A life of faith remembered in Christmas joy

The family of the late Ronnie Peters of Stanger parish, north of Durban, particularly felt his loss as they were preparing for last Christmas. Ronnie was greatly loved, and never missed Mass, getting to church on foot if he had to.

It was decided to create a Memory Tree decorated with Christmas light bulbs carrying the names of lost loved ones, and the idea was opened to the community. Each memory bulb was to carry a donation towards feeding a needy family for Christmas.

They hoped to feed three families, but the response was so great that 24 food parcels could be packed. The poorest families in a settlement in Gledhow, particularly those that included children and the elderly were identified. Bulb donors were invited to join in the delivering of the parcels to the families.

To ensure that the food would be fresh for the day, the deliveries were done on Christmas Eve.

A life well lived was remembered. A grieving family turned their sorrow into joy. And 24 poor families had a Christmas to remember.