While the pain from losing a child may never end, there is a way to to remember and honour them in a ceremony that spans the globe.
Held annually on the second Sunday in December, The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting unites families and friends around the world as they light candles for one hour to honour and remember children who have died at any age from any cause.
“As candles are lit at 7 p.m. local time, thousands of people commemorate and honour children in a way that transcends all ethnic, cultural, religious and political boundaries,” says Cathy Sosnowsky, who facilitates the local group.
“Believed to be the largest mass candle-lighting ceremony in the world, the Worldwide Candle Lighting creates a virtual 24-hours of light as it moves from time zone to time zone, embracing the 33 countries in which Compassionate Friends chapters have been formed.”
A memorial message board is available during the event at TCF USA’s website at www.copassionatefriends.org.
In Salmon Arm, a group of bereaved parents and their friends will gather at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church located at 1981 Ninth Ave. NE at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9.
Following a brief ceremony with poems and music, refreshments will be shared.
Parents should take a framed photo of their children who died for display on the memorial table.
The Salmon Arm chapter of The Compassionate Friends meets on the second Tuesday evening in December.
For more information, call Cathy Sosnowsky at 250-832-2454.