Crib Appeal

A New Crib for Maiden Lane

In 1876, the London correspondent of The Freeman’s Journal wrote:

In the metropolis, this year particularly, the greatest devotional taste, as well as artistic style, were displayed in constructing the cribs, and we were particularly pleased with those erected in many poor missions of the metropolis. Amongst them may be mentioned the crib at the Church of Corpus Christi, Maiden-lane, W.C., by Father Kensalla; & that at St. Peter’s, by the Italian Fathers. To decide which is the most artistic between these two is a matter of difficulty. We incline, however, to the one at Corpus Christi Church. In all the churches the cribs are visited by thousands & thousands of people.

What happened to Fr Kensalla’s crib, we do not know. What we do know is that the state of our crib had been reduced to a few fibreglass figures that were cracked, broken and lacking any form of a stable.

Following an appeal last year in the 800^th anniversary of St Francis establishing the first presepio outside Greccio, we are thrilled to unveil our new nativity scene. The 100+ figures have been donated by benefactors from around the world. They were hand-carved and hand-painted in South Tyrol, and the scenery was handmade here in London by our architect, Anthony Delarue. 

2025 is to be a Holy Year of Jubilee, and Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane is to be one of the Jubilee Churches here in London, at the request of Cardinal Nichols. It seemed particularly fitting, therefore, to set the Nativity in Rome itself – a city which just over a century ago was still very pastoral and rural. Old photographs of sheep and goats running around the foothills of the Vatican, and farmers selling their wares outside the Colosseum meant our shepherds and sheep are well at home in this Roman setting. Given that this Shrine church was built as an act of reparation for the horrors committed during the times of the Reformation, it is also particularly fitting as English Catholics to rededicate ourselves to St Peter and the Holy See as we come and adore Our Blessed Lord, born for our salvation, and lying in a manger.

2025: A Year of Jubilee

The special Holy Years of Jubilee occur every 25 years and are a time of graces for us to draw nearer to Our Blessed Lord. Traditionally, the Holy Father opens the ‘Holy Door’ in St Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve, and pilgrims from around the world make a pilgrimage to enter through this door in an act of penance to obtain a Plenary Indulgence. The Nativity before you highlights this with the Holy Door of St Peter’s standing open which you can just peer through the façade. The colonnade is inscribed ANNO IVBILÆI MMXXV as well as FRANCISCVS PONT MAX. One of the ways to obtain the Jubilee Indulgence during 2025 is to engage more deeply with the teachings of the Church, with a particular focus on the documents of the Second Vatican Council. Eagle-eyed observers will be able to spot a reference to every pope since the Council (with the exception of Pope John Paul I) worked into the crib. Between the Apostolic Palace and the colonnade, you will see the Order of Malta’s first aid station. As Providence would have it, the Order of Malta unveiled a new ‘E-Ambukart’ in the Vatican on 2^nd December 2024 – just as we unveiled our model ambulance parked ready to assist any shepherds needing medical attention.

A Living Crib

If you visit the Shrine during Advent, you will notice that the Baby Jesus has not arrived yet. Instead, you will see a heavily pregnant Mary sitting on the donkey, being led towards the stable by St Joseph. After Christmas, the manger takes centre stage, with Our Lord being adored by the angels and shepherds as he lies ‘asleep in the hay’. Towards Epiphany, the Magi move along Bernini’s colonnade – built with the Papal Corpus Christi processions in mind – from the East to worship the Infant Body of Christ. And throughout January, as the world outside throws away their Christmas trees and takes down their lights, the Light of the World remains until the feast of the Presentation in the Temple on 2^nd February, calling us in to spend some time in prayer. Venite adoremus!

Bay Trees bearing Oranges

Bay trees bearing oranges stand around the crib, a tradition rooted in Roman symbolism. In ancient Rome, bay trees represented victory and immortality, often depicted in laurel wreaths crowning victors. St. Paul contrasts this earthly laurel, which wilts, with the eternal crown Christians hope to receive in Heaven: “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” Thus, the bay trees embody the Christian goal of a heavenly reward.

They also symbolize Our Lady, often likened by saints to a tree offering shade to those seeking refuge. St. Bernard called her a “truly celestial plant” and “tree of life,” uniquely fit to bear salvation’s fruit, Jesus Christ. The white blossoms of the orange tree remind us of Mary’s Immaculate Conception and purity, while the oranges signify ‘the fruit of her womb’. This symbolism can be seen in famous art works, such as Joos van Cleve’s Holy Family.

Supporting the Holy Land

This year, we are asking for donations at the Crib for the Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem. The hospital, located just 1,500 steps from the birthplace of Christ, is a state-of-the-art maternity and neonatal critical care centre serving poor and at-risk women, infants, and children throughout the region.

A joint project across the Order of Malta, the hospital provides the population of Bethlehem and its surrounding area with an indispensable service, offering high-quality maternity care to all women. 

Since 1990 more than 100,000 babies have been born in the hospital. The Holy Family Hospital delivers approximately 60%of all Bethlehem infants, maintaining a survival rate of nearly 100%. It is the only hospital in the region medically equipped to deliver babies born before 32 weeks. Doctors and midwives fight to save every mother and baby, demonstrating a commitment to life that is absolute. 

Holy Family Hospital is often asked to accept the Bethlehem region’s most challenging medical cases. As a result, approximately 9% of all new-borns delivered at the Hospital require neonatal intensive care.

Bethlehem has no national health care system and therefore the hospital’s operating costs are sustained by the Order of Malta. Patients are asked to pay what they can afford. The cost is established on the base of an assessment of the patient’s socio-economic situation. For those unable to pay, charges are reduced or waived.

Add to the Crib

There are some figures of ‘minor characters’ that did not form part of the appeal last year. Might you like to add to our nativity by donating a figure? At the bottom of the page, there is a contact form for you to be in touch with us. Please state the names of the figures that you would like to donate, and a link will be emailed back to you to make your donation. If someone has already donated the figure that you would like to contribute, then we will inform you of this to avoid duplications. This page will be updated in due course, with paid-for figures being crossed out and marked as ‘donated’.

A list of the names of donors has been worked into the base, to which your name will be added, and a Mass is offered each month for all the Shrine’s benefactors.