Mary Patricia Storms

While learning to walk, my third child, baptized Christopher Michael Salvatore, was coached by his two older sisters. As he toddled toward them, he would invariably land on his diaper-padded tush. When he fell, Katie and Melissa would delightedly announce, “Fall down, go boom,” as he joined them in laughter. The game continued for weeks until he grew steady on his feet; somewhere in the process, “Christopher” disappeared from their lexicon, replaced by “Boomer.” Once he was enrolled in school, “Christopher” would surface with occasional teacher use, but Boomer is the name he continues to use a quarter-century later.

Repetition plays an important role in imprinting both our brains and our spirits. How many of us would know that 5 x 4 = 20 without the repetition used to teach “times tables” to third graders? Repetition also imprints less linear learning. Experiences we have in life create memories: when we experience a stimulus over and over, the memories become a subconscious part of who we are.

Repetition gives ministers of liturgical environment a tool that catechizes our assembly in measurable ways that help the “church inside the church” make connections with the “church outside the church.” Time-honored symbols and signs connect us to the universal church; through generations and across continents, certain symbols conjure particular memories that are important to our identity as a people whose journey in this world is essential to our journey in the next. Among these symbols are candles.

Candles have been an essential part of our worship since apostolic times. St. Jerome, rebuking those who considered the use of candles superstitious, countered Vigilitius by noting that candles burning during daylight are “not, of course, to scatter the darkness, but by way of evidencing our joy” (The Principal Works of St. Jerome [New York: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1892], 420). The paschal candle, dedication candles (candles that mark the points where the building was anointed when dedicated), and altar candles are required appointments in our churches; throughout the year, we present the newly baptized with candles, and we light votive candles for special intentions. Altar servers carry candles in procession. Advent wreaths, the feast of St. Blase, and Candlemas blessings incorporate candles. So entrenched in our psyche is the symbol of candles that a candle is even used in a formal excommunication, extinguished as a sign of the individual’s severed relationship with Christ and the church. Candles, consumed by use, remind Christ’s followers that true service demands giving of self.

Liturgical guidelines require that candles used in worship, with the exception of the sanctuary lamp (which may be lit with oil), must be wax, not electric or battery operated, and white. The traditional practice of using beeswax for liturgical candles is rooted in the idea that because Christ, whom the candles represent, was born of the Virgin Mary, the wax ought to be produced by virgin bees. Practically speaking, beeswax burns more slowly and cleanly than other products.

As with any symbol that is used constantly, candles can become an overlooked part of the environment. To keep this important symbol fresh for the assembly, try changing the height or diameter of your candles, using different candleholders, increasing or decreasing their number, or rearranging them. Ribbons or garlands of fresh greens adorning candle stands add festivity so long as they do not overshadow the primary symbol of light the candle provides. Dignified candlesticks are costly, and those who donate them for use in worship contribute to a noble cause: candles are required at every liturgy “out of reverence and on account of the festiveness of the celebration” (General Instruction of the Roman Missal 307). Indeed, liturgical rubrics calling for varying numbers of candles to be used around the altar take festivity into account. Two candles are always required for Mass, but four and six candles may be used on varying occasions; seven are suggested for a celebration at which the bishop presides (117).

Our use of candles resonates a fundamental belief, poetically articulated by St. Patrick:

Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left.”
(St. Patrick Breastplate)

The constant use of candles in liturgy and devotional prayer imprints the knowledge that the light of Christ is ever present in our midst; we carry it in our hearts as we go forth to serve in the world. ML

Mary Patricia Storms is chair of the theology department at Archbishop O'Hara High School and confirmation coordinator for the parishes of St. John Francis Regis, Our Lady of Lourdes, and St. Bernadette's in Kansas City, Mo.

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