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This is an online event.This year, we are encouraging all participants to register EARLY in advance of the ceremony at the yellow "REGISTER NOW" Button ------------------------->
After registering, you will receive a reply email with the Zoom link and password to join the ceremony.
Even though the official ceremony begins at 7pm, participants are encouraged to join the meeting at 6:45 pm to solve any technical problems that crop up, and please have on hand a photo of your child, a small candle and a lighter. During the ceremony, each family will be given an opportunity to say a few words about their child, share the photo and light the candle in memory of their loved one.
The program includes a variety of music, poetry and personal stories. However, the focal point of the evening will be the candle lighting.
The Compassionate Friends 26th Annual Holiday Candle Lighting Service -12/12/21
More Information
We hope you will be able to join us on Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 6:45 pm, when the Oneonta Region Chapter of The Compassionate Friends will join other chapters worldwide to observe The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting (WCL). Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the ceremony will be held online, once again, via Zoom.
Please note: We are seeking participants who would like to share any music, poetry, or stories as part of the program- please contact Diana Friedell at 607-433-2089 or dianafriedell@gmail.com as soon as possible, so that we might include you in our program.
The Compassionate Friends WCL unites families and friends around the globe in lighting candles for one hour to honor the memories of the children, siblings, and grandchildren who have died from any cause, and transcends all ethnic, cultural, religious, and political boundaries. As candles are lit at 7:00 pm local time, hundreds of thousands of persons honor the memory of all those precious children who are no longer with us. The WCL creates a virtual 24-hour wave of light as it moves from time zone to time zone, starting in New Zealand. This ceremony gives bereaved families everywhere the opportunity to remember their children so “…that their light may always shine!”
This year marks the 25th annual Candle Lighting for the TCF worldwide community; however this will be the 26th year the Oneonta Region Chapter has hosted the 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. Anyone who has lost a child of any age is invited to attend. Grandparents, siblings and other close relatives and friends are also most welcome.
For more information: call Diana Friedell at 607-433-2089 or Kathryn or Al Davino at 607-746-7396. You can also send us an email at tcfoneonta@gmail.com or visit our website https://www.tcfoneonta.org.
If you’re unable to join us via Zoom, we hope you’ll join us in spirit and light a candle to remember your child at home.
May love be what you remember most,
TCF Oneonta Region Steering Committee