Position of altar candles

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Cavaille-Coll

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I’ve noticed that in most American parishes, the two candles are placed on or adjacent to the left and right sides of the altar, while in Europe, they are usually both placed on the same side. Does anyone know where these customs originated?
 
From the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :
“307. The candles, which are required at every liturgical service out of reverence and on account of the festiveness of the celebration (cf. above, 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 at the altar or what is placed on it.”
(My bold text.)

1975 GIRM, n. 269, on candles: “Everything is to be well balanced and must not interfere with the faithful’s clear view of what goes on at the altar or is placed on it.”
 
Cavaille-Coll said:
I’ve noticed that in most American parishes, the two candles are placed on or adjacent to the left and right sides of the altar, while in Europe, they are usually both placed on the same side. Does anyone know where these customs originated?
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It’s one of those cutsy liturgical ideas that made their appearance in the 60’s. A variation of this is cross at one end and candles on the other. IIRC, the two-candle-at-one-end even made its appearance for the Pope’s first Mass at the Sistine chapel - though I can’t recall seeing it after that.
 
John_Lilburne said:
From the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :
"307. The candles, which are required at every liturgical service out of reverence and on account of the festiveness of the celebration (cf. above, 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 at the altar or what is placed on it."
(My bold text.)

1975 GIRM, n. 269, on candles: “Everything is to be well balanced and must not interfere with the faithful’s clear view of what goes on at the altar or is placed on it.”
Click to expand...
The Pope’s favored candlestick orientation on top of the altar which has now been copied by EWTN’s daily Mass CLEARLY contravenes this segment of the GIRM.

And that interference is by design.
 
These fasions have come and gone as taste and fancy have changed over the centuries.

I agree with Dom Gregory Dix. It’s pointless to erect sacristy orthodoxies and test of theological allegiance on the basis of details of church ornamentation that never meant anything at the times they were adopted–or dropped.
 
We sported this arrangement for a little while. Then we went to two candlesticks either side of the Altar leaving the Altar bare. Now we are back to the original two sticks on the altar but one at each end.

A priests personal preference I suppose.
 
Spiller said:
The Pope’s favored candlestick orientation on top of the altar which has now been copied by EWTN’s daily Mass CLEARLY contravenes this segment of the GIRM. And that interference is by design.
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I have yet to see it in person, but it doesn’t seem to be an obstruction in the Masses I’ve watched on TV. When seen from the congregation’s viewpoint, it’s not as if the candles and crucifix form a rood screen.
 
japhy said:
I have yet to see it in person, but it doesn’t seem to be an obstruction in the Masses I’ve watched on TV. When seen from the congregation’s viewpoint, it’s not as if the candles and crucifix form a rood screen.
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I love rood screens 😛
 
japhy said:
I have yet to see it in person, but it doesn’t seem to be an obstruction in the Masses I’ve watched on TV. When seen from the congregation’s viewpoint, it’s not as if the candles and crucifix form a rood screen.
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They most certainly obstruct him along with the large altar crucifix – but it’s by his design after all. The difficult part is that to follow his practical lead (which is probably a positive thing) is to necessarily contravene the GIRM.
 
Spiller said:
They most certainly obstruct him along with the large altar crucifix – but it’s by his design after all. The difficult part is that to follow his practical lead (which is probably a positive thing) is to necessarily contravene the GIRM.
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All I’m saying is that I can see what he’s doing at the altar. Now, if the candles and crucifix were ill-sized for an altar, I could see them resulting in a virtual screen… but that’s not the case in the papal liturgies I’ve seen.

And if the candles and crucifix can’t be there so that the view is obstructed, why on earth should the priest be allowed to be “in the way”, celebrating Mass ad orientem?
 
japhy said:
All I’m saying is that I can see what he’s doing at the altar. Now, if the candles and crucifix were ill-sized for an altar, I could see them resulting in a virtual screen… but that’s not the case in the papal liturgies I’ve seen.

And if the candles and crucifix can’t be there so that the view is obstructed, why on earth should the priest be allowed to be “in the way”, celebrating Mass ad orientem?
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I said is that the Pope’s favored arrangement of altar candles (and altar crucifix) contravene GIRM 307 – their placement DOES “interfere with the faithful’s clear view of what takes place at the altar or what is placed on it”

My original statement stands. The rest is spin.

