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Offering the light from the grotto in Bethlehem to South Texans
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December 14, 2023Augie Rivera was always fascinated with bringing the Peace Light to Corpus Christi. This initiative originated in Austria as part of a large charitable relief mission to bring the light from Bethlehem to many cities and nations, encouraging everyone to pray for peace in the world. In many countries, the Scouts help bring light to travel to many destinations.
For more than 1,000 years, oil lamps have continuously burned at the Church of the Nativity grotto in Bethlehem. Each year, safety permitting, a child from Upper Austria travels as a pilgrim to obtain the flame. During the Third Week of Advent, a Service of Dedication is held in Vienna, Austria, to share the light with Scouting delegations across Europe. Scouts return to their own countries and, with a message of peace, share the Light with churches, hospitals, retirement homes, and places of public, cultural, and political importance - to anyone who appreciates the significance of the gift.
It was introduced to the U.S. in 2000 and is distributed throughout the country, often by the Scouts. Rivera, who is part of the Catholic Committee on Scouting, had heard of it before the pandemic and tried to find out how to bring it to South Texas. “Austrian Airlines makes it possible to arrive by plane from Vienna to JFK,” he found out. And he heard of Tim Smith, who was the driving force behind getting the Peace Light to Corpus Christi – literally: “He flew to New York, rented a car and brought the light in a special lamp down the East Coast, to Florida and then to Texas.”
After contacting Smith, they agreed to meet halfway between San Antonio and Corpus Christi in an H-E-B parking lot, where Rivera received the light from Bethlehem. He brought it first to his parish, St. Thomas More, and to the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament. And since then, he has passed it on to everyone who would like to receive it.
The Peace Light is spreading: a few days ago, Fr. Paul Hesse, pastor of St. Pius X Church, received the Peace Light, too, and he thought of making it available for everyone who would like to receive it. “We have it in the first room of our rectory; everyone is welcome to bring a candle and light it on the Peace Light,” said Fr. Paul.
