The Parkes Chapter of The Compassionate Friends (TCF) invites any parent, grandparent, brother or sister to share the memories of a deceased child with others who really know how they will be feeling at its annual candle lighting at 5.30pm on Sunday at Lions Park.
The event is held worldwide every year on the second Sunday of December in every time zone to remember the children, grandchildren, brother or sister or friend who have died and will be missing from the family Christmas celebrations. As candles burn down in one time zone they are lit in another, creating a 24 hour wave of remembering light that encircles the globe.
The candles will be supplied or bring your own. There will also be room for a photo of your deceased loved one on the wooden Christmas tree. Mary McPhee started the Parkes chapter of TCF just over 15 years ago and is remembered as the founder with a plaque at Lions Park.
The Australian Compassionate Friends was started 10 years after the establishment of TCF in the United Kingdom by five parents of children who had died. They were brought into contact with each other to share their grief by a young cleric Rev Simon Stephens. One of the founding parents, Joe Lawley wrote “The Gift” to tell the story of The Compassionate Friends.
The evening will begin with the reading of special poems and then everyone is invited to light a candle. Bring a rug or chairs, drinks and nibbles and stay on following the candle lighting. In case of inclement weather, the venue will be the Middleton School Hall.