Painted Saint Passion Play

There is a reason I have been painting little wooden saints…and why Adam has had ample opportunity to put painted saints in the dungeon.

You see, I decided to set the stage for a Passion Play and I decided to fit all of Jesus’ Public Ministry on earth …into an egg carton.

So here it is:

The actual egg cups of the egg carton are reserved for Holy Week, beginning with the Entry into Jerusalem, the room hosting the Last Supper, the Garden of Gesthemane, Pilate’s Palace, the Way of the Cross, Golgotha and the Tomb.

You will notice an extra little egg cup added to create what will become the Empty Tomb.

This egg carton already had holes in the peaks between the egg cups, and I discovered a cross made out of wooden chopsticks sits nicely in place.

Rather than leave the inside of the lid blank, I decided to create a setting for other key events in Jesus’ Public Life: the Jordan where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, the Desert where Jesus spent 40 days and faced temptations from the devil and some green space for Jesus to preach, teach, heal the sick and perform miracles.

I created a few little soldiers and added them to a couple Apostles I had already created.  I discovered that some of the other 22 Saints I have made make great extras…Apostles and faithful women. Now that I have painted our entire family…the kids can even place themselves in the crowd.

Paint and a little detail…go a long way with a little imagination. I used a clear varnish as a final coat to protect the surfaces and to help the little egg carton to withstand some serious play.

 I was able to glue gun two cut pieces of a wooden chopstick into a cross. The wood is soft enough that I was able to use an X-acto knife for cutting and carving.

Jesus stays in place on the cross with one little Rainbow Loom elastic, but you could use any elastic (the smaller the better).

After 3pm on Good Friday, Jesus is removed from the cross and placed in the covered tomb in the last egg cup of the carton. On Easter Sunday, the tomb is found empty

…and perhaps Jesus is standing on top, greeting the women and the Apostles.

This will be a great table centerpiece during Holy Week, but having it available throughout Lent helps to keep us focused… and offers a great visual for the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary and the Stations of the Cross.

Will YOU make an Egg Carton Passion Play? Let me know in the comments

…and I’ll make a special printable available to you, with events and Scriptural references for YOUR own Passion Play!

There are a number of craft ideas in A Treasure Chest of Traditions for Catholic Families…to make YOUR own Passion Play with materials you likely have at home!