Magi hit streets of Montgomery

By ROB HERBST
The Catholic Week
Notice three men dressed as the Magi roaming throughout Montgomery? 
That was just Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School President Justin Castanza, Holy Spirit Parish Parochial Vicar Fr. Patrick Gilbreath and St. Bede the Venerable Parish Parochial Vicar Fr. Connor Plessala following the star to find the baby Jesus.
In an effort to evangelize, yet with a lighthearted touch, the Three Wise Men – or Three Wise Guys – took part in a social media blitz that had the community entertained and enlightened. Beginning on Christmas Day and culminating with the Epiphany on Jan. 6, a daily post on Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School social media detailed the Montgomery Magi’s journey. Each day included some hijinks, including the first post on Christmas Day which showed the Magi hitchhiking on the side of the road after they noticed a sign reading “Bethlehem ¾ of a mile” which in reality was a great Photoshop job over the sign indicating “Perry Hill Road.”
“The idea was to bring awareness to the Christmas season and the story of the Magi,” Castanza said. “The secular and commercial world wants us all to believe that Christmas ends on Dec. 25. Our faith teaches us of the 12 days of Christmas and how the Magi followed the star to find our God as a baby in a manger.”
Other highlights included the state Capitol, a rooftop in downtown Montgomery and the WSFA-TV studio.
According to Castanza, that’s because a WSFA-TV anchor was out for a midday jog.
“She was so taken with us that she helped us make our way to the set,” Castanza said. “That was when we knew this might be a really neat thing we were doing.”
That reaction became common for the Magi.
“The biggest mistake we made was not filming our adventure on the town as we took the videos. A behind the scenes video would be just as viral because of the looks we got as we paraded ourselves throughout the community,” Castanza said. “Folks loved seeing us dressed as the Magi. We had folks take selfies with us, ask us questions and try to take photos of us without us knowing.”
While being asked for a selfie may be flattering, the three also got a message across.
“It is not an exaggeration to say that each and every day during the 12 days I was bombarded with people commenting on the posts in person and online,” Castanza said. “One of my favorite responses to get each day was from my non-Catholic friends and local community members that loved the posts so much. It seems silly to say, but this was an evangelization project.”
The project also needed a big finish, so that included Epiphany parties for the students at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School’s elementary campuses. The Magi visited those at Holy Spirit and St. Bede and the children met the Magi’s camel, enjoyed sweet treats and take part in other activities.
Joked Castanza: “Nothing like a camel and ice cream truck to scream Christ is born in Bethlehem.”