Getting Ready to Make the Scene

Oscar Rosales’ garage was transformed into a manger repair shop this week to fix life-size statues of the holy family, a wingless angel, two shepherds and three graying sheep.

Instead of resting on bales of hay, the aging nativity-scene figures leaned against Rosales’ work benches, amid appliances and storage shelves stocked with boxes and tools.

Rosales, 62, a professional house painter, is one of several volunteers who has helped restore the nativity scene placed each holiday season at the Mission San Juan Capistrano. The weather has taken its toll on the figures, which were built more than 40 years ago.

The repairs have included making new fingers and toes using plaster of Paris.

One of Rosales’ biggest challenges was removing Joseph’s head to try to rescue glass eyeballs that had slipped out of place. “I’m just going to paint his eyes back on,” he said, explaining how difficult it would be to reset the glass eyes.

Mission officials say the 12-piece nativity scene was created in the early 1950s by sculptor Fred Roll, whose work includes the ornate marble altar of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York.

About 10 years later, the figures were boxed away and forgotten. In the 1980s, they resurfaced as mannequins, popping up in displays of Spanish padres, soldiers and Juaneno Indians.

Finally, three years ago, mission employees and volunteers, including Rosales, decided to resurrect the nativity scene.

“We uncovered all the layers of paint and found beautiful faces,” said Patricia Nelson, a mission employee.

The nativity scene will be on display from the first week of December through Jan. 7.

The mission also is organizing a free event to coincide with a Dec. 6 citywide Christmas festival highlighted by a tree-lighting ceremony at the nearby Historic Town Center Park on El Camino Real.