Saint Paul, Minnesota Chapter
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Saint Paul, Minnesota Chapter
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| TCF National and Local Chapter Events
St. Paul Chapter of The Compassionate Friends
Date & Time: Sunday, December 9, 2007 at 6:30 p.m.
Location: Beaver Lake Lutheran Church, 2280 Stillwater
Ave., Maplewood, MN
Highlights: Live music by chapter favorites, soloist,
Michelle-Marie, and harpist, Tami Briggs. There will be a slide
show/PowerPoint presentation of our beloved children, siblings and
grandchildren this year. Refreshments following the program.
You can send a picture
electronically in a .jpg file to marlenek@faithfl.org, or send
an actual picture to her home address: Marlene Keyser, 1885 Quebec Street,
Centerville, MN 55038 and she will scan them in. Either way is fine. Also
include their full name and date of birth and death, and only send one
picture please. Must
be sent by November 30th.
(The picture (or copy of picture) must be sent no later than November 30, 2007 in order to be part of the presentation.
Bring: Bring a picture of your child to set on a table.
Also, please bring, if able, cookies, bars, snacks or dessert to share
(nothing that needs heating).
Special Events: Come 20 minutes early if you would like to
hear Tami playing harp in the sanctuary. Fellowship and refreshments to
follow program.
Contact: Cathy at: 651-459-9341 or Email:
peachy3536@comcast.net
Candles are provided.
12/09/2006
Amid holidays, a chance to grieve The baby in the manger. The stockings on the fireplace. The magic of Christmas morning with gifts under the tree. What would Christmas be without children? That question becomes painfully relevant for those who have lost a child. Services planned at two Twin Cities churches Sunday aim to give a measure of solace and peace to people struggling with such a loss. A candle-lighting ceremony will be at 6:30 p.m. at Beaver Lake Lutheran Church in Maplewood in conjunction with the Worldwide Candle Lighting organized by the Compassionate Friends, a group of parents who have suffered the loss of a son or daughter. "This is such a hard time of the year for those of us who have lost anyone, much less a child," said Cathy Seehuetter, of Cottage Grove, co-leader of the St. Paul chapter of Compassionate Friends. "If you don't have a place to go with that grief, it'll get you." The nondenominational ceremony gives parents, grandparents and siblings a chance to remember the child whose absence is so sharply felt. The service features live harp music, readings and time for each person to come forward to light a candle in their child's name. "Pretty soon the room just gets brighter and brighter," Seehuetter said. Seehuetter's daughter, Nina, was 15 when a drunken driver killed her in Florida in 1995. It was Cathy Seehuetter's birthday. Lydia Huttar Brown also counts herself a member of the "club that nobody wants to belong to." The Episcopal priest from North Oaks will speak at a service for deceased children at 5 p.m. Sunday at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Minneapolis. Brown lost her son Stephen 21 years ago. The boy, who was not quite 2, drowned in a goldfish pond at her parents' house, she said. "I know how very painful that is, and I know how the holidays, especially in the early years, can be very, very hard," she said. The service, which also features a lighting of candles, offers those who are grieving "an acknowledgment from the church and from the world that this is a difficult time, that they have lost something precious, and that it's all right to grieve," she said. There's also some comfort in knowing that one is part of a community, Brown said. "You know you're not alone, that God didn't single you out for this tragedy," she said. The Rev. Devon Anderson, who has organized the service at St. John the Baptist for the past two years, said she hopes it will attract people who have lost young children, adult children or those who died as a result of miscarriage or abortion. There will be no collection taken and no Holy Communion, and people can easily skip the reception after the service if they wish. "Primarily, it's just a place for people to bring that part of themselves that is suffering," Anderson said, "a resting place for people who are carrying that really heavy load." Emily Gurnon can be reached at egurnon@pioneerpress.com or 612-338-6516. Other resources: The Compassionate Friends: www.compassionatefriends.org St. Paul chapter: www.tcfstpaul.org Minneapolis chapter: www.thecompassionatefriendsmpls.org |
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For More information about the Compassionate Friends, visit the national Web site at: www.thecompassionatefriends.org Send mail to webmaster@tcfstpaul.org with questions or comments about the Saint Paul Chapter web site. Copyright © 2007 Saint Paul Area Chapter. All
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