Nativity Blessing honors Christ’s birth, sacrifices of law enforcement officials
Knights of Columbus Council 801 Honor Guard members Adam Luse, left, and Alan Christofferson stand guard in front of the Christmas tree during the annual Christmas Nativity Blessing at the state Capitol Tuesday. Photo by Milo Gladstein, Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
CHEYENNE — More than 100 people gathered in the state Capitol rotunda Tuesday to celebrate what Steven Melia says is the reason for the season: the birth of Jesus Christ.
In the center of the rotunda stood a Christmas tree around 20 feet tall, decorated with handmade ornaments and garland. In front of the tree sat a wooden Nativity scene, which was the centerpiece of the fifth-annual Nativity Blessing.
The large crowd was made up of local religious leaders, law enforcement officers, city and state elected officials, the Cathedral of St. Mary’s Adult Choir and members of the public.
Melia, the event organizer, told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle that he started the yearly blessing to remind people that the United States was founded on the principles of Christ, because he said it Melia said he also hoped the event would draw people together.
“We have enormous amounts of violence — social, political, religious, doesn’t make any difference,” Melia told WTE. “We need to come together and honor Christ. It’s not just Christmas trees and presents and parties. He is the rock. If it wasn’t for Him, I mean, you and I wouldn’t even be here.”
The theme this year was law and order, and the event highlighted the sacrifices and hardships local law enforcement officials face.
Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak, sheriff ’s deputies, Cheyenne Police Chief Mark Francisco, police officers, Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers and veterans of law enforcement were among those in attendance.
After officers took turns reading a passage from chapter one of the Gospel of John regarding the incarnation of Jesus Christ, Melia honored them by giving each one a St. Michael challenge coin.
County Commissioner Don Hollingshead, who is a former sheriff ’s deputy, gave attendees the background on the archangel Michael, who is the patron saint of law enforcement, paramedics and the military.
“In the Epistle of Jude and in Revelation, Michael is portrayed as a warrior — the chief and leader of God’s angels and the heavenly armies who will defeat Satan in the end,” Hollingshead said. “... It is important to honor and respect the members of our law enforcement and armed forces. They have taken on the responsibility of protecting our cities, our communities from criminals and domestic enemies, as well as our nation from foreign interference and invasion.”
The leaders of each law enforcement branch were also given a framed photo of the saint positioned as a warrior.
“(Law enforcement officers) are like St. Michael,” Melia told WTE. “They’re the warriors out there. They’re on the front lines. … They get insulted, assaulted, shot, wounded, maimed, killed, and they’re still out there.”
As the main part of the gathering, Father Lee Noel, associate pastor of the Cathedral of St. Mary, blessed the wooden Nativity with holy water.
Pastor Nathan Winters with the Wyoming Family Alliance told attendees that the Nativity scene represents humility.
“Today, we’re standing in a building that is a place where laws are debated, where they’re weighed, where the future of our communities are discussed,” Winters said. “And yet, in the middle of all of that, God, in His kindness, has allowed us to look at a humble scene. That’s what this manger really represents.”
Winters reminded everyone that regardless of their life circumstances and fears, they are never alone.
He told everyone to find peace in Christ and use that peace to spread steadiness, courage, humility and hope.
“When the peace of God takes root in our hearts, we’re never driven by panic,” Winters said. “We’re not mastered by outrage. We’re never consumed by despair. We can grieve without collapsing, and we can engage one another in disagreement without hatred. We can serve one another without losing our souls.”
Winters said that sentiment is especially true when gathering in the state’s Capitol, where real decisions are made that affect families, classrooms and livelihoods.
“The angels didn’t promise that there would never be a dark night,” Winters said. “They had just simply announced that the light had arrived. And when light arrives, hope becomes rational — even in a broken world.”
This story was published on Dec. 10, 2025.