On Sunday, December 13, 2015 at 7:00 PM, the Oneonta Region Chapter of The Compassionate Friends will join other chapters worldwide to observe the Compassionate Friends Annual Candle Lighting. This year, the ceremony will be held in the Unitarian Universalist Church, 12 Ford Avenue in Oneonta, NY.
The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting unites families and friends around the globe in honoring the memories of the sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, and grandchildren who left too soon. Believed to be the largest mass candle lighting on the globe, the annual ceremony creates a virtual 24-hour wave of light as it moves from time zone to time zone.
This year marks the 19th annual Candle Lighting for the TCF worldwide community; however this is the 20th year the Oneonta Chapter has hosted a candle lighting. The annual event is a time to remember our departed children and to openly acknowledge the special place they have and will always have in our hearts. This simple act of remembrance helps make the holiday season more bearable. It is meant to be a celebration of love! Anyone who has lost a child of any age is invited to attend. Grandparents, siblings and other close relatives and friends are also welcome.
Parents are encouraged to bring a small picture of their son or daughter, and to place the picture behind one of the individual votive candles that will be arranged on a Memory Table. During the ceremony, each family will come forward and light the candle in front of their child’s picture, at which time they will be presented with a long stemmed rose.
The program includes readings, music and sharing time. However, the focal point of the evening will be the candle lighting. Candles will be provided, and refreshments will be served at the conclusion of the ceremony.
Once again, local artist David Geer has been commissioned to create original hand painted ornaments for each family to personalize with their child’s name. The ornaments will be displayed on a Memory Tree, and are a gift from the Oneonta Chapter of TCF to each family in attendance.
The UU Church is accessible for those who are handicapped. For more information: call Diana or Ben Friedell at 607-433-2089 or Kathryn or Al Davino at 607-746-7396.
