Although it was a frigid 30 degrees Saturday night, about 25 candles and the togetherness of all in attendance provided warmth at the fifth annual Candlelight Remembrance Ceremony in honor of National Survivors of Suicide Day.
The vigil was held at Yuengling's Bicentennial Park, 10th and Mahantongo streets.
"We appreciate everybody coming out on this freezing, cold night," Karen Spencer said.
Spencer, Deer Lake, Hope After a Loved One's Suicide, or HALOS, facilitator and member of the Suicide Prevention Task Force, lost her son to suicide nine years ago.
Also helping lead the vigil was Mark Brooks, Pottsville, pastor of Bethesda Evangelical Congregation Church, Reedsville, who lit more than 50 luminaries, white stick candles in glass jars, and placed them along the staircase winding through the park.
Brooks read numerous prayers and poems throughout the vigil, with one of the readings having the participants give the response, "I miss you, yet I know that I am healing."
At the start of the vigil, all participants were given the opportunity to tack pictures of their loved ones to a display board, near five candles which were lit one by one.
Spencer told the crowd each was symbolic, as her husband, Don, lit each one.
She said that the first represented grief and that the pain of losing a loved one is intense, so it reminds us of the depth of love for the one who has died. The second represented courage to confront our sorrow, courage to confront each other and courage to change our lives. The third represented hope, so they all have the hope to love life again. The fourth represented memory, "the memories of the times we laughed, the times we cried and the times we were angry, of the silly things we did, of the caring and joy loved ones gave us." The fifth represented love, especially with holiday season approaching.
"Day by day, we cherish the special place in our hearts that will always be reserved for those we loved," Spencer said.
Also during the service, Angela Marie Nardini, Lansford, sang in memory of her brother, Robert, who committed suicide in 1986 at the age of 22.
She sang covers of songs, including Faith Hill's "You're Still Here" and "In My Life" by The Beatles.
During the service, people who attended were also given the opportunity to speak, but none spoke up, choosing to keep their thoughts and prayers personal.
More than 70 people came out for the first Candlelight Remembrance Ceremony in Pottsville held in honor of National Survivors of Suicide Day in 2009.
In a recent story, Deborah Heim, co-chair of the Schuylkill County Suicide Prevention Task Force, said that the suicide rate has been on the rise in Schuylkill County in recent years and from 2002 to 2008, there were, on average, 18 suicides per year in the county.
Schuylkill County Coroner Dr. David J. Moylan also said that on Nov. 15, the total for the year to date went up to 31.
The Schuylkill County Suicide Prevention Task Force was formed in 1996 in response to state statistics that showed Schuylkill County had one of the highest suicide rates in the state.