EACH YEAR, USUALLY ON THE WEDNESDAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS
2024 PAGEANT: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 7–8:30 P.M., in person in the cathedral nave and livestreamed
In 2015, the leadership of Saint Mark's Cathedral formulated a vision of a new kind of Christmas pageant, bringing together the choirs and children of the community with costumes of cathedral finery, visual art displayed within cathedral architecture, and special instrumental accompaniment to reflect upon the Nativity of Christ as told in Holy Scripture.
Saint Mark's Pageant of the Nativity is not a re-enactment of a single event in history, but rather a reflection and meditation on a sacred story which has spoken to people around the world and across the ages. The hymns and carols sung by the assembly, and the anthems offered by the choirs, have ranged from medieval chant to 21st-century world premieres. The visual images of the pageant reference art spanning the centuries, from Byzantine icons through Renaissance masters to the Victorian age and beyond. So while the stable in Bethlehem certainly did not contain fine velvet and brocade, we clothe our pageant in the most beautiful finery the cathedral has to offer, in order that we might offer of our best to the Christ Child today. It is the hope that, each year, the readings from Holy Scripture, imagery, and music bring new insight into the coming of the Prince of Peace, the incarnation of God among us.
