SMD chronicles an evening with young parishioners crafting nativity scene

On Wednesday evening young parishioners from Our Lady Of The Rosary Church can be seen tinkering around with wood plaster of Paris PoP nails hammers against the backdrop of a poster with the Star of BethlehemRanging from ages 16 to 25 years they all live around Dockyard Road where the church stands facing the arterial P Drsquomello Road They have been building the manger from scratch for over a month and the deadline for baby Jesus to be placed in itmdashChristmas evemdashis drawing closerThe youth at work at the Our Lady of Rosary Church at Dockyard Road This years theme is how the birth of Jesus brings peace on Earth and goodwill to menTwentythreeyearols Melroy Rebello who works in the hospitality industry in Worli is one of the older ones and an experienced hand at this annual exercise ldquoEvery year we try to do something differentrdquo he says ldquoThis year our theme is Jesus bringing peace in the time of war Things are a bit unfinished as of now but the vision is that we will have a curtain at one end tearing through it will be an angel and behind him will be the nativity scenerdquo It is said that archangel Gabriel was visible to the faithful when Christ was bornThe mangermdasha water trough for farm animals to drink out ofmdash will be placed inside a framework made of bamboo with a roof made of hay The last element was found by the group in the godowns at Reay Road and will also become the bedding for baby Jesus 25yearold Ben Carvalho tells us He has been helping with the nativity scene for the son of God for seven years ldquoBaby Jesus will be placed on the stack of hay after he is blessed by the Father during Christmas massrdquo he saysThe scene is built with a mix of cardboard boxes bamboo wood and hay and provides the youth important social skills like working together in a teamIn the background on the holy familyrsquos right is a mountain made of stacked cardboard boxes fused with PoP and finished with wet soilmdashit will look like the mountains the three wise men are said to have journeyed across for months after seeing a new star appear mysteriously in the sky The men who were kings of different provinces were told by astronomers the new star heralded a significant eventmdashat the end of their passage at the humble manger they understood the magnitude of the sign It was Charlene Drsquocruz and Rianna Fernandesrsquos idea to add small handmade huts and smooth rocks collected from construction sites and leftover debris along the route that the wise men and shepherds took to the stable The Bible tells us that heavily pregnant Mary and Joseph did not find a place to stay for the night as the Roman Empire was conducting a census at the time and had to settle for a manger ldquoWe thought that the path leading up to the stable should have some connection to the people who come to see the tableaurdquo says Fernandes who is in Class 11 Science at St Xavierrsquos CollegeMelvita Gonsalves Ben Carvalho Swigger Dias Melroy Rebello Charlene Drsquocruz Sister Florina Joseph and Rianna FernandesHer partner in crime is childhood friend Drsquocruz a shy barelyaudible fellow 16yearold ldquoWe thought the huts would add a good touch because there were shepherds who also went to the stable on Christmas dayrdquo adds the fellow Xaverite As we spoke someone observed that the bamboo enclosure meant to house baby Jesus needed more holding down and the air buzzed with suggestions and counteractionsMeanwhile on the left Swigger Dias was prepping the waterfall for its first testrun ldquoThe water will fall over two levels into the pond and be pumped back up to the higher levelrdquo he says When we ask him why he spends his weekends unlike most 18yearolds he responds with a disarming smile ldquoDoing something with my hands makes me feel good When I finish here I walk away feeling like I have accomplished somethingrdquoWorking with him is 25yearold software engineer Melvita Gonsalves who has the bearing of a church kid gone corporate ldquoI have been trying to find the time to come and help aroundrdquo she says ldquobut havenrsquot been able to do as much as I would have liked My managers have been kind enough to give me some time here and therehellip Thatrsquos why I am here today This confidencebuilding activity teaches us how to work in a team After I joined the workforce I realised how essential these skills are in navigating life in generalrdquoAs the night dips Sister Florina Josephmdashwho has been supervising the merry bunchmdashtakes stock of the work ldquoIt has to be good to go by the 23rd of December latest since most of these kids will get too busy celebrating with familyrdquo she says ldquoWe are very proud of the work they do every year Since we face the road many people from different communities in the area come by for a visit and tell us what they like about that yearrsquos tableaurdquoAfter a quick team meeting the group begins to disperse Carvalho a video editor hops on his scooter Gonsalves calls out to him ldquoAre you going homerdquo He nods and she rides pillion Off go the manger kids as the evening mass begins and Fatherrsquos voice floats outhellip