What: “The Miracles of Christmas”

When: 1 p.m. today

Where: Holy Family Parish Hall

Parishes come together for Christmas play

LEWISTON – For the first time, seven Lewiston-area parishes have joined forces to put on a children’s Christmas play.

“The Miracles of Christmas,” rescheduled from today to Friday, will take place at 7 p.m. at Holy Family Parish Hall on Sabattus Street. The Holy Family location was chosen because it has a large hall, said volunteer Pauline Collette of Lewiston.

The cluster includes five Lewiston parishes – the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Holy Family, Holy Cross, St. Joseph and St. Patrick – as well as Holy Trinity in Lisbon Falls and Our Lady of the Rosary in Sabattus. Clusters of churches were created by the Diocese as part of its ongoing consolidation of services and schools in response to waning membership and a shortage of priests.

The children were eager to be in the play, Collette said. “We started off slow with a dozen children,” Collette said. But eventually, they added parts to accommodate a total of 27 children.

The play tells the story of the birth of Jesus through the eyes of three neglected, homeless pets: a cat named Willow, a dog named Weaver and a donkey named Balaam.

The animals are considered disgusting and unimportant, Collette said. “They’re looking for food when they notice a lot going on, soldiers marching, in the town square.”

The animals follow a caravan hoping to find food. They end up witnessing the newborn Jesus, asking whether the baby is a king.

The wise men tell them yes. “At that point angels come over and strip off the scars on the animals,” Collette said The cat, dog and donkey are transformed through love they felt from Jesus and soon find their lives improved.

“The message is that Jesus has transforming love, that all creatures can be transformed” and love can fix wounds, Collette said.

The play can help teach children more about their faith, she said.

And she hopes it will bring together the people of the different parishes. When parishioners who attend different churches see how excited the children are, they’ll realize “it doesn’t matter what parish they’re from now,” Collette said.

Bigger picture

The Rev. Daniel Greenleaf, pastor of Holy Family Church, is providing technical support for the play. He applauds “any kind of effort” to help Catholics unite, he said.

As churches form clusters, they consolidate expenses, Mass schedules, ministries, outreach services – and now, a Christmas play. It all makes the church more accessible and more effective, Greenleaf said. “(The play) is the beginning of something we hope to continue,” he said.

There is no admission fee, but those who attend will be asked to say a prayer.