This is our modern Canadian take on the nativity, the birth of Jesus.

For hundreds of years, people have been creating culturally specific nativity scenes. An African crèche looks different from one created in Japan, for example. 

In our scene, Joseph is African Canadian. His ancestors probably came to Canada through the Atlantic slave trade. Mary is a Mestizo woman. Like the sculptor herself, our Mary came to Canada as a refugee from Mexico. Mary is shown using a wheelchair. In classic art, Mary is often depicted on a donkey, because at nine months pregnant the body meets its limitations. Our Mary finds freedom of movement with her wheelchair. Together, this Holy Family seeks hospitality.

Will they find welcome in your heart this Christmas? 

At Windermere United we believe true welcome comes from sacred hospitality, the discovery that every single body is made in God’s image. Rather than privileging one skin colour, sexual orientation, gender, or ability over another, God delights in and works through us all. What we might call limitations, God often calls unique opportunities. 

The beloved community, which Jesus' followers called "the body of Christ," is made whole only when only when we see how 'every body,' just as it is, is made in the image of God.

This Christmas, may your breath catch at the beauty of God shining through every size, shape, colour, and manner of body you encounter. May we welcome the holiness within ourselves as we offer radically transformative hospitality to our neighbour. 

The Artist: Karina Gracia is a Mexican/Canadian visual artist of Mestizo ancestry. She works primarily with painting and sculpture. “Through my art I want to inspire unconditional love and support to each other. Exploring a reconstruction of our belief system and creating different scenarios that are welcoming and inclusive for all. To express that urge for a deep change in humanity, I utilize the energy from my Mexican heritage and the way I experience my new home, Canada.” 

The Canadian Nativity is made of wire, paper mâché, and clay. 

Sainte Famille

Au cours des siècles, les gens ont créé des crèches spécifiques à leur culture. Par exemple, une crèche africaine est différente d’une crèche japonaise.

Dans notre crèche, Joseph est afrocanadien. Ses ancêtres sont probablement venus au Canada durant la traite atlantique des esclaves.

         Marie est une femme « mestiza ». Comme l’artiste qui a sculpté notre crèche, notre Marie est venue au Canada comme réfugiée du Mexique. Marie est dans un fauteuil roulant. Dans le monde de l’art classique, Marie est souvent représentée montée sur un âne parce que le corps atteint ses limites durant le neuvième mois de la grossesse. Le fauteuil roulant permet à Marie de se déplacer librement. Cette Sainte Famille est à la recherche d’hospitalité.

Seront-ils les bienvenus dans votre cœur à Noël ?

Un Pesebre Canadiense

Por cientos de años, las personas han creado pesebres a través de los ojos de sus propias culturas. Un pesebre africano se ve diferente a uno creado en Japón. Ésta es nuestra perspectiva canadiense de 2020 de María y José— justo antes de que naciera Jesús. Ésta es una perspectiva tomada de nuestra vida en Romero House para refugiados.

José es africano canadiense. Sus ancestros probablemente vinieron a Canadá a través de la trata de esclavos del Atlántico. María es una mujer mestiza. Como la propia escultora, nuestra María vino a Canadá como una refugiada de México. A los nueve meses de embarazada, en Canadá, esta María no está en un burro. Junto a su Sagrada Familia busca hospitalidad.

¿Encontrarán bienvenida en tu corazón, en nuestro país, esta Navidad?

ትርኢት በዓል ልደት ካናዳዊ

ንኣማኢት ዓመታት፡ ሰባት ብመሰረት ባህሎም ትርኢት በዓል ልደት ክፈጥሩ ጸኒሖም። ናይ ኣፍሪቃ ትርኢት ልደት ካብ ናይ ጃፓን ዝተፈልየ'ዩ። እዚ የሱስ ክርስቶስ ቅድሚ ምውላዱ ዝነበረ ኩነት ማርያምን ዮሴፍን፡ ናይ 2020 ካናዳዊ ትርኢት ዘመልክት’ዩ። እዚ ከኣ ነቲ ኣብ ሮመርዮ ሃውስ መዕቆቢ ስደተኛታት ዘሎ ህይወትና ዘንጸባርቕ’ዩ። 

ዮሴፍ፡ ኣፍሪቃዊ ካናዳዊ'ዩ። ምናልባት ኣባሓጎታቱ ብመንገዲ ናይ ኣትላንቲክ ንግድ ገላዩ ናብ ካናዳ ዝመጽኡ ክኾኑ ይኽእሉ። ማርያም ድማ ናይ መስቲዞ ሰበይቲ’ያ። ልክዕ ከምዚ እዚ ቅርጻ ቅርጺ ዝገልጾ፡ ማርያም ካብ መክሲኮ ናብ ካናዳ ከም ስደተኛ መጺኣ። እዚ መንቀሳቐሲ ዓረብያ-ስንኩላን (ዊልቸር) ነቲ ኣካላቶም ወይ ኣካልትና ዘለዎ ድሩትነት ዘመልክት’ዩ። ኣብ ካናዳ እዛ ናይ ትሽዓተ ኣዋርሕ ጥንሲ ጾይራ ዘላ ማርያም ኣብ ልዕሊ ኣድጊ ተወጢሓ ኣይትርአን። እዛ ቅድስቲ ስድራቤት ብሓባር እንግዶት'ያ ትጠልብ ዘላ።

ኣብዚ በዓለ-ልደት ኣብ ልብኹም፡ ኣብ ሃገርና ወትሩ ተቐባልነት ይረኽቡ ዶ ይኾኑ?

ካናዳዊ የገና በኣል ትዕይንት

ባለፉት ምእት ኣመታት፥ ህዝቦች የገናን በኣል ትዕይንት፥ በራሳቸው ባህላዊ እይታ ሲፈጥሩ ቆይተዋል። የኣፍሪካዊ የገና ትዕይንት፥ ጃፓን ካለው ይለያል። ይህ ልክ ኢየሱስ ከመወለዱ በፊት የነበረውን የማርያምና ዮሴፍ፡ የ2020  ካናዳዊ እይታ የሚያመላክት ነው። ይህ ሮመሮ ሃውስ የስደተኞች መቀበያ ካለው ህይወታችን የተወሰደ ነው።

ዮሴፍ ማለት ኣፍሪካዊ ካናዳዊ ነው። የሱ ቅድመ ኣያቶች፤ ምናልባት ኣትላንቲክ ውቅያኖስን በሚያቋርጠው የባርያዎች ንግድ ወደ ካናዳ የመጣ ሊሆን ይችላል። ማርያም ደሞ የመስቲዞ ሴት ናት። ልክ እንደ ቅርጻ ቅርጾቹ፥ የኛም ማርያም ከሚክስኮ እንደ ስደተኛ ሆና ነው የመጣችው። የኣካለ ስንኩላን መንቀሳቀሻ ወንበሩ ደሞ፥ የነሱን ወይ የኛን የኣካል ገደባችንን ያመለክታል። ካናዳ ውስጥ የዘጠኝ ወር እርጉዝ የሆነችው ማርያም፥ ኣህያ ላይ ኣትታይም። ኣንድ ላይ ይህ ቅዱስ ቤተሰብ፥ ጥገኝነትን ይፈልጋል።

በዘንድሮው የገና በኣል፥ በናንተ ልብ፥ በኣገራችን፥ ተቀባይነትን ያገኙ ይሆን፧