After a federal judge's decision blocked Concord High School from including a live Nativity in its Christmas Spectacular, an Elkhart school has taken over and is now hosting its own event.

The live nativity will now be at St. Thomas the Apostle Church and School on Main Street in Elkhart.

It's happening this Saturday from 6:30-9:30 p.m.

There will be almost 40 fourth through eighth graders from St. Thomas and Concord schools participating in full costume alongside live animals.

Each hour, a narrator will read the Gospel narrative of Christ’s birth. Students will be caroling, and the Marian High School Choir will perform at 9:10 p.m. inside the church.

Refreshments will be served inside the school.

The event is free and open to the public.





Judge rules Concord High School's live Nativity unconstitutional

Mar. 07, 2017

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) A federal judge says live Nativity scenes that Concord High School once staged during its annual holiday pageant violated the U.S. Constitution.

The Elkhart Truth reports the judge issued a ruling Monday in finding that Concord Community Schools' 2014 show and its originally planned 2015 show violated the First Amendment's Establishment Clause.

That provision bars governmental entities or schools from endorsing religion.

Federal Judge Jon DeGuilio in South Bend wrote that the live Nativity scene presented for 45 years at Concord High School with deeply religious imagery and content created an impermissible message of religious endorsement.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation sued the district in 2015, claiming the program was an endorsement of Christianity.

The district later switched to using mannequins to depict the Nativity scene.

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Information from: The Elkhart Truth, http://www.elkharttruth.com

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