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JMJ_coder
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I recall reading somewhere that candles used for the Liturgy must be made with at least 51% beeswax. Does anyone know where the citation for this may be?
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passus
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FrDavid96
Guest
Here is the answer from the USCCB:
May oil candles be used during the liturgy? In my parish only wax candles are used.
The Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy Newsletter addressed this concern in the November 1984 issue. The following is an excerpt from that issue.
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) states the following with regard to the use of candles: “The candles, which are required at every liturgical service out of reverence and on account of the festiveness of the celebration (cf.no.117), are to be appropriately placed either on or around the altar in a way suited to the design of the altar and the sanctuary so that the whole may be well balanced and not interfere with the faithful’s clear view of what takes place on the altar or what is placed on it” In an interpretation of the previous GIRM 269, the Congregation for Divine Worship stated the following in 1974: The GIRM prescribes candles for Mass ‘as a sign of reverence and festiveness’. But is makes no further determination regarding the material of their composition, except in the case of the sanctuary lamp, the fuel for which must be oil or wax (see Holy Communion and Worship Outside Mass, Introduction, no. 11). The faculty that the conferences of bishops possess to choose suitable materials for sacred furnishings applies, therefore, to the candles for Mass. That faculty is that they are appropriate for sacred use. Candles intended only for liturgical use should be made of material that can provide a living flame without being smoky or noxious and that does not stain the altar cloths and coverings. Electrical bulbs are banned in the interest of safeguarding authenticity and the full symbolism of light" (Notitiae 10 [1974] 80, no. 4; see Liturgy Documentary Series 2: General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 112-113).
Since the National Conference of Catholic Bishops has never employed the above-noted faculty to permit the use of materials other than wax in the production of candles, the use of such other material either in substitutes for or in imitations of candles is not permitted in the liturgy. Therefore, oil lamps may be used only “in the case of the sanctuary lamp,” as indicated above. Candles made of wax are to be used in the celebration of the Mass and other liturgical rites. Furthermore, because of their very nature, imitations of candles should not be used in the liturgy as, for example, “permanent” paschal candles, etc. Nor should electrical bulbs be used in liturgical celebration. In the interests of authenticity and symbolism, it is likewise most unfitting that so-called vigil lights be used for devotional purposes.
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usccb.org/liturgy/q%26a/environment/oil.shtml
While they must be “candles” there is no specific requirement that they be made of at least 51% beeswax–other forms of wax (like parafin) may also be used.
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JMJ_coder
Guest
If there isn’t a requirement, is there at least a preference and/or encouragement to use beeswax? Father, what do you and the other Priests in your area use?
And, I’d don’t know if anyone here would know, but is there any requirement for Eastern Catholics or are they also free to use any form of wax?
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FrDavid96
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Traditionally, a minimum of 51% beeswax is preferred, but again not required.
Yes, there is a preference for beeswax as opposed to the more common (and less expensive) parafin wax because beeswax burns much slower. The overall effect is less of a “mess” at the top of the candle–less dripping, and less chance that the different candles will burn at different rates, resulting in some long candles and some short ones even though they were all new at the same time. Airflow in the church makes candles burn faster, and the effect is magnified with a faster burning wax.
As for the Eastern Churches, each Church sui iuris has it’s own liturgical laws. From the purist’s point of view, with a few exceptions, candles are never used in Eastern Church sanctuaries, only oil lamps. Candles are popular outside the sanctuary, though. Note that I’ve mentioned the “purist’s” point of view–many Eastern Churches, Catholic and Orthodox alike, do use candles on the altar.
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passus
Guest
There would certainly be merit in adherence to the tradition of using beeswax in liturgical candles and if there were any preference (although there is none apparent in Church’s writing on the matter) it would be for pure beeswax candles.
There is a mysticism behind the traditional use of luminaria cerea, some of which is touched upon in the Catholic Encyclopedia.
newadvent.org/cathen/01347a.htm
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AJV
Guest
What you were thinking of was probably the older legislation on the subject. It was ruled that all candles used in the liturgy aside from the Paschal candle and two candles* (minimum required) for Mass was to be beeswax “in the majority” - which was commonly taken as 51%. This number was also fixed by episcopal or synodal authority in some countries (though never in the USA, except maybe in some dioceses in the South)
- these were to be beeswax “in maxima parte” - which was variously defined anywhere from two-thirds to three-fourths beeswax.
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JMJ_coder
Guest
That’s a nice thought, even if biologically inaccurate.
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passus
Guest
Haha well, I didn’t write it.
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bpbasilphx
Guest
Several Orthodox monasteries make unbleached pure beeswax candles (about $10 a lb, regardless of the size). They have a certain amount of honey and have a pleasant sweet smell when burned.
When I was an Episcopalian, the altar guild would buy candles a year in advance and store them in the church basement, where there was also a refrigerator. This held the next batch of pure beeswax candles chilling to be used. They would burn better if stored for a long period in a cool place and then chilled.
When I was an Episcopalian, the altar guild would buy candles a year in advance and store them in the church basement, where there was also a refrigerator. This held the next batch of pure beeswax candles chilling to be used. They would burn better if stored for a long period in a cool place and then chilled.
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Digitonomy
Guest
Another reason that beeswax candles may have been preferred was that they apparently burn cleaner than paraffin.
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bpbasilphx
Guest
And don’t forget that there was a time that paraffin did not exist!
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passus
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D
Digitonomy
Guest
Interesting. So it would have been more accurate for me to say that beeswax was also favored because it burns more cleanly than waxes made from animal and vegetable fats.
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JMJ_coder
Guest
I don’t think it burns any more clean than olive oil – another major light fuel. Beeswax, though, would probably be easier and cheaper to obtain in more northern Europe, where olives didn’t thrive.
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