Special December 8th Candlelight Service

For Families Who Have Lost A Child

We are asking St. Luke's to spread the word about this upcoming service.

Grief is a constant presence for families and friends who have lost a child. Sunday, Dec. 8, is Worldwide Candle Lighting Day, a day to remember and support those who have lost a child. St. Luke's Episcopal Church (107 E. Broadway) will hold a candlelight prayer service that evening, beginning with silent prayer at 4 p.m. Families and friends are invited to light a candle in memory of loved ones lost, then at 5 p.m. Father John Kauffman will lead a quiet evening prayer service. Learn more at stlukesgranville.org.

Worldwide Candle Lighting Day is held on the second Sunday of December. It was created by the Compassionate Friends organization in 1966 at the Warwickshire Hospital in England. A chaplain named Simon Stephens had brought together two sets of grieving parents who had just lost their children. He realized that the support they gave one another was more than he could do to ease their pain. 

Today, hundreds of Worldwide Candle Lighting Day gatherings are supported by local churches, funeral homes, hospitals, hospices, schools, cemeteries, memorial gardens, and community centers. In 2019 The Compassionate Friends added a virtual Worldwide Candle Lighting Memorial Wall where family members could share a memorial message in honor and memory of their child, grandchild, or sibling. Learn more at compassionatefriends.org.