Technically, in the Extraordinary Form, unbleached candles should be used and altar accoutrements should be “funereal” for lack of a better term.
But how many pre-Vatican II parishes did so or could afford to do so or had laity who would change the altar accoutrements just for a funeral? Anyone remember? I don’t. I never went to a pre-Vatican II Requiem.
My parish in Augusta, prior to Vatican II, used candle tubes for the six high altar candlesticks. Those are tubes that look like candles but have inserted into them a spring action holder of the actual beeswax candle which allowed most of these expensive candles to be used while the exterior shell or tube remains the same height, foreverrrrr.
With today’s EF Requiems, how many parishes have funeral accoutrements?
5 comments:
I was an altarboy and my parish did this. I would not call our parish wealthy. Even with the introduction of the "reforms" our parish kept this practice alive for a number of years.
Oh, yes,... your question... I think it best fits a defenestration, unfortunately not accompanied by others equally worthy of a trial by flight.
I remember that at Blessed Sacrament in Savannah there would be six black candlesticks surrounding the casket. Whether the candles were unbleached or not I can't recall.
i do think that most parishes had the six candle stands that surrounded the casket, many using these same candle stands to surround the free standing altar after Vatican II. I don’t recall unbleached candles but as I wrote, I never went to a pre-Vatican II Requiem.
FWIW, our Altar Rosary Society makes our candles from the wax harvested from our hives. It sounds difficult, but isn’t ant is actually a fun event. It happens about the same time as they dye the wood chips for Corpus Christi.
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