For 31 years volunteers from area parishes - who refer to themselves as the God Squad - have set up the Nativity scene each year around the start of Advent. This recreation of the scene of the birth of Jesus has been the sole religious expression of Christmas on a government plaza in downtown Chicago for over three decades. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the final order, issued in January 1990, protecting religious freedom and allowing the downtown Chicago Christmas Nativity to continue.
Aria Woodman from Wadsworth waves goodbye to the baby Jesus after visiting the Nativity scene on Nov. 28.
Photo: Karen Callaway / Catholic New World