Since the Diocese of Orange acquired Christ Cathedral in 2013, and certainly upon its dedication as the heart of Catholic worship in Orange County, plans have been in place to add votive candle stands throughout the cathedral to enrich the prayer experience for all who visit.
Before construction started inside the cathedral to renovate it and to transform it into a Catholic place of worship, stands were placed inside the old glass doors at its entrance. Donors could go online to make an offering. A candle was lit in their name and all the candles were viewable via live stream. Once construction commenced, the candles were removed as a safety precaution.
A few years later, Kymm Binnquist, the campus property manager, and Father Christopher Smith, rector and episcopal vicar at Christ Cathedral, worked to find the safest, cleanest-burning and most elegant candles and stands that would fit in the different areas of Christ Cathedral. Saint Killians Candles, manufactured in Ireland, were chosen.
The Killians stands have now been placed in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, inside the main cathedral, next to the mosaic image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and in the Crean Tower.
When indoor Masses resume, attendees and visitors to the cathedral will be able to light a Killians candle to give honor to, and to seek help from the saint before whose image the candle is lit. And just as common, to pray for the deceased….
The above comes from a Jan. 4 story in OC Catholic.
I would like to light a candle for the poor souls and their families who lost their lives to murderers. It is unfortunate that many people loose their lives to the plaque of violence. As our Country continues to deteriorate, the levels of violence continue to increase and many more people will loose their lives to murder. May God have mercy on their souls.
How much per candle? Odd detail to leave out.
I’ve seen ‘suggested’ donations. However, I do not recall ever seeing a ‘required’ minimum donation.
The Church clearly forbids charging for sacraments. Since these are blessed candles, sacramentals, would similar logic apply?
I’m open to being corrected, if I’m wrong. But, I think that’s why there are only “suggested” donations. We should be praying and using sacramentals (and, of course, receiving Sacraments) without cost and regardless of our financial situations.
That said, if you’re able, you are welcome to donate more than the suggested amount (especially since some of our brothers and sisters may not be able to make monetary contributions). And, the candles aren’t free.
In Eastern Catholic (and Orthodox) churches, we use 100 percent beeswax candles. For Roman Catholic parishes, I think liturgical standards require clean-burning 51% pure beeswax. There are cheaper candles, but, in addition to liturgical factors, beeswax candles burn cleaner and longer.