Office of Worship at 601 S. Jefferson, Springfield, MO 65806 US - The Use of Unity Candle

In March 1991 the members of the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy asked its Secretariat to address the issue of the use of the "Unity Candle" in the marriage liturgy.  Accordingly, the following statement was prepared by the Secretariat staff and was approved for publication by the NCCB Liturgy Committee at its meeting in Saint Paul, MN, on June 17, 1991.

With the recent publication by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments of a second revised edition of the Rite of Marriage, it is appropriate that a serious study of reflection upon wedding practices and customs currently observed in the United States be undertaken with a view toward identifying those elements in the rite which require further catechesis of the Christian faithful.  Similarly, practices which have arisen popularly during the past twenty years should be studied and, it found to be appropriate, they should be proposed as possible adaptations of the marriage liturgy for use in this country.  The "unity candle" is one such practice which falls into this latter category.

Shortly after the first edition of the revised Rite of Marriage was published in English (1969), it was proposed that the ceremonial lighting of a large candle from two smaller candles, held by the bride and groom, be included in the marriage rite after the exchange of vows or after communion.  In the ensuring years this practice, although never formally approved, has become fairly common.  The rite apparently comes from an Eastern European context and has the intention of showing that the "two become one flesh" through the sacrament of marriage.

This popular practice raises several questions which call for reflection.  The liturgical use of candles, other than for producing light itself, is most commonly related to seeing the lighted candle as a symbol of the light of Christ.  This is epitomized in the Easter Vigil in the use of the paschal candle and in the lighting of the people's candles at the beginning of the liturgy.  As the paschal candle is lighted, the priest prays:  "May the light of Christ, rising in glory, dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds."   The holding of lighted candles for the renewal of the baptismal promises harkens back to the rite of baptism when a lighted candle is given to a newly baptized adult or to the parents or godparents of an infant.  As this is done, the minister says:  "You have been enlightened by Christ.  Walk always as children of the light..."  This same symbolism is found in the rite for the dedication of a church when the deacon receives a lighted candle from the bishop so that he may light the candles at the altar; the bishop says:  "Light of Christ, shine forth in the Church and bring all nations to the fullness of truth."  Similarly, in popular celebrations of Evening Prayer, the use of the lucenarium service (lighting of a large candle and prayer of thanksgiving) recalls the Light of Christ in the darkness of the night.

Considering this liturgical usage of candles, what is the symbolism of lighting one larger candle from two smaller ones, which are then extinguished?  If the larger candle does not represent Christ, what does it symbolize?  The couple?  If so, it seems to be at variance with liturgical tradition.  And if the two smaller candles are meant to represent the individual baptized Christians entering this marriage, should not that symbolization be made explicit, such as, by the bride and the groom each carrying their candles in the entrance procession?  And are those individual lives in some way "snuffed out" when the two who have become one in Christ extinguish their candles?

If the larger candle represents Christ, should it not be burning from the very beginning of the liturgy?  The light of Christ does not come from the couple, but rather is shared with the couple.  If this symbolism is the intended one, the couple's candles should be lighted from the "Christ candle" and stand next to it as a sign that the unity of the couple comes from Christ.  For they are united with each other by being united in Christ.

One of the greatest criticisms of the "unity candle" is that it is not integrated into the liturgy and has to be explained in some detail when it is used. Its use should flow out of the very rites of the liturgy and not appear as something added on but not directly connected to the actions and prayers of the liturgy.

The Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy invites liturgical commissions and interested individuals to reflect upon the use of the unity candle, both in positive and negative features, and to communicate their thoughts to the Committee.