St. Brigid Roman Catholic Church of Westbury's presepio display has been drawing visitors for 33 years

In early November, a small group of volunteers gathers at St. Brigid Roman Catholic Church in Westbury to begin a painstaking process: In the north transept of the church, built in 1916, they begin unpacking and assembling thousands of figures into a Nativity scene unlike any on Long Island.

Known as the presepio — an Italian Nativity scene — the display has been an annual tradition since 1991, drawing not only parishioners but visitors from far and wide.

“I think there’s some beautiful Nativity scenes at a lot of churches, but this one is special,” said Deacon Frank Pesce on Saturday before he performed a young girl’s baptism.

More than 3,000 pieces, most handmade in Leece, Italy, are carefully laid out to bring the viewer on a tour from modern Westbury to Naples and on to Bethlehem, where Jesus is born.

At the start, a massive replica of St. Brigid, including its stained glass windows, greets viewers before the scene transforms into an Italian town, “a very ordinary town filled with people going about their daily chores with no idea of the great event about to occur,” according to a two-page guide the church provides.

A procession with Mary and Joseph on a donkey is steadily moved each day until settling on Christmas under a tree decorated with angels for the birth of Jesus, Pesce said.

The presepio is meant “to be inspirational,” he said, and “it’s supposed to be our own journey and everyday life.”

St. Francis of Assisi in 1223 created the first Nativity scene and the tradition has become common in Christian culture, according to the church.

Parishioner Jay Bush, of Westbury, coordinates the church's presepio. He said the "angel tree," decorated with 26 angels and 30 cherubs, was modeled after one on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

He said the process to assemble the display begins on Election Day and concludes the day after Thanksgiving. A core group of about 12 people, “very dedicated” and “talented,” he said, carefully place each figure in a precise location.

“I love doing it,” Bush said. “It’s an act of love, if you want to call it that.”

Bush began volunteering more than 20 years ago and said his “crafty and handy” nature made him a natural fit to help. About six or seven years ago he inherited the lead role from his mentor, who was moving upstate, he said.

The presepio will remain on display through Jan. 10, when the process of packing all the figures back into storage begins.

About a dozen visitors who signed a registration book at the end of the presepio left comments such as “beautiful,” “stunning” and “inspiring and peaceful.”

Laura Digirolamo, of Hicksville, visited the church Saturday just to see the display. She recalled visiting St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan several years ago and said while the Nativity scene there was “beautiful,” it didn’t include as many pieces or the level of detail as St. Brigid's.

“This is really very authentic,” she said. “And it tells a lot about the way it was back in the day.”

By Joe Werkmeister

joe.werkmeister@newsday.com

Joe Werkmeister covers the towns of Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.

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