GIRM 307. "The candles, which are required at every liturgical service out of reverence and on account of the festiveness of the celebration (cf. above, 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 at the altar or what is placed on it."
 
Spiller said:
I said is that the Pope’s favored arrangement of altar candles (and altar crucifix) contravene GIRM 307 – their placement DOES “interfere with the faithful’s clear view of what takes place at the altar or what is placed on it”

My original statement stands. The rest is spin.
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Then perhaps the Pope is exercising some special liturgical might and challenging the untraditional tone of the GIRM.
 
japhy said:
Then perhaps the Pope is exercising some special liturgical might and challenging the untraditional tone of the GIRM.
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Nothing “untraditional” about the tone of GIRM #307. That’s ridiculous. It does show however that the current Pope is not afraid of doing something that would require contravening the GIRM to emulate his actions…
 
Cavaille-Coll said:
I’ve noticed that in most American parishes, the two candles are placed on or adjacent to the left and right sides of the altar, while in Europe, they are usually both placed on the same side. Does anyone know where these customs originated?
Click to expand...
Every time I see this topic I have to laugh. Years ago the “lay liturgy experts” would place one candle just to the right of the altar and one just to the left of the ambo. The cutesy “one is the altar of the Word, one the altar of the word” was the mantra of the day.

When I ended-up with the responsibility for setting-up one Mass I would take the candle from next to the ambo and move it to just left of the altar to comply with the GIRM.

Oh the anger that created! I said fine, just add another candle next to the altar. They refused and I continued when I set-up for Mass. They would turn purple with rage during the Mass when they realized I had moved the candles again or even when I added a third candle.

We had a very hands-off pastor at the time who couldn’t have cared any less about our parish. They forced him to sign a 2 page letter admonishing me for moving a candle and to never do it again. I asked him about it and he just shrugged his shoulders. I said the altar will ALWAYS have at least two candles next to it when I did the set-up. He nodded his approval.

The “lay liturgy experts” became even more furious! He finally directed them to have at least two candles next to the altar. They changed the placement – two went on one end, but that was fine with me.

That was my first introduction to just how little some pastors care (my current one DOES care) and just how screwed-up, ignorant, arrogant and turf-protecting some “lay liturgy experts” can be…
 
Spiller said:
Nothing “untraditional” about the tone of GIRM #307. That’s ridiculous. It does show however that the current Pope is not afraid of doing something that would require contravening the GIRM to emulate his actions…
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I was trying to bring it back to my previous point, that if the arrangement of candles on the altar can be considered an obstruction, and GIRM 307 does not allow for such a thing, then how on earth could a priest celebrate ad orientem? Surely he’s an “obstruction”.
 
If I might be slightly contrarian, I think the length of the altar at St. Peter enables quite a clear view despite the candles. Now if those candles were placed on a narrower altar, then they would form an obstacle. I haven’t watched the EWTN daily Mass in ages so I don’t know what sort of set up they have there.
 
AJV said:
If I might be slightly contrarian, I think the length of the altar at St. Peter enables quite a clear view despite the candles. Now if those candles were placed on a narrower altar, then they would form an obstacle. I haven’t watched the EWTN daily Mass in ages so I don’t know what sort of set up they have there.
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Yeah to the television viewing audience whose feed is taken from an overhead robotic camera 25’ in the air…
 
Spiller said:
Yeah to the television viewing audience whose feed is taken from an overhead robotic camera 25’ in the air…
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I’m not so stupid as to base my judgment on that obviously (or maybe not so obviously 😃 ). I’ve looked at pictures from friends of mine who were in the congregation.

That said, one can wonder otherwise how people further away in such a large basilica or even for outdoor Masses can have a clear view of anything from the distance to the altar. Aside from the giant screens.
 
GIRM 307. "The candles, which are required at every liturgical service out of reverence and on account of the festiveness of the celebration (cf. above, 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 at the altar or what is placed on it."

The 6-7 large candles and the large altar crucifix DO “interfere with the faithful’s clear view” but I’m fairly sure the Pope does not see that as a problem. In fact I would think he sees that as a benefit based on his writings…
 
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