Father Peter Banks hosts a posada in a gym at the Nickerson Gardens housing development as a way to promote Latino and African American relations. Banks came to Watts from Ireland in 1973. (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)
Father Peter Banks leads the crowd through song and prayer during a posada in a gym at Nickerson Gardens. A posada is a Christmas ritual that re-creates Joseph and Marys search for a place for Jesus to be born. (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)
People gather for tostadas at the closing of the posada at Nickerson Gardens. (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)
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Banks holds the hand of a congregant during prayer. (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)
Ruth Gonzalez of Nickerson Gardens holds her ears while a mariachi band plays during a posada in the gym at Nickerson Gardens. (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)
Banks, center, hosts a posada in a gym at Nickerson Gardens. (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)
Banks leads the crowd through a posada in a gym at Nickerson Gardens. (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)
