This Christmas, local scouting communities will again come together to mark the arrival of the Peace Light in Fermanagh.

This festive, cross-community event involves scouts from Scouting Ireland, and Fermanagh Scouts.

Taking place on Saturday, December 17 at 4.10pm, the unique, interdenominational service will start in St. Macartin's Cathedral, and finish in St. Michael’s Church, Enniskillen.

Similar to Queen Elizabeth, who famously crossed the street going from one church to the other, the congregation and clergy will cross Church Street, Enniskillen in a procession carrying the Peace Light as they go.

The tradition of bringing the Peace Light to communities is a long-established tradition for Scout groups in Ireland, and across Europe.

The origin of the Peace Light lies in Bethlehem, where a flame burns in the Church of the Nativity. In December, a Scout from Israel and a Scout from Palestine will light a flame from this, and carry it to Tel-Aviv Airport, where it will be received from a European Scout and transported to Vienna.

Scouts from many countries across Europe will be invited to light their lamps from this flame as a symbol of peace and unity across the world. Eventually a lamp, lit from the flame, will have made its way via rail, road and foot, to Drogheda where many more lamps will be lit and distributed across the length and breadth of the island of Ireland to churches and other places of worship, to hospitals and hostels for the homeless.

One of those lamps will be brought to Fermanagh by the County Commissioner for the Erne County, David Monaghan. At the Peace Light Service in Enniskillen, local Scout groups will be lighting their own lamps and bringing the light of peace back to their own churches for distribution to members of the public during Christmas Masses/services.

The service of the Peace Light is very symbolic of what Scouting is about, coming together and trying to make the world a better place.

“The tradition of the Peace Light is a wonderful opportunity to bring us together as one Scouting Community. That’s what Scouting is all about. We are delighted to once again be able to share this experience with our county, Scouting community and then onward to our local parishes,” said David Monaghan, Erne Scout County/Scouting Ireland and Rosemary Forbes, Fermanagh Scouts/Scouts NI.

Members of the public are invited to join our local Scouts in the service receiving the Peace Light in Fermanagh, on the Saturday afternoon.