"We gladly receive the light as a sign of our willingness to be channels of peace, by our words and actions.”

The Peace Light from Bethlehem campaign was originally organized by the Austrian Broadcasting Company - ORF (Linz) – as part of a large charitable relief mission -Light into Darkness, for children in need in Austria and abroad. Since 1990, there has been a great deal of co-operation between Scouts and Guides in many countries which has allowed the light to travel throughout Europe.

Each year, a child from Upper Austria fetches the light from the grotto in Bethlehem where Jesus was born, to Austria and distributed at a Service of Dedication to delegations from across Europe, who take it back, with a message of Peace, to their own countries for use at ecumenical services throughout the Continent.

World wide community and international friendship is a special concern for all scouts and Guides. We are convinced that peace will only become a reality, as soon as each individual has his own peace, shares it with his community, his nieghbour and the environment. According to the ideas of Scouting and Guiding we want to remove the borders and barriers between nations and peoples through personal contacts to promote a peaceful and fear-free living together with different races, religions, cultures and political ideologies.

The chain of lights is not only a symbol for actively lived charity but also frankness, warmth and family. By passing on the peace light from Bethlehem we want to overcome the darkness caused by hate, egoism, materialism and resignation and to give happiness and participation.

Cub Scouts Dylan Briffa and Emakate Pace collect the Peace light from the Stella Maris scout Group, on Friday 20th December 2003

For the very first time, the Qrendi Scout Group through two of it youngest members, Cub Scouts Dylan Briffa and Emakate Pace, joined other Maltese Scout Groups gathered at the Stella Maris Collage Scout Group, to bring the light to their locality.

The Peace light was brought over to Malta from the Vatican, by a small contingent by the Stella Maris Collage Scout Group on the initiative from the very same group. May Eternal Peace reign in your hearts and in the hearts of your loved ones not only at Christmas but throughout the years to come.