Question
Good afternoon, Padre. Thank you so much for this. There is a clarification I would like you to make for us about the candlelight procession for the dead. When and how did it become part of our liturgical celebration for the dead? What should be done with the candle after the procession? Until recently, we neither knew nor heard about candlelight processions at funerals. Kindly enlighten us.
Answer
Good afternoon, and thank you for your thoughtful question. It touches on an aspect of Catholic funeral practice that has become increasingly common in many places but is often misunderstood. To answer it properly, it is important to distinguish between what belongs to the Church’s official liturgy and what has developed as a legitimate expression of popular piety or local custom.
The Catholic Church teaches that Christian funerals are, above all, celebrations of the Paschal Mystery of Christ. Through the funeral rites, the Church commends the deceased to God’s mercy, offers the Sacrifice of the Eucharist for the repose of the soul, consoles the bereaved with the hope of the Resurrection, and proclaims faith in Christ, who conquered death. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
“Christian funeral is a liturgical celebration of the Church. The ministry of the Church in this instance aims at expressing efficacious communion with the deceased, at the participation of the community gathered for the funeral in that communion, and at the proclamation of eternal life to the community” (CCC, no. 1684).
The Church’s official liturgical book for funeral celebrations is the Order of Christian Funerals (Ordo Exsequiarum). Throughout this rite, the principal symbol of Christ’s victory over death is the Paschal Candle, which is placed near the casket during the Funeral Liturgy. The General Introduction explains that the funeral liturgy is a celebration of Christ’s Passover and should always direct the faithful to the hope of the Resurrection.
The Paschal Candle recalls the candle received at Baptism, when the newly baptised was entrusted with the light of Christ. Christian life begins in the light of the Risen Lord and reaches its fulfilment in the hope of eternal life. The funeral liturgy therefore intentionally connects Baptism with Christian death, expressing the Church’s faith that those who have died in Christ will also rise with Him (cf. Romans 6:3–5).
It is important to note that the Roman Rite does not prescribe a universal liturgical rite in which the entire congregation carries lighted candles during Funeral Mass or the official funeral rites. Rather, the liturgical books give central prominence to the Paschal Candle, together with the Cross, holy water and incense, which are the principal liturgical symbols employed during Christian funerals.
How, then, did candlelight processions become common in many places?
The practice developed gradually as an expression of Christian devotion and local ecclesial tradition. Throughout the history of the Church, funeral processions have accompanied the faithful from the place of prayer to the place of burial as visible acts of Christian solidarity, prayer and hope. Over time, many dioceses and local Churches incorporated the carrying of candles by members of the faithful as a symbolic reminder that Christ is the Light of the World and that the deceased, through Baptism, dwells perpetually in the light of Christ.
The Church recognises the value of such customs when they remain in harmony with the sacred liturgy. The Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy teaches that popular devotional practices are to be encouraged when they flow from the liturgy, lead the faithful more deeply into its mysteries and never replace or overshadow the Church’s official rites. The same Directory acknowledges the importance of funeral processions and other legitimate local customs, provided they preserve the dignity, simplicity and theological meaning of Christian worship (cf. Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, nos. 245–253).
For this reason, candlelight processions may legitimately be organised where they have been approved by diocesan authority or have become established local custom. They should always remain expressions of prayer and Christian hope rather than occasions for spectacle or mere emotional display.
The increasing visibility of candlelight processions in recent years can largely be attributed to the wider exchange of liturgical customs among dioceses, the influence of Catholic retreats and renewal movements, greater interaction among local Churches, and the growing appreciation of symbolic gestures that help the faithful participate more prayerfully in funeral celebrations. Their wider use does not mean that they have become universal liturgical requirements; rather, they remain optional devotional practices where legitimately adopted.
Concerning the candle itself, the Church has not established a universal law prescribing what every participant must do with the candle after the procession. Since the carrying of individual candles belongs to local devotional practice rather than to the universal liturgical norms of the Roman Rite, their disposition is ordinarily determined by diocesan directives or established parish custom.
In many communities, participants simply extinguish the candles after the procession or after the concluding rites, and the parish collects them for future liturgical use. In other places, the candles may remain lit throughout part of the celebration before being reverently extinguished. Whatever local custom is followed, no magical or superstitious significance should ever be attached to these candles. Their value lies solely in what they symbolise: the light of Christ, who guides His faithful through death to eternal life.
Sacred Scripture provides the theological foundation for this symbolism. Our Lord Jesus Christ declares:
“I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
Likewise, St Paul reminds Christians that through Baptism they have been united with Christ in His Death and Resurrection (Romans 6:3–5), while the Book of Revelation presents the heavenly Jerusalem as a place illuminated not by earthly light but by the glory of God and the Lamb (Revelation 21:23).
In all, whether or not candlelight procession forms part of a particular funeral celebration, the heart of every Catholic funeral remains unchanged. The Church’s focus is always on the proclamation of the Paschal Mystery, the offering of the Holy Eucharist, prayers for the deceased, and the confident hope of the Resurrection. Every legitimate custom should deepen these realities and never obscure them.
Thanks for reading, good night
Fr. Dr. Okhueleigbe Osemhantie Ãmos, is a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Uromi & a Lecturer at CIWA, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
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