Blessing Ceremony for the 2021 Christmas Manger and Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

- Embodying our love and sacrifice for each other to ride out the COVID-19 storm -

▲ Blessing of the manger in 2021 and Christmas tree lighting (December 1)

Led by Rev. Kim Min-hoe, the “Blessing Ceremony for the 2021 Christmas Manger and Lighting Ceremony of the Christmas Tree” was held in Albatross Tower Plaza at 6 p.m. Wednesday, December 1.

Every year in December, the Campus Ministry of Affairs installs a manger with a reproduction of the stable of Bethlehem where Baby Jesus was born to convey the joy and significance of Christmas. In 2014, the manger portrayed “Pain and Sorrow of the Sewol Ferry Tragedy.” In 2019, the manger delivered a message of “Consolation and Peace In Memory of Comfort Women.” Moreover, it was in 2020 when a special manger with a media art piece, titled “A Night for Life” was installed to convey condolences and hope to people living in the COVID-19 era. The Christmas manger which is set up every year to incorporate new concepts and reflect contemporary issues has established itself as a symbol of Sogang as well as a landmark of Sinchon with an artistic theme.

▲ Award ceremony for the 2021 Manger Theme Contest (December 1)

For 2021, a contest with participants from Sogang students, alumni, and faculty was held and the theme of the manger was chosen to be “Love to Ride Out the Storm”. The competition took place over a two-week period, from October 13 to 27 under the theme of “the significance of Christmas and its message to our society,” with Sogang members from all walks of life competing for the top spot. The first-place winner Lee Seong-min (Life Sciences, ’14) noted, “I believe the love and sacrifice of all people living in this age will serve as the symbol for riding out the storm of the COVID-19 pandemic and enable us to move forward with our lives, just like the love of Jesus Christ for humanity.”

He expressed his thoughts by saying, “Jesus Christ’s love for all who have sinned brings light to our tenacity, love, and sacrifice for one another in order to weather the COVID-19 crisis. Witnessing numerous confirmed cases, medical staff taking care of patients and neighbors coming together in solidarity to contain the spread of COVID-19, I have come to hope that their love and sacrifice will lead us to the end of this long tunnel.”

The manger for 2021 will be on display through the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on Sunday, January 9, 2022, which marks the end of the Christmas season in the Catholic liturgical calendar.

▲ Manger for 2021 Christmas Nativity Scene