Shining together in the darkness

Thursday 15 December 2022

"Although the light from one candle many seem minimal, many small candles shining together is often enough to provide light in times of darkness."

A vigil service was held last night following the explosion on Pier Road, which has claimed the lives of at last eight islanders, and the sinking of L'Ecume II in which all three crew died.

The Dean of Jersey – the Very Reverend Mike Keirle – said he hoped the vigil would offer "some solace, a focal point for our collective grief and an opportunity to stand in solidarity with those who mourn tonight."

Although the service wasn't scheduled to start until 18:00, the Town Church was almost full of islanders young and old by 17:30 with several hundred people also tuning in to the live stream from around the world.

At the centre of the congregation was a large group of people in red Andium coats, looking understandably exhausted, and at the front of the church sat Jersey's States Members, with Chief Minister Kristina Moore who also performed a reading of Romans 8 during the service.

Pictured: The Dean addressing those gathered in the Town Church.

The church was decorated for Christmas, with twinkling lights and colourful trees in every direction. These beautiful decorations, which would usually evoke festive cheer, instead became a reminder of the sadness of having two awful events occur so close to what is meant to be a time of love and celebration.

The Dean spoke about the importance of "presence" – not presents – at Christmastime.

Although the presence of 12 well-loved islanders will be missed over the festive period, last night's vigil proved that their presence undoubtably lives on in the huge number of family and friends who turned up to remember their loved ones.

The most touching moment came at the end of the vigil, when the names of the 12 victims of the two tragedies were read out by the Dean:

L'Ecume II

Michael Michieli

Larry Simyunn

Jervis Baligat 

Pier Road

Peter Bowler

Raymond 'Raymie' Brown

Romeu De Almeida

Louise De Almeida

Derek Ellis

Sylvia Ellis

Billy Marsden

Ken Ralph

Jane Ralph

A representative of the family and friends of each person walked to the front of the church to light a candle in memory of their loved one.

Even though each person who lit a candle was clearly dealing with their own unimaginable grief, it was incredible to see how so many of them still made the effort to comfort the other people struggling around them. 

"You are not alone," said the Dean earlier in the service - a sentiment that was proven true in this moment.

Once the 12 large candles had been lit for each of the victims, representatives from various organisations who had assisted in the aftermath of both tragedies also came forward to light one of the smaller candles.

This included the heads of each of the emergency services - Robin Smith (Police), Peter Gavey (Ambulance Service), Paul Brown (Fire and Rescue).

Pictured: The heads of each of the emergency services lighting a candle.

As we left the church in reflective silence, I looked back at the altar. The final image of the vigil was a powerful one: a cluster of 12 large candles, brighter and higher than the rest, surrounded by a sea of many smaller candles.

It was an image that encapsulated the incredible community spirit our island has shown over the past week by coming together to support those affected by the recent events in any way that we can.

Although the light from one candle many seem minimal, many small candles shining together is often enough to provide light in times of darkness.

WATCH...

Last night's vigil in full...

Pictured top: Last night's vigil was led by the Dean, the Very Reverend Mike Keirle. (Jon Guegan)