Texas church depicts Holy Family in cage wrapped in barbed wire in nativity display

A religion successful Texas is sparking statement aft erecting a nativity country that depicts Mary, Joseph and Jesus arsenic modern-day immigrants locked successful a metallic cage wrapped successful barbed wire.

Oak Lawn United Methodist Church successful Dallas acceptable up the show connected its beforehand steps, which are painted successful rainbow colors.

The show features silhouettes of the Holy Family lasting down a chain-link fence, with signs speechmaking "Holy is the refugee" and "Holy are the profiled and patrolled."

Inside the church, a 2nd installation features bare chairs, protest-style signs and a manger beneath a woody committee painted with "ICE WAS HERE." Additional signs wrong ask, "Where is Mary?", "Where is Joseph?", and "Where is Jesus?"

A Dallas religion acceptable up an outdoor nativity depicting the Holy Family down a chain-link obstruction to item migrant and exile issues. (Fox 4 Dallas)

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The religion announced the motorboat of the show connected Dec. 8, insisting it was sending a provocative and motivation connection to the community.

"Our nativity isn’t a photo-op. It’s a supplication successful the signifier of a family," the religion wrote connected Facebook.

"This year, we acceptable the Holy Family wrong the benignant of abstraction excessively galore folks slumber successful close present — tarps, fencing, harsh wire. Not for shock, but for truth."

The religion framed the country arsenic an ethical connection astir migrants and the unhoused. Church leaders said the show is meant to propulsion congregants to bespeak connected who is being near retired this Christmas season.

"If emotion came into the satellite done a household with nary country to stay, past each unhoused neighbour matters. Every migrant matters. Every household seeking information matters," the station reads.

Passers-by were receptive to the depiction and its messaging. 

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Oak Lawn United Methodist Church successful Dallas installed this nativity depicting the Holy Family down a obstruction connected its rainbow-painted steps arsenic portion of a migrant-themed vacation display. (Fox 4 Dallas)

"I deliberation it is simply a truly bully commentary connected the governmental issues astatine manus close present astatine the borderline and immigrants being arrested without owed process," said Sean Garman, who lives nearby.

"I deliberation it is simply a modern mentation of what the gospel says. Jesus was an migrant and a migrant," added Sarah Perkins, who besides lives successful the area.

Associate Pastor Isabel Marquez said the connection down the nativity was intentional.

"This taxable is sending a connection to everyone," Marquez told Fox 4 Dallas. "It is simply a mode to accidental what is simply a world happening present for galore people."

A Dallas religion created this immigration-themed nativity country with signs asking "Where is Mary?" and "Where is Joseph?" arsenic portion of its vacation display. (Fox 4 Dallas)

"We are called to beryllium capable to locomotion the travel unneurotic arsenic quality beings. It’s not saying bash much oregon bash less, conscionable dainty others arsenic you privation to beryllium treated," Marquez said.

It’s not the archetypal clip the religion has weighed successful connected governmental and societal issues.

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In October, the religion painted its steps successful the rainbow colors successful an enactment of solidarity with the LGBTQ assemblage aft Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered each rainbow-decorated crosswalks across the authorities to beryllium removed wrong 30 days oregon hazard losing indispensable backing from the state’s proscription department, per the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), a near helping media monitoring organization

In 2022, the religion defied a bishop and appointed 2 openly cheery pastors, according to Fox 4 Dallas.