REAL LIFE NATIVITY FOR EXPECTANT MOTHER MAURA
MUM PLAYING MARY IN CHRISTMAS FUNDRAISER 8 MONTHS PREGNANT
A heavily pregnant Mary accompanied by Joseph and his donkey will travel down the Main Street in Wexford on Christmas Eve in a simple recreation of the Nativity as a fundraiser for the Franciscan Friary and a reminder to everyone that Jesus is ‘ the reason for the season’.
Mary will be played by Maura O’Donoghue from The Ballagh who is actually pregnant and ready to give birth to her fourth child in January while Tomas Besanson, proprietor of Porter’s Bar in Killena and owner of Polly, the donkey, will be Joseph.
The couple will be accompanied by carol singers as they make their way from the Friary to Selskar Square and through North and South Main Street, beginning at 2 pm, holding a bucket collection along the way.
The Christmas event which will take place in rain, hail or shine is organised by members of the Catholic Family Network who meet in the Franciscan Friary in Wexford once a month and decided to give something back by raising funds for the Friary building repairs fund.
They staged a similar event last year but didn’t organise a collection and Maura also reprised Mary on that occasion. The mother of Aideen (4), Fionán (3) and Hugh (2) wasn’t pregnant at the time and was simply dressed up, with the help of a pillow, to look like she was expecting.
This time, she won’t need a pillow as she is really pregnant. She and her husband Gerald are expecting their fourth baby soon.‘I don’t need a pillow this year. I won’t be sitting on the donkey although I might have to lean on him a little bit,’ joked Maura who is hoping that people will give generously for the Friary.