Holy Name Cathedral has invited us to partner with them in something that is new for both of us—a posada. The word “posada” in Spanish means “an inn” or a “resting place.” It is a ritual reenactment of Mary and Joseph’s search for lodging that first Christmas. It is widely celebrated throughout Latin America and has become more common in the United States. Evidence indicates that the Posada originated with Augustinian Friars, who had established a community just outside of Mexico City in the sixteenth century. The Aztec people of Mexico held a festival for the winter solstice (December 21) to honor their god. Posadas were a way of reimagining this celebration to focus on the birth of Christ.

In its most complete form, there are nine posadas for each of the nine days before Christmas. The ritual parallels the Advent novena practiced widely around the world. Each night two individuals dress as Mary and Joseph and a procession forms. After being refused entrance at several homes, Mary and Joseph finally meet an “innkeeper” who invites everyone in for food and music. A different family home hosts the pilgrims each night. While posadas originated in Mexico, a similar set of customs and practices can be found throughout Latin America. In Columbia and Ecuador, for example, families and neighbors gather for the nine evenings before Christmas, to pray, sing, and share foods in what is called the Aguinaldo. Overseas in the Philippines, the Christmas novena is called Simbang Gabi. Catholics in rural areas would attend Mass very early in the morning (between 3:00 and 5:00am) before going to work in the fields as sunrise. Food and drink were shared in the evenings. And, of course, going back to the early days of the Church, on the seven days before Christmas, the O Antiphons are sung as part of the Divine Office (the psalms and prayers recited by priests and vowed religious and now increasingly prayed by the laity. The O Antiphons are addressed to Christ under his various titles: O Wisdom, O Lord, O Root of Jesse, O Key of David, O Rising Sun, O King of the Nations, and O Emmanuel (God with us). These are all ways in which people of faith around the world prepare their heart and soul for the coming of Christ.  

In today’s world posadas often give witness to desire of so many for shelter after fleeing their homeland out of fear of violence, political persecution, or economic necessity. It does not take much of a leap of the imagination to see a connection between the plight of Mary and Joseph looking for shelter and the plight of migrants today looking for shelter or the plight of many of the unhoused who have applied for housing.  In our country we have a poorly pasted together immigration policy that is full of inconsistencies, that is subject to the whims of politicians, and which often divides families. In Chicago we have seen migrants and refugees in Texas bused here to make a political statement. Yet Congress remains reluctant to undertake comprehensive immigration reform. For the past nineteen years, the Archdiocese has sponsored a Posada for Immigration Reform in the South Loop. This year’s event took place on Friday December 13.It began at the Immigration Services Center on Ida B Wells, passed the Metropolitan Correction Center, DePaul University, and Federal Plaza, and concluded at Old St. Patrick’s.

Our posada honors the memory of St. Frances Cabrini, patroness of immigrants, who worked in our neighborhood when it was populated by Italian immigrants, who prayed in Assumption Church, and who founded Assumption School. Our posada will leave from the front of Holy Name Cathedral at 2:30pm next Saturday December 21. Mary and Joseph will be “turned away” at Catholic Charities and at the old Assumption School on Eire Street, now a condominium building. However, they will be welcomed into the Parish Hall at Assumption, when they arrive at about 3:15pm. There will be eating and drinking and socializing, as we prepare once more to welcome the Christ child. Organizers of the posada ask that participants bring some hot chocolate to share.

 Each these last days before Christmas, I invite you to step away from the busyness and business of the season and spend a few hours on Saturday afternoon giving witness to your faith. It will not only pull you back into the meaning of the season but will also allow you to experience just a little taste of what the original Christmas was like.

                                                                Fr. Joe