Navidad en Lamar, Texas, Estados Unidos Christmas in Lamar, Texas, USA Weihnachten in Lamar, Texas, USA
El padre „nevado“ The statue of Father Kentenich dusted with snow Die Pater-Kentenich-Statue im Schnee, dahinter der Golf von Mexiko
Una vista no común... A not so usual view... Ein nicht ganz gewöhnlicher Anblick
Un pequeño milagro S(n)o(w) unbelievable! Und wovon haben Sie Weihnachten geträumt und fest daran geglaubt? Fotos: Diedrich © 2005

USA, Sr. M Christin/mkf. Did you ever see White Christmas? Not on a postcard, but in reality? Did you ever celebrate Christmas with the Shrine covered with a layer of new, white snow, with the statue of Father Kentenich in soft white winter fleece? Would be a close to a miracle in Schoenstatt, Germany, but when it happens at the Gulf of Mexico, where it covers palm trees, it is unbelievable… And yet this was what made the Schoenstatt Christmas in Lamar so special this year.

For one six-year-old boy, the Christmas Eve snow which fell in Aransas County was no surprise, after all, he dreamed about it and Jesus told him it would. Joshua Campbell told his father William two weeks ago, "It's going to snow at Christmas." He said he had dreamt it. The elder Campbell assured his son it would probably snow somewhere, but not in Rockport.

The youngster adamantly said it would, explaining, "Jesus told me in my dream." W. Campbell said he did not want to suppress his son's faith, and let the matter drop.

When the flurries fell on Christmas Eve, W. Campbell said, "I was shocked." – This is a story shared in the newspaper of Rockport, Texas. A blanket of 4 to 5 inches of snow covered the city. The reporter adds, that neither Joshua, nor Campbell's older daughter Kathryn, 14, had ever seen snow. They rushed out to play in it. After about only 30 or 40 minutes, young Joshua was ready to head back inside, his father laughed. Kathryn, on the other hand, stayed out for hours. His wife Pamela, who has lived here her entire life, said the last time they saw snow in this area was in 1973.

It was a little miracle of the Holy Night

"It was a little miracle of the Holy Night", a Schoenstatt Sister shared. "Soon before the midnight Mass it began to snow, and when all came out of the Shrine, everything was covered with snow, up to ten inches, all white. It’s been over 100 years that they had snow at Christmas.

According to information from the National Weather Service, Aransas County (Rockport) received six inches of snow. The last time it snowed at Christmas in the Coastal Bend was in 1918 when 1/10 of an inch fell. Also according to the NWS, statistics for snowfall have been kept since 1887. Since that time, recorded dates for snowfall in the Coastal Bend are as follows: one inch on Feb. 8, 1973; 1.6 inches on Jan. 19. 1940; 1.5 inches on Jan. 29, 1897; two inches on Jan. 27, 1897; three inches on Jan. 25, 1897; 4.3 inches on Feb. 14, 1895; and one inch on Jan. 15, 1888. It may be another 20 or more years before this area sees another snowfall, but it won't take away from the memories of this one.

As local newspaper share, everybody got crazy about buying cameras and films to take pictures of the event … also the Schoenstatt Sisters took pictures to share the white Christmas at the Confidence Shrine in Lamar, Texas.

And… what did YOU dream would happen on Christmas?