Those who have lost children are invited to a special candlelight vigil Sunday night at the Fogolar Furlan Club in Windsor.
Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting has held the event for grieving family every year for the past 20 years on the second Sunday in December. This will be the tenth annual vigil in Windsor.
"For many families, this is an opportunity to come together to openly mourn their child who died," said Colleen Campo, a bereavement specialist with the Windsor-Essex chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association. "For those whose pain is new, it is a safe place to come together with others who feel the same loss."
The event is free, and family members are invited to say the name of their deceased child aloud, light candles in their memory, and fill a memory table with photographs of their loved one.
The Morneau family will be there to commemorate two tragic losses in the past 13 months. Their son, Rob Morneau died in an industrial accident in November 2016, and his wife, Tricia died of cancer in December 2017. The couple left behind two sons who now live with Rob's brother, Andrew and his family.
The Fight Like Mason Foundation will also provide a special ornament for families.
The event starts at 6:30 p.m.
