By Susan Gately - 19 December, 2015
Candles burning at the entrance to the Grotto of the Nativity, Bethlehem.
The Peace Light from Bethlehem, promoting peace among the people of the world regardless of race, ethnicity or religion, is making its way to centres around Ireland over the coming days.
The continuously-burning flame originates from the Grotto of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Israel.
On Thursday, at an Ecumenical Service in the Church of the Visitation in Fairview, the light was distributed to homes in Dublin.
Following this, yesterday, the Distribution of the Peace Light took place by rail to provincial centres around Ireland, courtesy of Irish Rail.
The Galway Service of Distribution takes place today at 1pm at the Augustinian Church, Galway, while this evening at 8pm at the Clane Scouts Den, the light will be distributed to the people of Kildare.
Tomorrow Sunday, at 11am, the peace light will be distributed to homes in Meath from Jordanstown Church, Co Meath.
From these distribution ceremonies, the scouts are encouraging people to share the peace light of Bethlehem with individuals, families, houses of worship, hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, and cultural centres.
For several decades the international scouting movement – both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts – have actively promoted global peace and harmony through the distribution of the Peace Light.
The Scouts are inviting members of the public to join them in prayer to welcome and share in the Peace Light of Bethlehem.
People should bring a candle or lamp to the prayer service in the Augustinian Church today and then take it home for the Christmas season.
Now in its 29th year, the Peace Light from Bethlehem campaign was originally organised by the Austrian Broadcasting Company (ORF) and was part of a large charitable relief mission called “Light into Darkness” for children in need in Austria and abroad.
Since 1986 cooperation between Scouts from many countries has allowed the light to travel throughout Europe to over thirty European countries and, for the past decade, to the United States, Canada and Mexico as well.
Each year, a child from Upper Austria is named Peace Light Child and travels to Bethlehem, Israel, to receive the flame from one of the Grotto’s oil lamps, which have been burning continuously for over 1,000 years.
The light is then flown to Austria where it is distributed at a Service of Dedication to delegations of Scouts from across Europe, who in turn take it back, with a message of peace, to their own countries.
The vision of the founder of the International Scouting Movement, Lord Robert Baden-Powell, was that all scouts would strive for and maintain peace in the world and through the world brotherhood of scouting, humankind would eventually achieve world peace.
