The following article appeared in the January 1998 issue of U.S. Catholic. It is posted here for private use only. It may not be reprinted in whole or in part in any manner without the permission of U.S. Catholic magazine. U.S. Catholic is published by the Claretians. The burning flame is always prominent in our churches, and it can be prominent in our homes, too.
Children love to take turns lighting candles.
The candles can be saved just as we save our other seasonal things. This comes very easily to me because of my own family upbringing. I was born at home only yards from the Wabash River in Ohio, the tenth child of 13. The rural Catholic church just down the road gave our faith its particular style. The pastor was a beekeeper and gardener.