It’s a Presepio, said the Very Rev. Frank Scornaienchi, T.O.R., of Mount Carmel. It is a 20-year tradition in the making.

The word “presepio,” meaning Nativity scene, comes from the Latin verb praesepire, which means to enclose, to hedge, to fence. “It’s like a theater. … You have scenery and everything,” Scornaienchi said.

Mount Carmel’s scene depicts “Jesus being born into the world. He is one of us.”

A manger scene is often a nice and neat display of the Nativity, but a presepio shows that the world didn’t stand still for the birth of Jesus.

The scene is filled with a variety of people and a lot of animals. It shows that Jesus “was born into the world and the world continues doing what it does,” Scornaienchi said.

The church’s display came into being in 1999, he said, noting that the church purchased the buildings, including the bakery that lights up, from Brother Mark McBride and his crew who built the set at Saint Francis University.

The figures of the main characters are Fontanini, a maker of Italian Nativities. “We have every piece,” Scornaienchi said, noting that donations given in a box next to the presepio have allowed the church to purchase the pieces over the years and complete the set.

But perhaps the most unique and heartfelt part of the presepio is the “other” pieces added by parishioners.

It may be an Italian scene, but at its core, it speaks to everyone because so many members of the church family have added pieces over the years.

There is an angel from a parishioner who has now gone on to meet Jesus, Scornaienchi said. There are “things from all over the world, including China, Italy and the Dominican Republic.”

There are three working water fountains, quite a few deer and a variety of birds nestled in the hay. There is also at least one polar bear and a dolphin, too, along with dogs and cats, rabbits and more.

“One little guy told me ‘there are no polar bears,” Scornaienchi said. He replied that no, he didn’t see any.

“Next week, one showed up,” he said with a grin.

It’s those unexpected additions that are quite delightful, as it brings the congregation together and keeps the scene active and ever changing.

Parishioners “want something from the family to be a part of this,” Scornaienchi said, indicating the vast layout that takes up the area at the Saint Anthony Altar, to the left at the front of the church. For the few weeks it is set up, Saint Anthony is hidden behind a curtain, which is the backdrop of the scene.

The setup is a fun undertaking, with parishioners putting up the platforms and the buildings the Monday after Thanksgiving. That’s followed by the electrician wiring everything up and then, over the course of about 2 hours a day for a week, other volunteers unwrapping the more than 2,000 pieces and carefully setting the scene. It’s those fruits and vegetables — all individual pieces — that takes some extra patience, Scornaienchi and James Dengler said. One wrong move and the carefully stacked veggies will slide off the shelf and have to be reset.

Dengler, the church’s director of music, said he helps each year because it really is fun. This year, he set up the pottery area, located at the back of the scene.

The back area is the first to be set up and includes the star, wise men and camels on the top level. The pottery, fruits and vegetables can be found at the mid-level. The scene flows down and out from there. Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus are in the manger to the left, while the bakery oven and bread is to the right. The middle ground includes a vast assortment of Fontanini pieces interspersed with donated items and plastic pieces from the church’s old Nativity set.

The middle area is easily accessible to little hands, Scornaienchi said, and that’s just fine.

“Kids enjoy it. They pick up the pieces. They talk to them,” he said with an easy smile, noting some parents worry about the kids playing with the pieces, but to him, that’s what makes the scene even more special — items get moved all the time; it’s definitely a fluid set up.

The scene has become a living legacy, so to speak, for families, as items that are donated are often signed and dated. When a loved one passes away, the piece remains with the display. Then, each year, family and friends can look for the piece and remember their loved ones.

Dengler and Scornaienchi said there is room to expand as more pieces are added, either by individuals and families bringing in items or if Fontanini comes out with more figures.

There are also “a couple of empty boxes just in case” more items are brought in, Scornaienchi said.

Jeff Benz, who also helped to set up the presepio, said he feels the display “is pretty. Father does a nice job.”

“This parish has a lot of talented people,” Scornaienchi said.

In a happy accident, this year it looks like all the people and animals are moving toward Jesus. “It has a visual flow” that way, Dengler said.

And, when the display is on and the church is quiet, “you can hear the fire crackle” in the bakery, Scornaienchi said.

The public is invited to view the presepio through Jan. 5, he said. After that day, volunteers will again descend on the church to carefully collect, wrap and store the items until next year.