A group of South Side residents and members of Sacred Heart Catholic Church take part in Las Posadas celebration, nine days of prayer and procession leading to Christmas.
Celebrated in many Spanish-speaking communities, Las Posadas recalls Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter. On Dec. 19, the residents of this trailer park carry a Nativity scene from one home to another. When they arrive, they sing a song asking for shelter. Residents, hidden behind a curtain over the front door, sing back, denying them a place to stay.
Four times they ask and four times they are denied. The fifth time, the singers identify themselves as Joseph: “My wife is Mary, queen of heaven and she is going to be the mother of the divine word.” And with that, they’re allowed inside to pray around the crèche, which is left in the home until the next night’s procession.
Sacred Heart had several Las Posadas going on around the metro area. “It reminds us of what Mary and Joseph had to go through and teaches us more about our faith,” says Eduardo Sosa, 20.
