While most Island families will be tucked away in warm, cozy beds this Christmas Eve, local homeless advocate Rev. Al Tysick is encouraging citizens to join him in a midnight candlelit vigil for Canada's poor on the legislature steps.
The vigil begins at 11:45 p.m., giving participants a chance to slow down and reflect in the quiet of winter.
"It’s easy to lose sight of what matters at this time of year,” Tysick says. “That’s why it’s important to come together and remember those in our city and nation who have died because of homelessness, or who are still suffering in poverty – those who don’t have as much. I can’t think of a better way to spend Christmas Eve."
Tysick is asking people to bring their own candles. “We’ll carry these lights as a reminder that though we are just one person, we can still make a significant difference in a dark, and often unjust, world.”
This year, Tysick and the Dandelion Society’s vigil will give participants 13 minutes of silence in order to remember the poor in each of Canada’s provinces and territories.
“It doesn’t have to be like this,” he says. “Which is one of the reasons vigils like this one are so important. By coming together to remember, we commit to a brighter future.”