In the Holy Family’s Footsteps

Dec. 1, 2022

Texas Knights bring Posada gifts and cheer to a homeless encampment near Austin

By Fred Afflerbach

Dec. 1, 2022

Knights and family members representing the Holy Family and the Magi sing Christmas carols during a Posada celebration at a homeless encampment in Austin, Texas. Deacons Tim Daheim, Juan de Dios Villarreal and Jesus Guerra (left to right) played the role of the Three Wise Men. (Photo by Spirit Juice Studios)

Imagine living in a tent or shack made from salvaged plywood and ratty tarps during Christmastime. A cold rain is falling. A north wind chills the air. Because of recent water line construction, the parking lot where you’re sleeping is a quagmire.

Imagine, then, a procession of men, women and children dressed in costumes of first-century Bethlehem slogging through mud puddles to your tent. Mary rides a burro; Joseph walks at her side. Shepherds follow with a flock of sheep and three Magi with a camel in tow. Now imagine your arms full of gifts: food, bedding, shirts and socks.

This was the experience of the men and women living in Camp Esperanza, a large homeless encampment in Austin, Texas, one day last winter. On Dec. 18, 2021, a group of families brought the Hispanic tradition of the Posada to the community, singing carols and delivering presents as they re-enacted Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter before the birth of Christ (posada is Spanish for “inn” or “shelter”). Introduced by Spanish Franciscan missionaries in the 16th century, this traditional Advent celebration is popular in Mexico, other parts of the Latin America, and the southwestern United States.

Knights of Columbus councils have been organizing Posada celebrations for years to help their parishes and communities prepare for Christmas. The Posada at Camp Esperanza, which involved Knights from across Central Texas, was also an opportunity to reach out to the peripheries in a spirit of charity, said its organizer, Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez.

“There is a special grace that God provides to the people who participate in a Posada,” said Deacon Rodriguez, a member of St. Mary Cathedral Council 14055 in Austin. “We prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ by giving to others.”

Deacon Rodriguez is a former associate director of diaconal formation for the Diocese of Austin, which has held a Posada at various locations around Austin for several years.

About 30 men, most of them Knights, participated in the celebration at Camp Esperanza.

Three of the K of C deacons dressed in capes and crowns, representing the Three Wise Men. Other Knights brought their kids to play the roles of Mary, Joseph, shepherds and angels. Mary rode a real donkey and the shepherd boys herded real sheep, all hired from a local private zoo. A handler brought up the rear with a loud but friendly camel named Milo.

Deacon Juan de Dios Villarreal, who played the part of Balthazar, said the Posada was a good example of Knights evangelizing through their actions.

A resident of Camp Esperanza hugs Deacon Guerra after receiving a gift from the Posada participants. (Photo by Spirit Juice Studios)

“This is a way for the Knights to keep Christ in Christmas. It’s very easy to talk about what Christmas is … and what we should be doing. But this is putting it into action,” said Deacon Villarreal, a member of St. Margaret Mary Council 7600 in Cedar Park. “Meeting people where they are and trying to take care of their needs — letting them know Christ is about love and showing love to others — this is what the Knights are all about.”

As the procession worked its way through the soggy encampment, both the Texas sky and everyone’s spirits brightened. Two residents, touched by the visitors’ generosity, dug into their meager possessions to show appreciation. One ducked into his tent and returned with an umbrella, which he gave to a teenage boy. Another man gave a Knight and his son two baseball gloves.

“He said, ‘I want y’all to play catch together,’” said Joseph Pettibon, member of Col. Walter Parsons Council 3205 in College Station, whose daughter played the role of Mary. “We’re coming out here giving gifts to others — and they’re giving gifts back to us.”

After the biblical characters and their entourage had finished visiting the tents and other shelters, they gathered under a carport and sang “Little Drummer Boy” and other Christmas carols.

Deacon Rob Embry, a member of Father Michael J. McGivney Council 5967 in Austin, as well as an associate director of diaconal formation for the diocese, hoped that the Posada would bring all who participated closer to Christ.

“Christmas isn’t just about parties and big fancy gifts and dressing up. It’s about caring for those among us who don’t have what they need to live day-to-day,” he said. “That connects us with Jesus and his poverty, and his mother and foster father, Joseph, literally having to walk the streets to find a place to give birth.”

*****

FRED AFFLERBACH is a freelance journalist and a member of St. Margaret Mary Council 7600 in Cedar Park, Texas.

Students and staff members of Holy Innocents School stand before custom-printed fencing screens donated by Msgr. John Cawley
Council 3629 in Lakewood, Calif., in 2022. The screens provide much-needed privacy to the playground of the school, which is
located in a busy urban neighborhood in Long Beach.

In the Holy Family’s Footsteps

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