The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-04-02
THE PASCHAL CANDLE.
Ancient Ceremonies at ST. Paul's Church
Yesterday.

In the Church of Rome and in the ORR
entail churches, Holy Saturday is one of
the most interesting days in the ecclesas-
teal calendar. The ceremonies are ancient
and peculiar and great Importance is at
tached to them.
The services at st. Paups church and the
Church of Our Lady of Sorrows yesterday
were singularly impressive and were in
strict conformity with the "Ordo Ro-
manus."
AT 8 o'clock in the morning. the hour
for beginning the services, large congre-
cation was in attendance at st. Paul's The
Rev. Father O'Reilly, as celebrant yes ted
in a rich cope of purple, and a crucifer,
two thurifers, and a number of other AGO.
lytes, all wearing red soutanes and white
cottas, moved in solemn procession from
the Sacristy to the nave of the church,
where the priest struck from a flint the
new fire which lighted the incense and a
three-branched candle. This triple candle
was then borne into the sanctuary or chan
eel, the priest, as he passed up the aisle,
chanting three times in resonant tones, the
words, "Lumen Christi" In the sanctuary,
near the altar, stood the paschal candle,
the object of central interest in the early
part of the services-a very large, tall cam
die, artistically embellished with Christian
fixing in 1t five grains of incense in men,
DRY of the wounds of Christ, and the pre-
ciouS spices with which He was Amounted,
lighted 1t from the three-branched candle,
chanting again, "Lumen Christi" The
sanctuary lamp, swinging before the altar,
vas next lighted.
lie use of the pascha candle goes back,
it is said to the time of Zosminus, who was
made pope in the year 417 and the sublime
words of the "Exultet, a triumphant
hymn, which was sung by the priest as he
was in the act of blessing it, are attributed
to st. Augustine, bishop of Hippo
The blessing of the paschal candle was
followed by the reading of the twelve
prophecies; and after they had been read,
the priest went in procession to bless the
font. He took water in his hand and
sprinkled it in four directions-east, west,
north and south-as to the four corners Of
the globe, to indicate the catholicity OF
the church and the worldwide efficacy of
her sacraments. After other mystical cere-
monies, the priest plunged the unlighted
end of the paschal candle three times into
the water, for the spirit Of God is to hall
low II, I'D the power of Christ is to de-
scend upon it. And then a few drops of the
oil of catechumens and of the chrism, sent
from the cathedral a Mobile, were mingled
with the water, in order, 1t is said, to sig
Nifty the union of Christ with his people.
On the way back from the font the priest
began the Lftanies of the Saints, and con-
cuded them at the altar. Immedia tely fol-
lowing the altar being now decked with
flowers, and the canonical number of can
dies being lighted, the celebrant exchanged
his purple cope for white chasuble and
began high mass. At the GLORIA" the organ
and the bell were heard for the first time
since Holy Thursday and after the epistle
the strains of the "Halleluia' pealed forth.
After the mass many of the people knelt
at the chancel and received the holy COM
munion.
The paSchal candle remained burning
throughout the mass. 1t burns symbol
ically until Ascension Day, although a
matter of fact it is extinguished along
with the altar lights, after each mass, to be
relirlated a nain at the next service