Hundreds of different Nativity scenes – various in origins, themes and materials – are now on display at Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in Lewiston for the holiday season. The owner of this vast collection explains there’s a point behind showing so many different makes and styles. And he’s looking for a permanent home for the full collection.
Inside Fatima Hall, located on the west side of the Our Lady of Fatima Shrine premises, are four rows of tables forming a pathway for visitors to follow. As one walks along, they get to observe more than 300 various nativity scenes, from all over the world. And yet, this is only a little more than half of the full collection.
In all, retired Catholic priest Rev. Roy Herberger currently owns 670 different sets. He recalled the first one he acquired, one made in Africa of blackened wood.
“I was at a religious ed convention in Baltimore years ago. And they had an import-export daily, which was jewelry and dresses and whatnot, but also religious items. And I was so used to growing up with, you know, paintings or pictures on the wall religious figures from Italy or French artists or German artists. And I thought, wow, if Christ came for everybody, now, what if some artists from a village in Nigeria or in Venezuela, said well, what if He came to my town? What would mom look like? What would dad look like? What would the baby look like? So that got me started.”
Through the years, Herberger spotted and acquired many more Nativity sets. Some are made by unusual materials, including banana leaves, popsicle sticks, bottle caps, and golf balls, just to name a few.
“There was the set made of Coca-Cola cans, one set made in the Andes of automobile parts, including the Holy Family, and something made out of newspapers from the Philippines. And it said, no matter how humble – it almost reminds me of the song, the Little Drummer Boy, you know - no matter how humble, no matter what you have at your service and what's available, use that to give glory to God use that to express your love and your gratitude,” Herberger said.
There are, of course, the solemn and traditional sets but also some humorously themed sets. They include one featuring characters from the Star Wars films, one produced by the Fisher Price toy company, a rubber duck themed set, and even a “hipster” set featuring Joseph taking a selfie, Mary holding a coffee cup and the Magi arriving with their gifts, each riding a Segway.
Herberger spoke of what might compel him to add quirkier sets to his collection, and of thoughts as to whether some might be deemed tacky or inappropriate.
“I've had people who said that they almost even think it's sacrilegious. And I say well, no, no one is trying to say that this is you know, a replica of the Christ event. I use a quote from the Scriptures, ‘Let all creation give praise to God, you birds of the air, you fish to the sea, all you animals wild and tame,’” he replied. “And so I have that quote there to show, alright, there's a group of birds, a group of ducks. I have other animals. I just say, again, God created us and our beauty, that our purpose in life gives glory and praise to God.”
Our Lady of Fatima Shrine will host the display through January 2, coinciding with the center’s annual Festival of Lights. Showings are open to the public evening from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m., except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Donations are requested to help cover electric and heating costs of the hall.
Herberger is not done collecting. He says there are two countries from which he has not yet obtained sets, Lebanon and Greece. He is also looking for a permanent home for the full collection. His hope is to secure a location somewhere in downtown Buffalo, because it provides a suitable midway point for devout tourists who travel to Western New York to visit Our Lady of Victory Basilica in Lackawanna and then Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in Niagara County.
But the museum he envisions would also serve as a place to inspire art and cultural education as well, and not just for people of his faith. It's a vision he's had for the past several years.
"We're going to invite all the schools - public, private, parochial, kindergarten through college - anybody who has an art program, so they can come not from a religious standpoint, but also art and culture to see what other people have done," Herberger said. "And then we'd have a section where the students could be creative. We would have some laptops and paint, and charcoal and putty, and crayons and sketching pads, where they could do something creatively, having been inspired by these other cultures and the media that was used, and then they would be able to take them home if they like."
