First Metropolitan United Church will hold a non-denominational service to honour women and others who have died at the hands of gender-based violence.

The commemoration, which began in 1989 to honour victims of a shooting at LB次元官网网址橢cole Polytechnique in Montreal that same year, has grown to include all those who are impacted by gender-based violence, First MetropolitanB次元官网网址檚 lead minister Shelagh MacKinnon said.

B次元官网网址淭he church has been doing this since the tragedy happened and thatB次元官网网址檚 been a continuing part of our call - as it were - to highlight the violence against women that is still such a major and terrifying part of our world,B次元官网网址� MacKinnon said.

In their gathering, which occurs every year on the , MacKinnon said the church strives to uplift and remember not only the 14 women who were killed in the attack motivated by B次元官网网址渇ighting feminismB次元官网网址�, but also people who are targeted because of their gender or gender expression.

B次元官网网址淭he service has expanded, itB次元官网网址檚 been enlarged to remember all the women in so many different situationsB次元官网网址�that because they are women or because of their gender expression or because of their political action, they have been killed.B次元官网网址�

The service will also remember murdered and missing Indigenous girls and women killed in Ukraine.

B次元官网网址淏y lighting a candle weB次元官网网址檙e just remembering the larger picture thatB次元官网网址檚 going on right now,B次元官网网址� MacKinnon said. B次元官网网址淐hristmas is that time where you think, B次元官网网址楽he would have been now 46 if she was still with us.B次元官网网址� So, we wanted to reach out and just take a little bit of our Christmas time to say youB次元官网网址檙e not alone and we are remembering.B次元官网网址�

The service, which is inter-faith and inclusive, will begin at 5 p.m. on Dec. 6.

For more information visit firstmetvictoria.com.

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