For the first time in BSM history, a creche is displayed in the front of the school. Brian Aubrey, BSM Maintenance Supervisor, brought the idea to Campus Minister Mike Jerimiah last Spring, and they immediately went to President Dr. Adam Ehrmantraut and Principal Skinner for approval. 

Aubrey has created nine creches over the years. In doing so, he hopes to remind people of the true meaning of Christmas: Jesus’ birth. “I started back when my daughter was in fourth grade. I built one for her elementary school, Providence Academy, and I’ve been building them ever since,” Aubrey said. 

This project was not light work; Aubrey spent around one hundred hours designing and creating the creche that’s displayed outside BSM’s main entrance. “I have to come up with a design first, and then I draw it out. Then, I start building the structure. I also have to figure out how to be able to take it apart to be stored. Once the structure’s all done, I wrap everything with old fence wood,” Aubrey said. 

BSM extends its gratitude to Dean Laird, BSM Director of Facilities, and his wife Sandy for their donation of the figures of Joseph, Mary, Jesus, and the three wise men. “The figures come to us from St. Patrick’s Guild in St. Paul whose staff have been long-time supporters of all that we are at BSM. We are blessed in so many ways here,” Jeremiah said. 

Aubrey has created a creche for Providence Academy, Holy Family, St. Paul Seminary, his dad, two for his house, and two for his friends. This year, BSM has been lucky enough to receive a new design that has never been done before. “BSM’s creche is different from the rest because the peak of the roof is centered, where a lot of the others have been off-centered. This one also has a little front roof and a little fence around the front for added detail,” Aubrey said. 

Thanks to the generosity of Aubrey, the Laird family, and all those who made this project come to life, BSM can further display its faith. “This creche is truly a symbol of God’s Promise fulfilled in the sending of His Son,” Jeremiah said.