Allison and Brian Miller portray Mary and Joseph during Sts. Peter and Paul’s third annual live nativity held in Hopkinsville on Dec.13. COURTESY OF DAWN C. LIGIBEL
Parishioners welcome neighbors at annual ‘Nativity on Ninth’ Hopkinsville tradition
BY DAWN C. LIGIBEL, SPECIAL TO THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
Nearly 200 people visited the “little town of Bethlehem” on Friday, Dec. 13, during Sts. Peter and Paul’s third annual live nativity event. The event is dubbed “Nativity on Ninth” due to the parish’s location on 9th Street in Hopkinsville. Unfortunately, the weather was not conducive on Dec. 14, and the event was canceled due to heavy rain.
However, on Friday evening the weather was mild, and the event attracted parishioners, members from the community, and visitors from out of town. More than 50 parishioners from Sts. Peter and Paul participated as role players in costume throughout the event which took place from 6-8 p.m.
One of the parishioners dressed in costume was Fr. Christopher Kight, associate pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul. Fr. Kight portrayed one of the three kings and celebrated his birthday while handing out candy and cookies to the visitors.
Fr. Christopher Kight (right), associate pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul in Hopkinsville, portrays one of the three kings, with parishioners Franco Cincotti (left) and Pedro Rodriguez (center), during the parish’s third annual live nativity held on Dec. 13. COURTESY OF DAWN C. LIGIBEL
As guests approached the gate displaying the name of the town, they first encountered two Roman soldiers and a census taker. The census taker was responsible for handing out “coins” to be redeemed at the bakery and ensuring all visitors documented their visit on the “census” sign. Guests could see Mary and Joseph directly across town waiting in the stable under the star of Bethlehem where the baby Jesus laid in the manger.
Calvin the camel next to the stable also claimed much of the visitors’ attention as he does each year. In addition to Calvin, other live animals included a donkey named Diego, a Jacob ram, sheep, and goats.
Visitors also enjoyed their time in the synagogue learning about the Hebrew language from the rabbi, portrayed by Sts. Peter and Paul’s deacon, Dr. Bill Sweet. Another favorite stop was the bakery where visitors redeemed their “coins” for a free cup of hot chocolate and a sugar cookie. The sugar cookies were baked and donated by countless parishioners of the parish.
The remainder of town consisted of seven additional buildings, including a basket maker, guard tower, marketplace, candle maker, butcher, carpenter, and inn.
As with the previous two years, numerous additional parishioners assisted “behind the scenes” by helping to set up the town, clean up at the conclusion of the event that night, break down all the buildings, and provide traffic control to ensure safe passage for the visitors from the church parking lot to the live nativity.
Dawn C. Ligibel is a parishioner of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Hopkinsville.
Originally printed in the January 2025 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
