In common with churches throughout the world, and in a special way in churches with a Redemptorist tradition, Advent is a time for dusting down the crib figures from last year and arranging them for devotion in the church. In the church of St Alphonse, home to the English-speaking Catholic community in Luxembourg, this year things started normally and took a dramatic and unexpected turn. On 19th December, with a parishioner, Silvia, I began to unwrap the crib figures that were usually used each year. At the very back of the dusty, much-neglected cupboard, there were what appeared to be several bundles of old newspaper. On closer inspection, there were clearly substantial contents within. What emerged were statues of the Holy Family, along with a couple of angels. In spite of the layers of dust, these wooden carvings were quite clearly old, and beautifully decorated. The angels seemed to date from the 1920s or 1930s, in the art deco style. But the figures of Jesus, Mary and Joseph were older, and beautifully painted. Two days of careful cleaning followed, and the results were amazing, as you can see from the pictures below. However, something else emerged that adds a whole new angle to the story.

On close examination, the yellowing, fragile newsprint in which the statues were wrapped were dated 20 December 1939, just months after the outbreak of the Second World War. The newspapers contained accounts of the ‘serious actions of the English’ [sic] and were clearly early propaganda. According to accounts here in Luxembourg, the people realised that invasion of the Grand Duchy would be inevitable, and in December 1939 began to hide away anything precious they feared would be looted by the Nazi forces they were expecting. And so the crib was stashed away. The monastery of St Alphonse was occupied in May 1940, and the military forces used St Alphonse as their church. The sacristy corridor became their latrine, and part of the choir-loft their washing-area. There are still relics of this era in the monastery, though most evidence was destroyed at the end of the war.

What was, and is, truly amazing is that this crib set remained hidden for 74 years, and has only now seen the light of day. Already people are flocking to see part of their (or their parents’ or grandparents’) heritage. The last time these figures were seen was in a time of great fear and foreboding. The feet of St Joseph are damaged, possibly accidentally, and the hands of Jesus are missing. Incidentally, the ‘new-born’ infant is standing up and looks 3 years old! The absence of hands has prompted the community to propose for devotion the prayer of St Theresa of Avila:

If the Lord, as it were, lacks hands, then he can use ours to do his work and fulfil his mission.

So Christmas will continue as usual here this year — but with added interest.

Ed Hone CSsR   (pictures below)