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Journey to Bethlehem pageant suffers break-in, loses props and other equipment

Annual pageant about the birth of Jesus Christ has been hosted in Fort Assiniboine for 23 years
jtb-roman-solider
Prakash Raju stands on guard as a Roman solider in a production of Journey to Bethlehem in Fort Assiniboine. The annual pageant is a community effort requiring many volunteers, and many of the props and costumes they use have been donated over the years by supporters.

FORT ASSINIBOINE – The volunteers who put on the annual Journey to Bethlehem pageant in Fort Assiniboine have been left wondering how they will replace some crucial props and other equipment that were taken by thieves earlier this month. 

It was recently posted to Facebook that a storage unit used for costumes and props in the Journey to Bethlehem pageant had been broken into. 

Catherine Ann Prociuk, a facilitator with the Fort Assiniboine and Friends Christian Community, said they noticed on April 5 that a green storage trailer on the same property as the St. John Vianney Catholic Church had been broken into, with thieves removing the lock using a hacksaw. 

The stolen items include a whip; six swords, six helmets, six sword-sheaths and six shields used by the Roman soldiers; two combination locks; a yellow plastic storage tote with a black lid; two propane stoves; an electric blanket; a converter used to transfer power from a battery to power lights; four boxes of hand and foot warmers; and an antique blue trunk. 

Incidentally, thieves had also broken into an overflow on the same property as the church, but they didn’t seem interested in anything stored in there. 

While some of these items can be replaced, the theft of the props in particular is a huge loss, as “these are essential and vital to the play,” said Prociuk. 

Furthermore, these items had been donated to the production over the years by various individuals, some of whom are no longer around. 

“To replace some of those things may cost a whole lot more now,” said Judy Bradley, another facilitator of the production. “How are we going to get the money to replace those things?” 

For the past 23 years, a group of dedicated volunteers known as the Fort Assiniboine and Friends Christian Community has staged the Journey to Bethlehem production, which told the story of the birth of Christ. 

The pageant has been held every year except for 2020, when the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced a temporary cancellation. 

As pointed out by Bradley, many people take in the pageant as part of their Christmas celebrations. 

"It’s something that affects everybody, because for so many people in the community, this was their go-to thing for Christmas,” she said. “And now, we’re sort of at a loss, because we have to replace all these things.” 

Prociuk noted that this is not the first time the production has been hit by thieves; following the first production they put on after COVID, someone broke into their storage and stole a couple of swords and sheaths, along with a 50-foot blue electrical cord. 

Prociuk said that if someone was in great enough need that they had to steal these pageant items, they should have approached the group and asked for assistance. 

As it stands right now, “we’ll keep them in our prayers,” she said. 

Anyone who has any information regarding this theft is asked to contact the Barrhead RCMP at (780) 674-4848.

Kevin Berger, TownandCountryToday.com

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