes at the entrance to the Government Center.

Warren said she agrees with the ACLU position that Church and State should be separated. "We can’t turn the government into a church," she said. "We have churches to do that. I don’t want to turn the Capitol into a religious shrine. We already have a National Shrine."

Warren argues the Christmas creche display in a public forum is a First Amendment issue, and that’s where she is supported by the ACLU.

"The ACLU defends First Amendment rights," she said.

Christmas this year will be a little merrier in Fairfax County, New York, Boston and Washington, thanks to the hard work of Rita Warren.

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