“The Spirit of Christmas” Offers Delightful Day at McGivney Pilgrimage Center

Archdiocese News | November 19, 2025

This patterned artwork of the Holy Family from Nicaragua is made of mahogany wood and polychrome. PHOTO BY AARON JOSEPH

Story by Shelley Wolf

If your family is looking for a way to make the Christmas season more meaningful and joyful, the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center in New Haven offers a free, faith-filled and fun outing.

This year the museum, operated by the Knights of Columbus, is inviting visitors to “The Spirit of Christmas” exhibit now through Feb. 1, 2026. The exhibit features crèches and other artwork from around the globe celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. In addition, this year the exhibit highlights traditions and feast days cherished throughout the Christmas season.

“This year’s exhibit is not just about Christmas. It talks about the Advent season all the way through to Candlemas,” says Bethany J. Sheffer, curator and registrar of the museum. “Other feast days connected to the season include St. Nicholas, St. Lucia, the Holy Family and the Epiphany.”

This year’s exhibit also offers an interactive Advent calendar. “We’ve built a larger-than-life Advent calendar. You can open some of its doors,” Sheffer says. “On Dec. 20, when you open the door, you might get a prize.”

The Advent calendar measures 8 feet tall and 20 feet wide. “It’s big and exciting. When you open the doors, it lights up. It’s the first thing you see,” she adds.

Visitors will also be greeted in the entrance hall by a decorated tree with a French nativity tucked underneath its branches. “Our French nativity is a personal favorite,” Sheffer says. “It’s surrounded by poinsettias and is very pretty.”

This peasant crèche with animals from Mougères, France, is created from dolomite stone, resin and polychrome. PHOTO BY AARON JOSEPH

Among 50 crèches and works of art in adjoining rooms, visitors will find some new nativities this year from Australia, Germany and Denmark. “The Australian creche is a simple wood carved piece but, with that, we now have nativities from six out of seven continents,” Sheffer says.

This round and colorful nativity from Japan is crafted in polychrome and wood. PHOTO BY AARON JOSEPH

Other intriguing crèches include one from Haiti made of coconut shells. “One of my favorites is the Three Kings,” Sheffer adds. “It’s Spanish and is porcelain with figures 18 inches tall. They are beautiful. They’re at the very end of the exhibit.”

A second exhibit, “Away in a Manger,” includes the crèche of St. Mary Church set in 19th-century New Haven – in the era of Blessed Michael McGivney.

This exhibit also incorporates the Neapolitan crèche, an annual favorite, which is large enough to encompass three main structures and 150 animal figures. “There’s a turtle I move around every year,” Sheffer says. “People can try to find him.”

Additionally, visitors are invited to free weekend events: Tempus Adventus Concert, a choral concert by Canticum Novum, Nov. 30 at 2 p.m.; St. Nicholas Day with live music from Craig Calistro and the Christmas Tree Festival decorated by 20 Connecticut Catholic schools, Dec. 6 from 12 to 3 p.m.; the Advent Calendar Giveaway, Dec. 20; and Christmastime Family Day with live music from Joyful Noise, Dec. 28 from 12 to 3 p.m.

Before You Go

Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center, at 1 State St., New Haven, is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission and parking below the museum are free. For more information and the complete schedule of events, call 203.865.0400 or visit online at michaelmcgivneycenter.org.