This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Soldiers were huddled amid battlefield bunkers on Flanders Fields in Belgium, when suddenly they heard the faint notes of holiday carols waft through the air.
"Silent night, holy night," came the voices.
Slowly, tentatively, the heavily armed men emerged into the open air to see their enemies face to face.
It was Christmas Eve 1914 in the midst of the brutal World War I, which pitted armies from various European nations against one another.
But that night the opponents experienced a wondrous — albeit momentary — recognition of their common humanity.
A century later, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is joining with other religious groups in commemorating the moving episode, which became known as the "Christmas Truce."
Faith Counts, a multifaith U.S. organization, has launched a website , according to an LDS Church news release, and produced a YouTube video titled "Peace Is Possible: The Christmas Truce of 1914."
"The beauty of this Christmas truce video is that it really showcases the power of faith to bring hope and peace," said Faith Counts representative Kerry Troup, "even in the darkest of times."
Faith Counts enlisted the help of LDS Church-owned Brigham Young University students to produce the video.
"Graphic design and animation students enhanced original black and white photography to include motion in the video. Film students spent time in Belgium this fall shooting video from current day Flanders Fields," the release said. "BYU men's chorus composed and performed a special arrangement of 'Silent Night,' which was sung during the Christmas truce."
In coming days, the short video will be shown as part of a special program about the truce at several Mormon chapels in the United Kingdom, events that are free and open to the public.
For more information, click here.
Peggy Fletcher Stack