The Bethlehem Star
The Bethlehem Star is a 50-page e-magazine of historical fiction for the month of Jesus’ birth, a one-time-only publication of Scripture on Stage of Livonia, Michigan, with fictional 1st century Jewish reporters covering all the various Nativity stories from the Infancy Narratives of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, with a bunch of extra stories, sports, weather, letters to our readers, etc. to enhance the experience of immersion in the events and people of this time. It is written by John Dzwonkowski, M.A. Theology, former 9-year (college & grad school) seminarian with The Maryknoll Fathers of New York, retired Director of Religious Education for his own St. Priscilla Catholic Parish, and current Master Catechist with the Archdiocese of Detroit. John is also a Catholic playwright, having written, produced, and directed 25+ plays, primarily exploring the great variety of emotions, challenges, struggles, conflicts, and joys surrounding the ministry of Jesus, but especially the events of his birth, and then of his passion, death, and resurrection. John is also the co-founder of St. Priscilla's Movie & Drama Ministry; as well as his own theatrical venture of 30 years so far, Scripture on Stage; through which he performs live 60 and 90-minute theatrical productions of An Evening with Simon Peter, An Evening with St. Joseph, and Peter & Magdalen ...on Jesus, all for solely a Free Will Offering to various parishes throughout the Detroit Archdiocese, complete with myriad emotion-charged music, stage lighting, multiple props, and even a 14' tall Roman crucifix that is used by Peter to demonstrate how this was done by the Romans. John has also published through his Scripture on Stage a comparable fictional e-mag of 58 pages, The Jerusalem Star, supposedly published in Jerusalem of the 1st century on the Sunday evening of Jesus' resurrection. Here we again have a variety of fictional 1st century Jewish reporters covering the various events of Jesus' passion, death, and resurrection, but from their close-up point of view.
The Bethlehem Star is a 50-page e-magazine of historical fiction for the month of Jesus’ birth, a one-time-only publication of Scripture on Stage of Livonia, Michigan, with fictional 1st century Jewish reporters covering all the various Nativity stories from the Infancy Narratives of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, with a bunch of extra stories, sports, weather, letters to our readers, etc. to enhance the experience of immersion in the events and people of this time.
It is written by John Dzwonkowski, M.A. Theology, former 9-year (college & grad school) seminarian with The Maryknoll Fathers of New York, retired Director of Religious Education for his own St. Priscilla Catholic Parish, and current Master Catechist with the Archdiocese of Detroit. John is also a Catholic playwright, having written, produced, and directed 25+ plays, primarily exploring the great variety of emotions, challenges, struggles, conflicts, and joys surrounding the ministry of Jesus, but especially the events of his birth, and then of his passion, death, and resurrection.
John is also the co-founder of St. Priscilla's Movie & Drama Ministry; as well as his own theatrical venture of 30 years so far, Scripture on Stage; through which he performs live 60 and 90-minute theatrical productions of An Evening with Simon Peter, An Evening with St. Joseph, and Peter & Magdalen ...on Jesus, all for solely a Free Will Offering to various parishes throughout the Detroit Archdiocese, complete with myriad emotion-charged music, stage lighting, multiple props, and even a 14' tall Roman crucifix that is used by Peter to demonstrate how this was done by the Romans.
John has also published through his Scripture on Stage a comparable fictional e-mag of 58 pages, The Jerusalem Star, supposedly published in Jerusalem of the 1st century on the Sunday evening of Jesus' resurrection. Here we again have a variety of fictional 1st century Jewish reporters covering the various events of Jesus' passion, death, and resurrection, but from their close-up point of view.
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The Bethlehem Star
Pg. XXIX
Unusual Births Cited by
Local Midwife!
by Elizabeth of Sepphoris
“I have
been bringing Our
Father’s children
into the world for
most of my life
now, some XL
years already—
may He be praised
for the gift of
longevity He
brings me—and
never have we had
a birthing season like this!”
Those were the words of Josephina Bullfinkel, easily
the most popular midwife in all of Bethlehem, renowned as
she is for her warm hands and cool head. As busy and harried
as she is, we were lucky to catch up with her as she finally
stopped to take a moment’s rest after helping bring to life a
newborn baby ox.
“I didn't know that you worked with animals too,
Josephine,” I said to her.
“Ugh, don't get me started on the animal births in
this town. I tell you, something’s up with this star up there
that won’t let me sleep at night. It’s so bright, y’know!"
“Oh I’m sorry to hear that. But has it also kept you
busy?” I asked her.
“Busy? Busy is not the word!” she said to me.
“Every day now brings something new, …for ME, after
a lifetime of this! I’m not used to NEW!”
“What could be new to YOU?” I asked her.
“Unbelievable. My own lazy donkey Petunia
finally got herself, uh—excuse me, ‘filled with the
spirit’ last year at this time—and so she picks last night
to finally give birth. And I gotta tell you, I had long ago
given up on that ever happening. Never did I think I would
someday be pulling a baby out of my own ass.”
“I see,” I told her. “And how about people? Are
people calling on you more during these cold months now
too?”
“Oy.” she says to me. “Maybe people stayed inside a
lot during those horrendous rains we had this past Spring. So
let’s face it, how long can anyone just keep on
sewing, ...really?”
She tells this reporter that, while the number
of births has been way up, more remarkable were the
unusual circumstances surrounding so many of them.
“We had III sets of twins in II days—Yahweh
be praised—and not a single stillborn all month. That
is a blessing. That census nonsense has brought so
many visitors to our town that people are giving birth
wherever they can make do.”
“There is a rumor,” I reminded her, “of a
possible king to be born here. Have you seen
anything like that?” I asked Josephina.
“That’s ridiculous!” she told me. “If royalty
was to be born anywhere near Bethlehem, you can be
sure that I would be the one they would call! And
I’ve seen nothing like that around here!
People are having babies in hotel rooms
these days—what a shame, is it not? In fact, the
worst one I heard of—I was not present for this one,
thank my stars—was some young girl from Nazareth,
I hear, who gave birth to her first child in a stable.
Can you imagine?
Royalty? I don’t think so!” she said.
Remember,
it’s Hanukkah! Don’t
forget your mother!
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