Christmas Around World

In America’s Midwest, the hearts of thousands of children will be warmed with the true meaning of Christmas at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows. This Christmas, children will venture with their families through the annual “Way of Lights” which brings them back to the sacred night of our Savior’s birth though a magnificent light display.

In Ukraine, more than 700 people will attend Christmas Mass at St. Nicholas Church where children, like the angels of the Nativity, will once again be able to celebrate the birth of our dear Savior.

The church was closed for more than 60 years by the Communist government until the Missionary Oblates restored it as a house of worship in 1992. In June of 2001, Pope John Paul II prayed at St. Nicholas Church and praised the Oblates for their leadership in helping restore the faith in a land where it had been suppressed for generations.

In the Oblates’ mission in Tijuana, a young girl named Elizabeth who is suffering from a brain tumor which has rendered her blind, will be offering a Christmas prayer for all the children of the world. Elizabeth will probably not have many presents this Christmas but her selfless compassion for others amidst her own tragedy is a true example of Christ’s gift flourishing in the heart of a child.

In Bolivia, an eleven-year-old boy named Samuel will wake up on Christmas morning in the poor mining town of Potosi. He will probably not have any beautifully wrapped packages to greet him nor will he have a special Christmas feast.

Yet Christmas is still a very special time for Samuel because thanks to the Missionary Oblates, he is warmed by the true meaning of Christmas. Samuel knows that Christmas is not about presents, turkey or stockings. Samuel knows that Christmas is the night that God gave His only Son to the world. So when that blessed night comes, Samuel will be blessed with the most important Christmas gift of all – the light and hope of the Prince of Peace.