Creche Collection Always on Display at Fair Haven Church
By Eileen Moon
FAIR HAVEN – Each December, as the month deepens into Christmas, families around the world engage in an age-old ritual, unwrapping the elements of their manger scenes: a rustic stable that will house the figurines stored away each year with the Christmas ornaments, awaiting their own journey to Bethlehem.
Out will come Mary, Joseph, and the Baby Jesus. An angel, a shepherd, a lamb. Three wise men. And any number of supporting players, there to celebrate the extraordinary mystery central to the Christian faith: the son of God in human form, come to redeem the sins and errors of the fallen world.
But not all Nativity scenes need to be unpacked. At the Church of the Nativity in Fair Haven, display cases in the parish hall hold more than 750 renditions of this night in Bethlehem. The collection reflects the global impact of the birth of Jesus, an event that occurred more than 2,000 years ago in a remote region of the world.
Through the tradition of the Nativity scene, a profound story is simply told – one that resonates down the generations, touching every seeking soul with, as the hymn “O, Little Town of Bethlehem” says, “the hopes and fears of all the years.”
The practice of depicting the humble birth of Jesus in an animal shelter in Bethlehem began with St. Francis of Assisi. Inspired by his own journey to the Holy Land, St. Francis initiated the tradition in Greccio, Italy, in 1223. After receiving permission from Pope Honorius III, St. Francis asked a friend to prepare a cave filled with live animals and a manger of hay. According to St. Francis, the idea was to depict the hardships the Holy Family faced in their makeshift shelter in Bethlehem.
The word “manger” is an old French word meaning “to eat” and refers to an open box where animals could find food. After that first celebration, strands of hay from the manger were said to have miraculous properties and credited with many miracles.
Today, the site of the first commemoration of the Nativity in Greccio is known as the Franciscan Bethlehem. Each year, hundreds of believers arrive to celebrate Christmas Mass in the sanctuary that, legend has it, was built on the site of St. Francis’s first Nativity scene.
Whether humble or elaborate, wood or stone, living or only lifelike, Nativity scenes hold a special place in the hearts of Christians across the globe, reminding believers of the night when a young couple named Mary and Joseph made a necessary journey to Bethlehem and found no room at the inn. After taking refuge in a rustic stable, Mary gave birth to Jesus, the son of God in human form, sent to redeem humankind. This story, told in many languages around the world, takes center stage each December on altars and in theaters, under Christmas trees and atop fireplace mantels.
But at the Church of the Nativity in Fair Haven, the message of the manger scene is always visible. According to John Hendrick, the church’s facilities manager, the Nativity scenes were donated in 2015 by Charles and Margaret Spitz, who collected them over many decades of travel worldwide. “I believe they had them in their home in Manasquan,” Hendrick said.
When it came time to part with them, the couple donated them to the Church of the Nativity. At that time, the collection was valued at $40,000, Hendrick said.
The pastor of Nativity at the time, Rev. Robert Shecker, accepted the donation on behalf of the church, which purchased display cases so the nativity scenes can be admired year-round.
“The Nativity scenes are definitely a nice touch to our parish hall,” said the present pastor, Rev. Christopher P. Picollo, who became pastor of Nativity in July of 2022. “Obviously, with our parish named Nativity, the symbolism speaks volumes. We have many events in our parish hall throughout the year and it’s nice having those events surrounded by all the Nativity scenes. It’s a great reminder of our parish name and the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ.”
The number of nativity scenes on display has only grown with time, as some parishioners have donated their own nativity sets after seeing the collection.
“It’s a very interesting thing because whoever arranged them did it from a global perspective: Eastern, Western, Middle East, Africa, the Far East. It really is a global display,” Hendrick said. “I’m just amazed at the different interpretations of a nativity set, all honoring an event that everyone around the world recognizes as central to the human experience. It kindles in me a renewed understanding of God sending his son into the world so that we can be redeemed. It is the gift that God gave us.”
Among the Nativity sets on display are scenes with African, Asian, Irish and Native American figures. Some are whimsical, featuring elves, Santas, angels and stuffed dolls, with each scene reflecting the universality of the Christmas story. One set, from the Vatican Collection, features a classically beautiful illustration of the manger story.
“We open up our parish hall for a lot of community activities,” Hendrick said. “We’re excited that they’re seen by a lot of people from outside groups.”
Welcoming community groups to Nativity’s meeting spaces represents a key value for the church, Hendrick said.
“We believe if we have a beautiful campus with beautiful things in it, which we do, sharing it may help people rediscover a desire to explore their faith at a deeper level. We might see them in church. You never know. We feel that if we’re welcoming, we’ll let the good Lord do the rest,” Hendrick said.
But you don’t have to belong to a community group or be a church member to admire the nativity display. At this inn, there is always room.
“Anyone who would like to see it is invited to call the parish office and make an appointment,” Hendrick said. “We’d be happy to allow them to view it.”
The article originally appeared in the December 18 – 24, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
