VOTIVE CANDLES
A Comfortin
OFFER SIMPLE, BUT
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The votive candle stand has been placed at the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Members of St. Andrew visit the stand often, lighting candles as they offer prayer.
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he act of lighting a votive candle and saying a prayer is a simple, but powerful way to engage in our faith. And, thanks to the efforts of several St. Andrew parishioners, we now have this means of prayerful devotion after they took the steps to make it possible. For Kathi Gill and Connie Bremmer, their efforts began in 2011 when they realized they missed having votive candles in St. Andrew. “We started to talk to Father about it and we got his permission [to pursue it],” Kathi says. “We went before the Council of Catholic Women and Connie did a presentation.” There was some caution expressed at first, with questions of security for the donation box and the cleaning of the glass votive cups. But the council agreed to purchase the candle stand, votive glasses and candles. “There was concern about the work to keep the votive glasses clean, so I volunteered to do it,” Kathi says. “I did it for about five years, and I gathered the money from the donation box and turned it over to the church secretary.” After a time, however, the task became even larger, so the Council of Catholic Women have members taking care of the candle stand in rotation. Until the pandemic closed many things down, Kathi and her husband were driving to St. Paul to purchase the candles to save on shipping. Now, however, the candles are ordered by mail. Having the votive candles in our church means a great deal to Kathi. “It draws me to the church,” she says. “I find it a very comforting devotion. I’ve read that the light is to remind us of the Light of Christ in the world. It has special meaning, and it provides a way of offering prayers up. When you have friends or family asking for your prayers, a lot of people will say ‘I’ll light a candle for you.’ It’s consoling, as well. It has seemed to be popular [at St. Andrew] from the start.”
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