A LAS POSADAS celebration went ahead in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, despite fears of raids by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) squads.
St Margaret’s Episcopal Church held the traditional celebration for the fourth year running, although it was reduced from the traditional nine nights to one.
The Rector, the Revd Tommy Dillon, said that the celebration was the church’s way of telling the migrant community in Baton Rouge that “You are not alone, and you are not forgotten.
“Mary and Joseph’s story is not just history: it’s happening right now for families who are looking for safety, families looking for housing, and people looking for welcome. Every time we open the door to someone who’s in need, we are welcoming the Christ-child himself,” he told the Episcopal News Service.
Las Posadas originated in Mexico more than 400 years ago, but is celebrated across Latin America. Through worship and drama, it re-enacts Mary and Joseph’s search for a safe place to stay in Bethlehem. Las Posadas translates from Spanish as “The inns”.
St Margaret’s serves many members of the Latino community in Baton Rouge through its La Mesa ministry, which offers language lessons and bilingual church services.
Raids spread to Baton Rouge from New Orleans in the weeks before Christmas, in an operation that Border Patrol called Operation Catahoula Crunch. More than 250 people were arrested in ten days.
About 51 per cent of Baton Rouge’s population are Black or African American, and about six per cent are Hispanic, according to data from the US Census Bureau. Ninety-five per cent of the population are US citizens.
Since the ICE crackdown, many members of the congregation of St Margaret’s have been staying at home in fear of arrest. The church has adapted by offering language classes on Zoom, and organising rotas of people to give lifts to church. The congregation are also supporting those who are now unable to go and find work, with food and rent.
The church posted on its Facebook page after: “What a joyful, holy night. Thank you to everyone who made our Las Posadas celebration such a beautiful experience — especially our kids (look at those stars!), our La Mesa family, and every person who cooked, set up, sang, welcomed, and cleaned up.
We didn’t just reenact the story tonight . . . we made room. ¡Gracias a todos!”