THE FIFTEENTH ANNUAL PET REMEMBRANCE CANDLE LIGHTING
“In remembrance of our pets . . . that their soft warm light may glow forever in our hearts”
Important Annual Event to be Held March 5, 2020!
 Skyview Memorial Lawn Garden Chapel

  

The NHFP, for the fifteenth consecutive year, will hold an event that is being embraced by pet lovers worldwide and that has marked the beginning of a lasting and cherished tradition of compassion and caring. On Thursday, March 5, 2020, we will be holding the Fifteenth Annual Pet Remembrance Candle Lighting in partnership with the Humane Society of the North Bay (HSNB). Thanks to the generosity of Buck Kamphausen, owner of Skyview Memorial Lawn, who graciously consented to the use of his facilities, the event will take place from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM in the Garden Chapel at Skyview Memorial Lawn, located at 200 Rollingwood Drive (at Benicia Road) in Vallejo. The public may begin gathering in the Garden Chapel at 6:30 PM and is encouraged to bring photographs of beloved pet(s), deceased or lost. The photos will eventually be mounted on poster boards and become part of a rotating display at the Humane Society of the North Bay, located at 1121 Sonoma Boulevard, in Vallejo. Those who cannot attend in person can mail their photos to HSNB, under the heading Pet Loss Memorial.

     

The ceremony will include remarks by Dr. Kathryn Marocchino, president of The NHFP, and Wendy B. Jones, executive director of the HSNB. Mayor Bob Sampayan will also be in attendance and will be reading his annual proclamation re-establishing March 5 as "Pet Remembrance Candle Lighting" nationwide and throughout the world. Reverend Cynthia Olson, Board Certified Clinical Chaplain with Kaiser Sacramento's Palliative Care Services, will officiate. Musical accompaniment will be provided by Tim Heney, pianist. A pet loss memorial video on The Rainbow Bridge will also be shown as well as a memorial video created by the Humane Society of the North Bay from photos brought by the public to last year's event. Students from Dr. Marocchino's thanatology class and the Cal Maritime Community Cat Club, in uniform, will assist throughout the event as part of their hospice community service or campus stewardship. Audio-visual support will be provided by the Cal Maritime IT department.

Please mark March 5 on your calendars as it is the official annual date for this event. Every year, we will be reminding the public of its occurrence so that pet lovers everywhere can join us for this unique and special ceremony honoring all beloved pets who have passed on, are lost, or have been separated from their families. If possible, we suggest that you consider organizing a pet memorial service in your own town or city by working in conjunction with your local humane society, SPCA or animal shelter, as we continue to do in Vallejo, California. Pet organizations seeking information on how best to coordinate such an event on their premises and/or who would like suggestions on creating special memorial rituals are welcome to email us to request materials.  The organizations who have adhered to the Pet Remembrance Candle Lighting on a yearly basis, thus far, are as follows:  Wholistic Paws Veterinary Services in Hamilton, Virginia and BrightSide Animal Center in Redmond, Oregon.  If you would like your organization to be listed on this page, please join us by holding this event in your own city or town, and then informing us that you have done so.

 

If you cannot organize or attend a similar event in your local area, we encourage you to join us by lighting a candle in your own home or in another safe location of your choice for one hour at 7:00 PM local time on March 5, regardless of where you are in the world. We hope you will find comfort in knowing that other pet lovers worldwide will also be lighting a candle on the same date, in memory of their lost pets. Those who wish to share their thoughts about their companion animals may do so by sending us an email at info@pethospice.org.  For more information on this special event, please email us before March 5 of each year.