Hundreds from the Madison area flocked to the State Capitol building in Madison on the evening of December 3 to see the 99th annual Capitol Christmas Pageant.
The event, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Madison West, was highlighted by volunteers from Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish and Edgewood High School of the Sacred Heart, both located in Madison.
Volunteers from Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, coordinated by Cheryl Horne, served as actors in the pageant and portrayed scenes from the New Testament Nativity narrative.
Vocalists from Edgewood High School joined other singers from the Madison community and aided in singing the carols which accompanied the Nativity scenes.
Faithfully gathering in a secular space
Tradition notwithstanding, the significance of seeing Christ in a secular space is what makes attending the Capitol Christmas Pageant particularly special each year.
At this year’s pageant, the “Gloria Patri” was sung as a clear beginning to the Nativity scenes. What followed were scenes from the New Testament and each scene was accompanied by a carol.
Scenes included the Annunciation, accompanied by “Ave Maria”; Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem, accompanied by “A Gallery Carol”; the visit of the shepherds, accompanied by “Slumber Song of the Infant Jesus”; the appearance of angels, accompanied by “Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light”; the visit of the Three Kings, accompanied by “O Holy Night”; and others. The final scene was reflective — Mary and Jesus alone in the manger scene, accompanied by “Silent Night”.
The volunteers from Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish also made the pageant special, and three young volunteers, Isabella Baldo, Gabriel Apodaca, and Wendy Merrick, shared their experience as actors in this year’s pageant.
Isabella Baldo
Isabella Baldo, a sophomore in high school, portrayed the Blessed Mother in this year’s Capitol Christmas Pageant. This was Baldo’s second year participating in the pageant and her second year portraying Mary.
While in middle school, Baldo was Baptized and fully initiated into the Catholic Church, so portraying Mary has special significance to her and she feels connected to Mary in a small way.
She said, “God asked Mary to be the mother of Jesus, just like he asked me to join the Faith,” and “I’m really blessed that I was able to play Mary.”
Baldo’s favorite scene was the last scene with “Silent Night”. There, Baldo held Jesus alone to close the production. “I thought that was a really intimate and beautiful scene,” she said.
Baldo enjoys “being with everyone and being able to perform the story of Jesus’ birth”. As a musician herself, “I love the music and that might be my favorite thing about it.”
Reflecting on the pageant, Baldo said, “It’s such a fun and great opportunity and I encourage any young high school or middle school student to do it, and I encourage everyone to go see it. It’s really important to remember why we have Christmas, which is Jesus’ birth.
“I think this is a great way to share the Nativity story because it involves the whole community,” she continued.
Gabriel Apodaca
Gabriel Apodaca, who played Joseph and is a sophomore in high school, participated in his first Capitol Christmas Pageant.
Originally volunteering for the role of Gabriel, Apodaca was asked to be Joseph.
The scenes featuring the Holy Family were dispersed between scenes featuring angels, shepherds, and the Three Kings. Between scenes, Apodaca returned backstage and said he particularly enjoyed “being able to listen to and see parts of the other scenes.” “Backstage it was very nice to hear the choir. I really enjoyed that.”
While it was challenging, “my favorite scene was walking the donkey,” said Apodaca. “It was interesting trying to figure out the best way to balance because of the awkward pose position I had,” Apodaca added.
A few years ago, Apodaca’s older brother volunteered in the pageant, so continuing the family’s participation is particularly special to Gabriel. He said, “It’s nice that now I have the opportunity to share the [Nativity] story with other people, when I used to be the one listening.”
Wendy Merrick
Wendy Merrick, a junior in high school, played the part of a dome angel in this year’s pageant. Merrick, who has volunteered twice before, has been a dome angel each year.
To play this part, Merrick and other dome angels dress in white, are escorted to the dome catwalk far above the rotunda floor, and begin the pageant — holding trumpets while “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing” is performed by the choir and brass ensemble down below.
Merrick said, “I think the Madison capitol [building] is one of the best capitols there is. It is just so pretty. The fact that I get to be up in a part where people don’t usually get to go, in the dome, is so cool. It’s such a different perspective of the capitol [building] too, and it’s so special to me.”
Merrick, who started volunteering for the pageant while preparing for Confirmation, enjoys sharing the Christmas message with the Madison community.
She said, “I’ve grown up going to Catholic schools, so knowing about Jesus’ birth has been normal to me. But as I’ve grown up, I’ve met people outside of the school. I’m so surprised that they don’t even know who Jesus is. I think sharing this amazing message is a very fun experience.”
Besides sharing the message of Jesus’ birth with the community, Merrick makes a point to share this message with her fellow students.
“Every year I’ve brought a different friend and every year they’ve loved participating. I like experiencing the pageant with a different person I love each year,” Merrick added.
The Capitol Christmas Pageant is an annual ecumenical event and brings together the community of faithful in celebration of the season of Advent. Next year, the pageant will celebrate its 100th anniversary.