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Christmas tree
lighting ceremony
November 28, 2007
4:30 p.m. in front of the Arches

Come and see the UST Christmas tree
lighting ceremony.
Hot chocolate and cookies provided!
Join the University of St. Thomas community for
its 11th annual Christmas tree- and crèche-lighting ceremony on
Wednesday, Nov. 28.
The ceremony also will feature music and readings
to herald the holiday season. The outdoor ceremony begins at 4:30
p.m. near the St. Paul campus’ landmark Summit Avenue arches, and a
reception follows with hot chocolate and holiday treats for all.
Thousands of outdoor Christmas lights again will
brighten the St. Paul campus this year. The Nativity scene atop the
university’s Summit Avenue arches has a history spanning more than
50 years. The present scene with lighted statues is a relatively
recent acquisition compared to the tradition of a Christmas crèche
on campus.
As long ago as 1948, campus clubs erected an
outdoor Nativity scene for public enjoyment. About that time, Dr.
Hugo Reny, a Vienna-born assistant professor of psychology,
fashioned flat, hand-painted, plywood figures that were once
displayed on the quad.
In 1950, a log-wall stage some eight feet high and
five feet wide was constructed for the scene, which then was
displayed on the veranda of Aquinas Hall. That display has since
been replaced with more elaborate and lighted statues, and the
Physical Plant staff erects the crèche where the entire community
can see and enjoy it: on top of the landmark arches. |