On the longest night of the year, the congregation of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Wilkes-Barre will step out into the cold with a basket of names.
They’ll read each one in memory of the people of the Wilkes-Barre and Luzerne County community who have died while homeless over the last 20 years.
“The list of names is a reminder for me, for all of us … homelessness is not just a problem somewhere else,” said Rev. Timothy Alleman. “When we fall for the temptation to think this is a problem somewhere else, it’s easy to forget it and not do anything about it.”
The church has long held an annual homeless persons’ memorial service to coincide with National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day on Dec. 21, and Alleman said the list of people they remember at the service has grown every year.
St. Stephen’s hosts the Mass with Volunteers of America and Ruth’s Place, the women’s shelter in Wilkes-Barre. It starts at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21.
Alleman thinks there are about 200 names they will read this year.
“As a church … what we do — especially on that night, I believe — is completely rooted in actually living out the gospel and honoring the fact that Jesus calls us to care for the most needy, the most vulnerable,” Alleman said.
Alleman sees the needs of the community through St. Stephen’s outreach mission. They offer a food and clothing pantry on Mondays and Wednesdays, and lately he says they’re going through 2,500 pounds of food per week.
“I'd say we probably end up servicing about … 60 people in two hours,” he said.
Because Dec. 21 falls on a Saturday this year, he anticipates better attendance at the service.
It's intentionally on the longest night of the year … which is fitting, not only because of the length of the night and the darkness, but then, of course … it’s always cold,” he said.
They’ll hold a Mass with specific readings, then at the end of the service, take the basket containing each name written on pieces of paper outside.
Alleman said the congregation makes a ring in the park next to the church and lights candles before reading each name as it’s pulled from the basket.
“Hearing all of those names, that’s powerful,” he said. “It’s really powerful.”
