Dedham Church Nativity Scene Includes Mass Shooting Stats

DEDHAM, MA — A Dedham church is turning heads with their nativity scene which includes some chilling statistics.

Behind baby Jesus at the St. Susanna's Parish nativity scene is a list of some of the deadliest mass shootings in the country's history, along with the number of fatalities from each incident. They include the 13 killed in 1999's Columbine High School shooting in Colorado, the 2009 Birmingham, New York shooting which resulted in 14 deaths, 2016's Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando where 49 people died, and shootings from this year including the 58 fatally shot at a concert in Las Vegas and 26 killed at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. The display does not include the the others that were injured in each incident.

Above the display is a Christmas reef and a sign that reads, "If you only knew the things that make for peace."

The display, which went up last weekend, is meant to get people to start a conversation about stopping gun violence, Father Stephen Josoma told WFXT.

Pat Ferrone, who helped work on the scene, told NBC Boston that it's another way to consider the meaning of Christmas.

"If Jesus taught one thing, it's non-violence. It's the clearest of his teaching," she said.

Those who worked on the nativity scene know it's not going to be popular with everyone, but they hope that people will realize you have to work for peace if you want it.

Image Credit: Dan Libon