Although it will look a little different this year, Jones-Parkview Funeral Services will be sharing the annual Mourning Star Christmas Service for the Bereaved this week as organizers felt it was an important tradition to continue offering to Moose Jaw.
Instead of hosting an in-person event, the 23rd annual service has instead been pre-recorded and will be shared as a video on Dec. 3 at 7 p.m.
Each year, organizers welcome community members who have lost a loved one to attend the service to honour their memories and find comfort during the often difficult time of the holidays.
“We’re just wanting to help people find ways to navigate the season as they’re processing loss,” said Jones-Parkview representative Della Ferguson. “Christmas (can be difficult) because of traditions that may include people who are no longer physically here, and the ache is so huge. It really amplifies during such times.”
This year’s service will feature the candle lighting with Jones-Parkview general manager Dayna Chamberlain and funeral director Kelly Scott, as well as recorded messages for the bereaved and special appearances by two members of the community.
Lynn Kirk will read a poem written by a family member that speaks to the seasons and the need to honour emotion and healing, and author Joyce Aitken will share ways she has navigated loss during the holiday season in the past.
Although the video service is releasing on Thursday evening, Ferguson said it will be available online throughout the holiday season for people to watch whenever they choose.
“It’s not a live-streaming event, it's a recording so it will be there. People can tap on it throughout the season,” said Ferguson. “You can get to it on your own time, in your own safe space.”
The theme of this year’s service is “Encircled by Love,” which Ferguson said was not chosen specifically due to the pandemic but certainly fits the circumstances many people are in currently.
“The idea is that, especially this year more than ever because of our sense of isolation during COVID, we want people to surround themselves with love,” said Ferguson. “Whether they’re home alone and find ways to connect virtually, in their heart and mind with the love of their beloved who has passed, with the love of those still around us who we’re maybe not able to be with face to face, and with their own loving self-compassion for themselves.”
Jones-Parkview will also be hosting the annual candle lighting for bereaved parents using a video, which takes place worldwide on the second Sunday of December each year.
On Dec. 13, the funeral home will share another pre-recorded video at 7 p.m. to light candles and offer reflections, alongside words from guest speaker and author Melanie Delorme from Mossbank.
The theme of this event will be “Written in the Stars,” said Ferguson, which she hopes will build on the idea of bringing light to the community this season.
“The stars are universal and a constant, and at a time we need to really ground ourselves, it's good to reach out to something higher than ourselves to draw in light,” said Ferguson. “We are in the darkest time of year, and I am such a believer of bringing light into our spaces — candlelight ceremonies, the stars, adding light is such a good healing strategy for our hearts.”
Both the Mourning Star Christmas Service for the Bereaved and the Candle Lighting for Bereaved Parents will be shared on the Jones-Parkview website as well as its Facebook page.
