By Gabriel Jordan
Despite threats of rain, more than 150 TFP-Louisiana supporters and friends arrived for the annual Epiphany Celebration and Open House at the TFP-Louisiana headquarters in Lafayette, La. on the afternoon of January 12, 2019. They came from both near and far, happy to join the festivities in honor of the birth of Christ.
TFP-Louisiana President Thomas Drake welcomed everyone and explained the traditional Epiphany blessing of the house: Using a piece of blessed chalk, the head of the house writes above the exterior doors of the home the inscription, “20 +C+M+B+ 19.” The numbers refer to the calendar year, the crosses stand for the Cross of Christ and the letters have a dual meaning: C, M, and B are the initials of the Three Kings, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, but can also be the abbreviation of the Latin blessing, “Christus mansionem benedicat,” which means,”May Christ bless this home.”
After the Epiphany house blessing had been done, Christmas carols sung by all present filled the air. Midway through the singing, a surprise visit from The Three Kings greeted the children. The Kings left the excited youth with chocolate ‘gold’ to take home as a souvenir. After their departure, everyone was invited out to the tent for refreshments, including a variety of traditional king cakes.
The simple joy of being together to celebrate Christmas and the Epiphany was the highlight of the entire day, and all felt blessed to come together in honor of the King of Kings.