Question regarding chapel candles

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sr.christinaosf

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In our chapel is held Adoration/Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, which closes for the night hours. We have trouble with candles!! We don’t wan them left on the altar so people move them and blow them out (to reduce safety and/or soot risk).
However, when they move them the wicks often move off center. We have to try to pry the wicks over to the center so they don’t burn the plastic!!
In looking into this, we realized that the bottom inside of the red globes we use are not flat, so the candle tends to wobble/move a bit when moved.
I am interested in what other places use, and any suggestions people might have.
Thanks.
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Those candles are designed to be lit and remain lit. If they are encased in glass the risk is minimal.
 
They are not needed from 10 p.m. until after 6 a.m. weekdays, and are not used on weekends. The fire marshal would not be happy with us leaving them burn on the altar unattended.
 
If the Blessed Sacrament is exposed it cannot be left alone, so I assume there is at least one person present at all times during Adoration. The candles can then burn continually. They would not be unattended.

At the conclusion of Adoration, the candles could be extinguished without moving them by using a simple candle snuffer.
 
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sr.christinaosf said:
They are not needed from 10 p.m. until after 6 a.m. weekdays, and are not used on weekends. The fire marshal would not be happy with us leaving them burn on the altar unattended.
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???

QUESTION: do you have Mass in this chapel or is it just an Adoration Chapel?

If just an Adoration Chapel, use one or two sanctuary candles, like the one you have in the main Church which is lit 24x7 - as long as consecrated Hosts are in the tabernacle.

If you don’t want it on the altar, hang sanctuary candle(s) from ceiling or mount it to the wall. When not needed, use a candle snuffer to extinguish if not low enough to blow out without a snuffer.
 
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We have exposition, which requires 4-6 candles; we have four.
Yes, we do have Mass 2-3 times a week.
 
Thanks everyone - I will probably try someone else’s suggestion of putting sand in the bottom.
 
UpUpAndAway said:
At the conclusion of Adoration, the candles could be extinguished without moving them by using a simple candle snuffer.
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Or by placing something over the top of the candle until it extinguishes itself. At home I tend to use a lid. You can probably come up with something more elegant than that.
 
We have lids but they allow air in. If we put something FLAT over the top, that might do the trick.
Thanks.
 
The snuffer scares me - wax can be touched by it, get on the snuffer, and drip off where you don’t want it (altar cloths or floor).
 
I am not the only one dealing with this - we have volunteers who “close up” and I can’t be there to supervise 😦
 
I feel your pain. Experienced it myself time and time again when I was head sacristan. :woman_facepalming:t2:
 
Is there some rule I don’t know about that states that candles for the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament must be red? 🤔 We always used white candles.
 
I don’t think colours of candles are particularly regulated but I always thought as a general rule it was red for images Jesus or saints, Blue for Our Lady, and white for the Blessed Sacrament.
 
You have a couple of options:
  1. regular altar candles (thick pillar style or very tall are better for longer burning time)
  2. Traditional lamps with oil with a floating wick
  3. candle style cylinders with a wick in the top and filled with oil (there are some very good ones on the market)
  4. the option no one should ever go with but I have unfortunately seen - electric/battery operated ‘candles’ - urgh!
 
On a related topic, and maybe a bit of a stupid question, but can anybody explain the symbolism of the number of candles on the altar? Sometimes there are six, three on the left, three on the right, and a crucifix in the middle. Sometimes there are two, one either side of the crucifix. Sometimes there are two and no crucifix on the altar. Sometimes there are two candles, both to one side, and nothing on the other side to balance it. Is this something to do with the type of mass as in high mass versus low mass?
 
Okay, thanks. The vast majority of sanctuary lamps that I’ve seen are indeed red, but I have come across a few white ones.

For Exposition, however, the reverse is true (overwhelmingly white, seen red a few times). I guess there’s no rule then, or these people will be in big trouble 😉

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(Te Deum with Exposition [not yet exposed in this photo], ICRSS France pilgrimage to Lourdes, 2015)
 
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