St. Thomas More Church invites you to Peace Light Distribution Ceremony

St. Thomas More Church, 215 Thomas More Drive in Elgin, will be receiving the Bethlehem Peace Light at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 29.

It will be delivered by the local scouting organization, Venturing Crew 654 and the Catholic Committee on Scouting.

St. Thomas More Church invites all local Christian churches and believers to come and light their own lantern or candle from this flame brought from the Grotto of the Nativity in Bethlehem. There will be a transfer of the flame and a short prayer service at 7:15 pm.

It is a great idea to bring an enclosed lantern or candle to have at your Christmas Eve dinner. For over a thousand years, lamps have been continuously lit in the Grotto of the Nativity in Bethlehem. For the last 31 years, a child from Upper Austria has lit two blast proof miner's lamps from a grotto lamp. These lamps are then transported to Vienna, where the living flame is distributed at a Service of Dedication to Scouts and Guides from across Europe. From Vienna, these Scouts and Guides take the Peace Light back to their communities, where they share the Peace Light at rail stations, churches, and scout meetings. By Christmas, the Light reaches nearly every country in Europe.

The Peace Light first came to New York City in 2001 by Canadian Scouts who brought it to Ground Zero. The flame has been brought to JFK Airport ever since, and quickly moves across the country by local scouts. More information is available at www.peacelight.org.