NAHANT — The Nahant Village Church is hosting a special service on Sunday in order to remember lost loved ones and encourages community members to join.
The event is scheduled to start at 5 p.m.
Reverend Patricia Long, who noted that it’s a service she has done for over 20 years, spoke on the importance of taking the time to remember loved ones.
“This is an opportunity to spend time before the holidays for people to remember their loved ones, and to remember their love for a person more than their sense of loss,” Reverend Patricia Long said. “Our hope is that this service will shift people’s perspective from the loss to the love. … So, in other words, instead of living without the person, you live with the love you had for the person, and the love that person had for you.”
Long continued, saying that when we grieve, we tend to think along the lines of ‘I’ll never be with them,’ or ‘I miss them deeply,’ though the focus of the service is to help shift their focus toward warm memories.
Residents are asked to reach out to the church and give them the names, though it’s not mandatory. Community members are welcome to come and participate regardless of whether or not the name of a friend or family member has been provided before-hand.
There will be music and a sacred reading of the names of loved ones who have died, which will be followed by the toll of a bell, Long added. A candle will also be lit in their honor.
Church Office Manager Christie Stevens noted it’s a chance for people to pause and find peace.
“I think it’s a moment to reflect. It’s a moment to sit in quiet, and in peace and hopefully get some closure. … But mainly, it’s a chance to reflect on this past year,” Stevens said. “It’s a chance to be together and say, ‘You’re not alone in this.’”
