ERIE, Pa. (AP) — A northwestern Pennsylvania church has finally received a German Nativity scene after a wait that lasted nearly a century.
The last of the hand-carved, gold-leaf pieces arrived earlier this month at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Erie. The Rev. Larry Richards tells The Erie Times-News the church had ordered a scene from Germany in the early 1900s, but it never arrived after World War I broke out.
Richards discovered a reference to the missing Nativity in a 1917 book written for the church's 50th anniversary. So he decided to look for one during a trip to Germany over the summer.
The set's 51 pieces range in cost from $300 to $2,900, but members of the parish needed just two weeks to come up with the money.
The figurine of Jesus is to be added to the scene Friday night.
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Information from: Erie Times-News, http://www.goerie.com
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