It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the corner of East Ninth Street and Superior Avenue in downtown Cleveland.
The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist is decked out with creches inside and out, wreaths and Christmas trees as the holiday approaches. The finishing touch -- dozens of live poinsettia plants -- will be added prior to the vigil Mass on Christmas Eve. Recently installed lighting highlights the newly restored cathedral exterior.
Now that the exterior renovation work is nearly finished – work continues on the north courtyard and the Superior entrance -- the large outside crèche is back in place at East Ninth and Superior. Construction equipment and protective fencing precluded its display last year. Mary, Joseph and other figures are in the stable but the manger will remain empty until Christmas Eve, when Baby Jesus will be added.
Inside the cathedral, the large, historic crèche was assembled by volunteers last weekend. It was a gift from Bishop (later Archbishop) Joseph Schrembs, who led the diocese from 1921 until his death in 1945. A native of Germany, he commissioned the crèche from a well-known German artist in Munich. A small platform with a few steps allows children to climb up and get a closer look at the figures. An information sheet is available for those who want to learn more about the display.
The multi-level crèche resembles a section of Bethlehem, complete with shepherds, townspeople, merchants, animals and more. Mary and Joseph are in place, but like the exterior crèche, the manger is empty and awaiting Baby Jesus, who will added prior to the vigil Mass on Christmas Eve.
Another larger Baby Jesus figure will be placed in a special manger in front of the altar on Christmas Eve. Traditionally, a child is selected to carry the statue in the entrance procession at the vigil Mass and it is placed in the manger.
The rest of the cathedral is decorated with wreaths along the walls and about three dozen artificial trees of varying sizes placed in the sanctuary, near the tabernacle, in the two naves and the back of the church. Thousands of tiny, white lights will illuminate the trees from Christmas Eve through Epiphany.
Volunteers spent much of Dec. 10 hauling the trees and other decorations from storage in the cathedral basement into the church, setting them up and returning the boxes to the basement. A group of students from Saint Ignatius High School and John Carroll University helped with the heavy lifting. Bishop Edward Malesic, who lives in the adjacent cathedral rectory, stopped by to check on the progress, to chat with the volunteers and pose for a photo.
Father Sean Ralph, cathedral rector, supervised the volunteers and directed assembly of the crèche. After installing the platform, the building, some small trees and lights, volunteers placed statues around the structure while others sifted sand, poured it around the crèche, smoothed it and mounded it around the statues.
Volunteers also assembled the trees, fluffed the branches and checked the lights – which will remain off until the Masses on Christmas Eve. Some of the trees are 15 feet tall and placed on large platforms about three feet high, so the volunteers had to climb ladders to finish the job.
Wreaths were installed on the walls and front doors of the cathedral.
As the work wrapped up, volunteers cleaned up before enjoying a pizza lunch.
After the Christmas season ends, volunteers will reverse the process and return the creches, figures, trees and wreaths to their storage areas below the church.