What is done with the Pascual Cirio after Pentecost?

The episcopal delegate of Liturgy of the Diocese of Cartagena (Spain), P. Ramón Navarro, explained what function the Pascual Cirio plays after the solemnity of Pentecost and where it must be located inside the temple.

In a recent article published in the weekly magazine Our ChurchFr. Navarro states that, from the Pascual vigil that is celebrated on the night of Holy Saturday the Great Cirio turns on as a symbol of the Lord’s resurrection and is given a preeminent place, “next to the Ambón or near the altar.”

Similarly, it must be on both during the celebration of the Eucharist and in the liturgy of the hours. Therefore “the Pascual Cirio should not be withdrawn or off before concluding the day of Pentecost” since during the fifty days “expresses the fullness of Easter time as ‘a great Sunday’ in honor of the risen Christ.”

Once the last Mass of the day is celebrated when Easter concludes, the rubrics point out that “the Pascual Cirio has already fulfilled its function and must be off” and must be placed “near the baptismal pile, off but available for certain ritual uses.”

Therefore, the Pascual Cirio outside the liturgical time of Easter is still used mainly during the celebration of the sacrament of baptism and in funeral and funeral.

In baptism, the candles of the new Christians light from their flame, “symbolizing that the new life in Christ springs from his Easter”; In the funeral, the candle is placed next to the coffin “as a sign of the light of risen Christ that accompanies the Christian in his own ‘Easter’ (passage from death to eternal life).”

Fr. Navarro emphasizes that “outside the Easter time the Pascual Cirio should not be placed or ignited for other occasions” beyond those indicated.

What to do if the baptismal battery is in the presbytery?

The fulfillment of the rubrics with respect to the Pascual Cirio is complicated in those churches that do not have a specific chapel for baptisms and that, due to space needs, have located the baptismal battery near the altar or ambony.

In these cases, the candle must be placed near the baptismal battery, although, the expert “is not ideal” underlines.

“Liturgically it is not appropriate for the Pascual Cirio to remain next to the altar all year as a decorative element, or that the baptismal battery is permanently next to the altar, except when there is no other physical possibility,” says Fr. Navarro.

“The Pascual Cirio and the baptismal battery should not ‘live’ in the presbytery, if it can be avoided,” emphasizes the liturgist, before pointing out that this “does not mean relegating them to a dishonorable oblivion,” but responds to the need to “respect the identity of each sign and liturgical space.”

By properly using the Pascual Cirio both in Easter and outside it, “in addition to complying with the liturgical norms, the people of God are educated in the rich symbolism of these signs,” he concludes.