Peace Light Ceremony

The International Peace Light will arrive at JFK airport on December 11. The family of a Purdue alum is driving the Peace Light from JFK to Colorado and will be stopping here at St. Tom's to share the light with us. Please join us to receive the International Peace Light and share it with your family and community on Tuesday, Dec. 14 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Church. Please bring a lantern or candle to light at the ceremony. Each year in late November, a child from Austria lights a lantern from the continuously burning candle in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the site of Jesus' birth. The light, known as the Peace Light, stored in special explosion-proof lanterns, is then flown with a safety adviser back to Vienna, Austria, where it is shared with delegations from across Europe who distribute it with a message of Peace. In early December, Austrian Airlines representatives transport the Peace Light from Austria to New York City‘s John F. Kennedy International Airport. A distribution ceremony of about 150 adults and children gather at the airport's Our Lady of the Skies Chapel to welcome the light of peace and kindle their own flames. The Light is then shared throughout the United States. If you have questions, please email [email protected].