Church Nativity scene honours victims of gun massacres

DEDHAM, Mass. – A Catholic church in a Boston suburb is using its traditional Nativity scene to call attention to gun violence.

The display in front of St. Susanna’s Parish in Dedham, Massachusetts depicts the birth of Jesus, but lining the walls around Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus are hand-painted signs listing the country’s deadliest mass shootings and the number of people killed at each.

The list references 16 massacres including those in Columbine, Colorado; Newtown, Connecticut; Orlando, Florida, Virginia Tech, Charleston, South Carolina; Sutherland Springs, Texas and Las Vegas, Nevada.

A banner overhead quotes from the Gospel of Luke: “If only you knew the things that make for Peace.” The church said in its bulletin this week that the list serves as a “sobering reminder” to continue to work for peace.