Blessed Candles

Devotions

From the Candlemas blessing of candles to the vigil light before the Blessed Sacrament, why Catholics bless and burn candles as a sacramental sign of Christ, the Light of the World.

A blessed candle is a candle that has received the Church’s formal blessing, most publicly at the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2, traditionally called Candlemas, and is afterward used in the liturgy or in personal devotion as a sacramental sign of Christ, described in Scripture as the Light of the World (John 8:12). Blessed candles take many devotional forms in Catholic life, from the towering Easter (Paschal) candle and the baptismal candle to the votive candle lit before a shrine and the vigil lamp burning near the tabernacle, all sharing the same underlying symbolism of light overcoming darkness.

Quick Facts

Category: Sacramentals & Devotional Practices — Sacred Objects & Domestic Piety
Origin: Historic Catholic sacramental and liturgical tradition, most publicly expressed in the Candlemas blessing of candles
Associated saint: Not tied to a specific saint
Country: Universal
Feast/observance: The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, February 2, is the principal occasion for the public blessing of candles
Church status: An approved sacramental; use according to Church blessing and norms, never as a charm or superstition
Private revelation: Not dependent on private revelation

What Is This Devotion?

A blessed candle is an ordinary candle set apart by the Church’s blessing for sacred use, drawing on the biblical image of Christ as the Light of the World and of the faithful called to let their own light shine before others (Matthew 5:14-16). As with every sacramental, a blessed candle is not a source of power in itself; its flame is a sign meant to focus the mind and heart on Christ and to accompany prayer, not an object that changes outcomes on its own apart from faith.

Blessed candles serve many distinct devotional purposes in Catholic life: the large Paschal candle lit at the Easter Vigil and kept burning through the Easter season and at baptisms and funerals throughout the year; the small candle given to a newly baptized person or their godparent, lit from the Paschal candle; the sanctuary or vigil lamp kept burning near the tabernacle as a sign of Christ’s abiding presence; and the votive candles the faithful light before a statue or shrine as a visible, lasting sign of a prayer offered.

Origin and History

The blessing of candles at the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, from which the popular name Candlemas derives, is documented in Rome by at least the seventh century and became closely associated with the feast’s Gospel image of Christ as “a light for revelation to the Gentiles” (Luke 2:32), proclaimed by Simeon when the infant Jesus was presented in the Temple. The wider Christian use of lamps and candles in worship is far older still, reaching back to the Church’s earliest centuries, when oil lamps burned at the tombs of martyrs and within places of prayer. Over time, the Church attached blessings to candles used at specific moments — the Paschal candle at Easter, the baptismal candle, and candles used in particular saints’ blessings such as the crossed candles of the Blessing of St. Blaise — each carrying its own proper symbolism within the same broader tradition.

Catholic Theology

The Catechism teaches that sacramentals such as blessed candles are signs that prepare people to receive grace and dispose them to cooperate with it, always in dependence on the prayer of the Church rather than as objects that act automatically (CCC §§1667-1673). The candle’s burning flame, consuming itself as it gives light, has long been read by Christian tradition as an image of Christ’s own self-giving, and of the disciple’s own life spent in prayer and sacrifice before God.

How to Practice It

Bring candles to be blessed at your parish’s Candlemas liturgy on or near February 2, if this custom is observed there.
Keep a blessed candle in the home, especially for use during family prayer, the Easter season, or in a time of illness or danger, following long Catholic custom.
Light a votive candle before a shrine or image as a visible sign of a prayer or intention, understanding the flame as an accompaniment to prayer rather than a substitute for it.
Dispose of a blessed candle’s remains reverently once it is fully spent, such as by burning it completely or another respectful means, rather than discarding it as ordinary trash.

Associated Prayers

When It’s Observed

The Church’s public blessing of candles is most closely tied to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2, a fixed date on the universal calendar. Blessed candles themselves are used throughout the liturgical year, from the Easter Vigil’s blessing of the new fire and Paschal candle to ordinary votive use before an image or shrine on any day.

Church Status

Blessed candles are a long-recognized Catholic sacramental, and the blessing of candles at Candlemas is provided for in the Church’s liturgical books. As with all sacramentals, their proper use is governed by the Church’s general norms rather than by folk custom, and any specific local blessing, such as the crossed-candle Blessing of St. Blaise, follows its own proper liturgical form (SRC-02; SRC-12).

Common Misconceptions

“A blessed candle protects a home from harm on its own, whether or not it is ever lit in prayer.”

It does not work automatically. A blessed candle is a sacramental sign meant to accompany and support prayer and trust in God; the Church has always warned against treating any blessed object as though it carried power independent of the faith and prayer of the person using it, which would shade into superstition.

“Only priests may bless candles for personal or family use.”

The Church’s formal, public blessing of candles is given by a priest or deacon, most visibly at Candlemas, but lay Catholics may also offer simple blessings and prayers over candles used in family devotion, understanding these as distinct from the Church’s own liturgical blessing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Candlemas?

Candlemas is the popular name for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, celebrated February 2, at which the Church traditionally blesses candles for liturgical and devotional use throughout the year, drawing on the feast’s Gospel image of Christ as a light for revelation.

What is the difference between the Paschal candle and an ordinary blessed candle?

The Paschal, or Easter, candle is a large candle blessed at the Easter Vigil each year, kept burning through the Easter season and lit again at every baptism and funeral throughout the year as a sign of Christ’s Resurrection; an ordinary blessed candle carries the Church’s general blessing but does not have this specific liturgical role.

Why do candles feature in the Blessing of St. Blaise?

In this traditional blessing of the throat, two candles, blessed the day before at Candlemas and held crossed against the throat, recall St. Blaise’s reported intercession for a boy choking on a fishbone, linking the candle’s Candlemas blessing to this specific later use.

Can I light a votive candle for someone who has died?

Yes; lighting a candle as a sign of prayer for the dead is a widespread and fitting Catholic custom, often done before an image of Christ, Mary or a saint, or at a votive stand set up for that purpose in many churches.

What should I do with a blessed candle that has burned all the way down?

Once fully spent, the remains may simply be discarded as the wax and wick are consumed, since the blessing was on the candle for its use rather than on physical remnants; where a larger unused stub remains, reverent disposal, such as burning it completely, is the more fitting practice.