Father Matthew H. Zuberbueler had a vision, and St. Anthony
of Padua School in Falls Church made it a reality. The pastor of St. Anthony
came up with the idea a month ago and began explaining the concept to the
faculty. Then the students went to work.
Children of all ages colored segments of a large picture in their
classes. Eighth graders glued the pictures to carboard boxes and painted the
remaining sides white to resemble stone columns. Rope was strung between the
basketball hoops of the school gym. Large sheets of blue paper were dotted with
yellow stars. Everything was ready for the Bethlehem chapel.
During mid-morning Dec. 21, the St. Anthony community
gathered in the school gym, where unbeknownst to them, the pictures they had
colored, now glued to boxes, were scattered throughout the room. A few were
stacked in columns at the front of the gym.
Like a game show host, Father Zuberbueler picked students out of the bunch to carry boxes up to the front. With a little help from their classmates, they completed the puzzle, filling each space with the right box to reveal the whole picture — Bethlehem on Christmas night.
“Thank you, boys and girls, for helping put that together because it reminds us of something very important — we are all together able to build up God’s kingdom,” said Father Zuberbueler. “When Jesus came, it really is true that the world was in darkness and disorder and chaos, and Jesus came in the quietest way you can imagine.”
Students Allison Dunnegan and Damian Salazar help Josiah
Rose put a piece of the nativity scene into place. ZOEY MARAIST | CATHOLIC HERALD
Then, most of the school left as eighth graders and teachers
disassembled the wall, turning the boxes into individual columns. The starry
sheets of blue paper were flung over the ropes, becoming a canopy of stars. Father
Zuberbueler brought a small table, candles and a monstrance to the makeshift
chapel. Bethlehem wouldn’t be complete without Jesus.
Students then processed back into the now dimly lit gym,
ducking under the low door that led to the Bethlehem chapel. They heard the Christmas
story and sang hymns. After a time of silence before the Blessed Sacrament,
Father Zuberbueler led them in Benediction. Principal Nora Buçaj encouraged the
students to stay close to Christ during the Christmas break.
“We always talk about how we can build up the body of
Christ. Well, we built this Nativity scene together,” she said. “(As we leave school,)
we can use this opportunity to talk to Jesus. We can think, what can I do for
baby Jesus? How can I welcome Jesus into my heart?”
Caleb Forget prays in the makeshift Bethlehem chapel. ZOEY
MARAIST | CATHOLIC HERALD
