E. Franklin Griffiths Funeral Home & Cremation Services Inc. held a butterfly release ceremony Saturday as a way to represent hope, new life, peace and a connection to nature.

“I do this for moments like these,” said Griffith, whose family has been in the funeral home business for six generations.

He welcomed the large crowd that had gathered in the outdoor area beside his funeral home.

According to a Native American myth, butterflies work as messengers to heaven since they are unable to make sound they cannot tell anyone else what you wished for except for the Great Spirit. The butterfly release becomes a symbolic way of staying connected with loved ones that have passed away.

The Rev. Cindy White of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tamaqua led the group in prayer. She also performed several songs to help keep the excitement going before the actual release.

For Charlene Miller of Mahoning Valley, this event means more than just a simple butterfly release.

“I’m releasing in memory of my dad,” said Miller. “He received a letter from a family member before he passed saying that just when a caterpillar thought its life was over it bloomed into a beautiful butterfly. Ever since then the butterfly became our way of remembering him.”

Soon everyone gathered close together as they sent their butterflies off into the heavens.