Nativity scenes share story of Christmas as Palm Beach churches prepare for services

Driving through Palm Beach at the holidays can be a delight for the eyes — with the island's churches helping to set the stage for the Christmas spirit and their Christmas services with distinct Nativity scenes.

Each church in Palm Beach has its own representation of the scene of Christ's birth, told through statues that typically include a manger with the infant Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the three wise men, shepherds and usually donkeys, camels and sheep.

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The Nativity scenes usually make their first appearances in the weeks before Christmas, setting up a temporary camp in front of each Palm Beach church: St. Edward Catholic Church, the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea and the Royal Poinciana Chapel.

All three churches' Nativity scenes were donated over the span of more than a decade by the same longtime Palm Beach resident, Maureen Donnell, the widow of former Marathon Oil chair and philanthropist John Donnell. The scene at Bethesda was donated in memory of Maureen Donnell's daughter, Nancy Caraboolad Hayes; Royal Poinciana's was donated in honor of her husband; and the St. Edward crèche was donated in memory of her son, Richard Caraboolad, according to past reports.

"She made this humongous gift," said the Rev. Robert Norris of Royal Poinciana Chapel. "This is well over or close to almost $300,000 worth of Italian, painted Nativity.

"This is not a small thing that she did and does, and has been so meaningfully dedicated to telling the story through the images of the Nativity here in Palm Beach," Norris said.

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Bethesda has a unique tradition for its Nativity scene: It moves around the church's campus, with the statues inching closer to the manger each day leading up to Christmas Eve, the Rev. Tim Schenck said.

"There's something to me about the journey of faith and the journey of these figures, and they all sort of coalesce around the manger," he said. "It's reminiscent of all the people who come to church throughout the season, and it all culminates on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day."

Schenck moved to Palm Beach about a year and a half ago to lead Bethesda, and he said he still finds joy in spotting the church's staff each morning while walking his dogs, as they carefully move each statue a little closer to the manger.

"It's just one of those indications that we want people coming to Bethesda during the week," Schenck said. "They can pop into the church, they can walk around and see the koi in the koi pond, and just be inspired by being on this sacred ground that we have, this spiritual oasis that exists on the island."

With Christmas on a Monday, churches this year have the unique challenge of preparing for both celebrating Christmas Eve and honoring the fourth Sunday of Advent, which is the season of anticipation and preparation that is observed for four Sundays leading up to Christmas.

"I call it the liturgical eclipse," Schenck said, noting that it's "a rare occurrence."

As a result, Bethesda will have one Sunday morning service, at 10:30 a.m., he said. "It'll be more of a contemplative service," Schenck said.

Royal Poinciana Chapel will transition from the fourth Sunday service in the morning to its Christmas Eve services at 4 and 8 p.m. through song and story, Norris said.

He noted that this year's Christmas services are particularly meaningful to him following a trip to the Holy Land over the summer. Norris and his wife visited Israel and went to the Church of the Holy Nativity in Bethlehem, which is believed to be built over the birthplace of Jesus Christ.

"After 44 years of preaching without having a real frame of reference, and now having crawled down into the crypt, having witnessed what is the oldest alleged location over which the oldest church in Christendom was built, I see Christmas with a new lens and speak with new energy and passion," said Norris, who hails from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

In his message in St. Edward's Dec. 24 bulletin, the Rev. Glen Pothier said that while it's great to enjoy the festivities surrounding Christmas, it's also important to remember what is at the heart of the holiday.

"But we should not fail to consider the magnitude of what unfolded at the birth of the Messiah as God intervened in time," Pothier wrote.

Christmas Events

The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea

Address: 141 S. County Road

More information: bbts.org

Christmas Eve: Service for the fourth Sunday of Advent at 9 a.m. Christmas Pageant and Holy Eucharist at 4 p.m.; Festal Eucharist and homily with music by the Bethesda Choir and instrumental ensemble at 6:30 and 10 p.m. Overflow seating with video simulcast is available in the Parish Hall for the 4 and 10 p.m. services. Each service will be livestreamed on the church’s website, bbts.org.

Christmas Day: Festal Eucharist with music by the Bethesda Choir and a sermon at 11 a.m. The service will be livestreamed.

Dec. 26-27: The church will be closed.

The Royal Poinciana Chapel

Address: 60 Cocoanut Row

More information: royalpoincianachapel.org

Christmas Eve: Service for the fourth Sunday of Advent at 10:30 a.m. 4 p.m.: Krescendo string ensemble, flute, trumpet and organ; chapel chorale members; service of lessons, carols and candlelight including children’s participation with song and nativity. 8 p.m.: Traditional service with Krescendo string ensemble, flute, oboe and organ; chapel chorale members; and service of lessons, carols and candlelight.

St. Edward Catholic Church

Address: 144 N. County Road

More information: stedwardpb.com

Christmas Eve: Vigil Mass will be celebrated at 4 and 6 p.m. Midnight Mass is at 12 a.m., with a concert beginning an hour beforehand at 11 p.m.

Christmas Day: Mass will be celebrated at 7, 9 and 10:30 a.m. and noon.

Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Christmas and Christmas Eve services at churches in Palm Beach