Peacelight
Peacelight 2024
The Peace Light is a continuous flame originating in the grotto of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. It is shared person to person throughout the world with a message of peace and friendship. The 2024 motto of this ‘May the God of Hope fill us with Joy and Peace’, Romans 15, 10 – 1.
Each year, a child from Upper Austria travels as a pilgrim to obtain the light from the grotto in Bethlehem. The light is then flown to Austria from where it is distributed at a Service of Dedication to delegations from across Europe who take it back, with a message of Peace, to their own countries for use at ecumenical services throughout the Continents and for the past decade on to the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East, the Peace Light was collected from Bethlehem this year. Instead, it was lit in Christkindl, the Austrian sister city of Bethlehem, from a light the Austrian scouts collected in 2023 and kept lit over the past year.
The 2024 Austrian Peace Light International Service will take place on Saturday, December 14, at 2.00pm at the Votivkirche in Vienna, Austria. A TAC delegation will be present. Interested in joining? We need at least one more Scout to fill the following roles, flag bearer, Light bearer and prayer for peace presenter. Cubs may attend as part of the audience delegation. If interested, please contact Patrick Thomas ASAP at [email protected] as registration has closed.
This year a livestream from the ceremony will be available. For more information follow The Association of Boy Scouts and Girl Guides of Austria (Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Österreichs, PPÖ) socials:
Facebook | Instagram
For more specific country information please check out the respective links to host nation Scouting authorities.
Belgium: https://paxchristi.net/peace-light-of-bethlehem/
UK – http://www.peacelight.org.uk/
Italy – https://lucedellapace.it/w/
Germany – https://www.friedenslicht.de/uebergabeorte/
Spain – https://scouts.es/pastoral-scout/la-luz-de-la-paz-de-belen
The Netherlands – https://www.vredeslicht.nl/
France – https://www.sgdf.fr/
Sweden – http://www.scouterna.se/
North America: https://www.peacelightnorthamerica.org/
Transatlantic Council Delegation Points of Contact:
- Patrick Thomas, Delegation leader: [email protected]
- Jeff Arter, Council Commissioner and TAC Peacelight coordinator, at [email protected].
TAC Scouts and Scouters who participate in the Peace Light Ceremony in Vienna or in the Peace Light distribution within their host nation, are entitled to purchase a special Peace Light patch and/or year strip through the TAC Program Service Center.
For more specific country information please check out the respective links to host nation Scouting authorities.
