St. Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal in Montreal has raised a few eyebrows this festive season, displaying a 21st century depiction of the birth of Jesus in its museum – complete with Joseph snapping a selfie, Mary drinking a Starbucks coffee and Segway-riding Three Wise Men bearing Amazon Prime boxes.
Take a closer look and you’ll also see other modern touches – including solar panels on the manger’s roof and a cow eating gluten-free feed – all being posted to social media by a shepherd.
Needless to say, not all the faithful are pleased, with some labelling the display blasphemous.
No silent night
Others just wanted to know where they could get one – and it turns out you can actually buy it.
The set – which is hand-crafted and hand-painted by a “real-life hipster” – was created by two Californian brothers in 2016 and has since sold thousands of sets.
“We wanted to make it more of a conversation piece. We wanted to make it something that people could laugh at,” co-creator Corey Wright told CTV Montreal.
The church, which displays around 1,000 Nativity scenes from over 100 countries, says the same.
“The museum is aware that the appearance of this creche has raised some concerns,” a sign next to it reads. “Far from being irreverent, this creche is intended to make us smile.”
We have to admit – it does perfectly encapsulate our modern lives. After all, if you don’t post your baby’s birth on Facebook, did it even happen?
