The air inside Redeemer Lutheran Church was heavy with grief Sunday evening as several bereaved families gathered to light candles in honor of their children and grandchildren who could not be with them this holiday season.
“This time of year can be very trying for those of us who have lost a child, sibling, grandchild, or parent,” said Kathie Kelly, who has led the Fredericksburg Area Chapter of The Compassionate Friends for the last 23 years. “Our loved ones may not be physically present this holiday, but the candle’s light will shine bright enough to reach our loved ones watching us from above.”
Annually, tens of thousands of families light candles for one hour during the Worldwide Candle Lighting, which is held on the second Sunday in December. Candles are first lit at 7 p.m., local time, just west of the International Date Line. As candles burn down in one time zone, they are lit in the next, creating a 24-hour wave of light as the observance continues around the world.
Co-Leader of The Fredericksburg Chapter of The Compassionate Friends Jill Medina lighting the five candles for the Candle Lighting Ceremony. (Photo by Noelle Clark)
“We light five candles in honor of our loved ones: one for our grief, courage, memories, the love of our children and grandchildren, and our hope that they will continue to live through us,” Kelly said during the ceremony, as co-leader of the Fredericksburg Area Chapter Jill Medina lit each candle individually.
From 3-5 p.m. on Dec. 8, The Compassionate Friends put on a program with songs and readings written by those who have lost a child. Then, Kelly called upon each bereaved family to light a candle in remembrance of their loved ones.
“The holiday season is always a little sad for me because my son Tristan isn’t with us,” Medina said. “But the candle lighting ceremony is something I look forward to every year. This is my sixth or seventh ceremony to participate in and I always try to choose a different poem to read during the program.”
This year’s candle lighting ceremony was especially cathartic for Jerry Hentman, a bereaved father and new member of TCF Fredericksburg Area Chapter.
“I lost my son, Seth, last year on December 3 and I’m so thankful I found The Compassionate Friends to be able to be around others who understand this kind of pain, especially at this time of year,” Hentman said. “I never thought a simple Google search would help me heal in so many ways.”
The Fredericksburg Chapter of The Compassionate Friends meets on the third Tuesday of every month at the Redeemer Lutheran Church from 7-8:30 p.m.
