Home - Apostoli_Viae. Use of Candles in the Liturgy. The Secretariat of the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy has received a number of inquiries in the last year concerning the Church's norms governing the use of candles and oil lamps in the liturgy.
Many have asked whether oil lamps may be used as substitutes for candles during the celebration of the liturgy. The last time this question was addressed the by Secretariat was in the June-July 1974 edition of this Newsletter The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) states the following with regard to the use of candles: "The candles, which are required at every liturgical service out of reverence and on account of the festiveness of the celebration (cf.no.117), are to be appropriately placed either on or around the altar in a way suited to the design of the altar and the sanctuary so that the whole may be well balanced and not interfere with the faithful's clear view of what takes place on the altar or what is placed on it"(no. 307; see also no. 117).
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