Submitted photo A local event that is part of the annual ‘Worldwide Candle Lighting’ ceremony will be Sunday at Saint Brendan Catholic Church at 6:30 p.m. Participants at a past event, above, hold candles for loved ones lost.

ELKINS — A local ceremony has been created and will be a part of the annual “Worldwide Candle Lighting” event this weekend.

The event is held each year on the second Sunday in December as a way to unite families who have lost children too soon.

The local event, organized by Mary Snelson, will take place at the Saint Brendan Catholic Church on Sunday, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The Candle Lighting Ceremony will be inside the church’s Parish Hall.

“At 7 p.m. local time all around the world, people light candles in memory of their children, siblings or grandchildren,” Snelson said. “A lot of places have them outside, but with the weather conditions we have, our event on Sunday will be indoors.”

Light refreshments will be served at the start of the ceremony and small gifts will be given to those attending. The local Knights of Columbus organization is helping sponsor the event.

“Those attending can bring a picture of their loved ones and say a word or two about who they are there to honor if they want,” Snelson said. “If they don’t want to, they don’t have to, though.

“People can just come and be part of the candle ceremony if that’s what they want to do. There’s a lot of people around who have had this tragedy in their life.”

Snelson lost her son, Brian Linn, in an automobile accident in 2007. Linn died in the line of duty while working as a West Virginia State Police trooper.

“This is a way to honor your child, and this group started because there was a doctor who was having a hard time relating to parents who have lost children,” Snelson said. “But what he figured out was that the best thing for them to do was to talk to other people in the same situation. And that’s how this group really came about.”

Since its inception in 1997, the nationwide ceremony has grown from a small internet event to a global ceremony. The annual event was established to provide support and create a shared remembrance of beloved children. Churches, funeral homes, community centers, and other gathering places have become regular hosts of the ceremony, which was initiated by The Compassionate Friends.

For more information about the event, visit www.compassionatefriends.org.