paschal candle

American  

noun

1. a tall candle, symbolizing Christ, that is sometimes blessed and placed on the gospel side of an altar on Holy Saturday and kept burning until Ascension Day.

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Example Sentences

After starting the service in the rear of the church with the traditional lighting of a large paschal candle, he was taken in a wheelchair to the front to preside at the Mass.

From Reuters • Apr. 8, 2023

During the service, a white pall covers the coffin to symbolize eternal life; a paschal candle flickering at the foot of the coffin symbolizes the Risen Christ.

From Time Magazine Archive

In the Roman Catholic Church the most characteristic ritual feature of the festival is now the solemn extinction of the paschal candle after the Gospel at high mass.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 7 "Arundel, Thomas" to "Athens" by Various

Cancellieri, at the end of his Funzioni della Settimana Santa, describes two blessings of the paschal candle contained in manuscripts of the 12th century.

From The Ceremonies of the Holy-Week at Rome by Baggs, Charles Michael

The ceremonies of holy saturday-morning may be arranged under three heads: 1st. the blessing of the fire and of the paschal candle: 2nd. the preparation for, and ceremonies of, baptism: 3rd. the litany and mass.

From The Ceremonies of the Holy-Week at Rome by Baggs, Charles Michael