Dedham church’s Nativity scene protests immigration crackdown

Local News

The Nativity scene holds “the mirror up to what’s happening,” Father Stephen Josoma said.

The Nativity scene at a Catholic church in Dedham is without the baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, with a sign criticizing federal immigration action instead taking Jesus’s place in the manger.

“ICE was here,” a large sign accompanying the empty manger at St. Susanna Parish said. “The Holy Family is safe in the Sanctuary of our Church. If you see ICE, please call LUCE.”  

Father Stephen Josoma told Boston.com that  it’s a church tradition to use the Nativity scene to “hold the mirror up to what’s happening, and this year, it seemed to be, my God, it seemed to be right there in front of us.”

The congregation works with resettling immigrants and migrants, Josoma said, including some they’ve welcomed to the Parish. ICE has reportedly been targeting churches in the holiday season, Josoma said.

“They’ve done everything that they’re supposed to do, but their status could be in jeopardy, and some of our people would be in danger being killed if they did go back,” Josoma said. “It’s a cruel policy, and we can do a lot better as a country dealing with the many issues that face us.”

Annually, the parish’s Peace and Justice group, part of Pax Christi, highlights national and global issues with the scene, including gun violence and mass shootings and climate change. 

In 2018, the St. Susanna Parish attracted national attention with their Nativity scene depicting baby Jesus in a cage and the wise men behind a wall, Josoma said. The scene was to protest the Trump administration’s policy to separate families at the border.

Sean Hannity, of Fox News, said at the time that Christmas was “under attack” in reaction to the Nativity scene, bringing a wave of mostly negative attention to the small parish in the suburbs. The St. Susanna community, however, is “very supportive,” the father said.

“It’s religious art. All art is supposed to move you,” Josoma said. “They hate to face that because it’s the reality, so they attack you for using religion in a sacreligious way, which I find kind of amusing.”

Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime, and more.