Good N-ewe-s for Christmas in Crosskeys

For the second year running, we held a Posada Crib Service on Christmas Eve in St Catherine’s Church, Crosskeys. At 6pm the Brownies arrived in church with the Holy Family, the donkey, and a flock of assorted sheep which had been ‘doing the rounds’ of homes in Crosskeys during Advent. The rest of the Nativity Figures were assembled at the back of the church ready for the Posada Procession to the Christmas Crib which had been placed at the Chancel step.

As they entered St Catherine’s, the congregation were given an order of service and asked to choose a sheep to take in with them. As the sheep came in all shapes and colours this was a difficult decision for some of the children! All of the Nativity Set and sheep had been knitted for me by the ladies of the parish in preparation for last year's Posada Service. Although we all knitted from the same pattern, the sheep somehow turned out so differently to each other.

At the appropriate point in the service, everyone present was invited to come and place a sheep at baby Jesus’ Crib. This caused a traffic jam with children running to the crib with sheep but the effect was stunning!

Thus we recreated the verse of Christina Rossetti’s poem “What can I give him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd I would bring a lamb”. It goes without saying that we “give Him our heart”.

Wishing EWE all a Happy New Year

Gill Hollister