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Students design new candle
Each year during Lent, students design and sculpt a new paschal candle, which is used first at the Easter Vigil service. Our 2011 candle design was inspired by Jesus’ “I am the vine” statement in John 15: “I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.”  Following Easter Vigil, it will take its place in the baptistery for the remainder of the church year.

The candle features a plant-inspired structure in which all elements of the design are connected to one another as if by veins on a leaf.  Within the vine of Christ, we all take different paths, yet we meet together at the birth and death of Christ.  The leaf structure meets the stem at a star and puncture wound, the star which led us to the birth place of Christ and the holes in Christ’s hands where he was crucified for our transgressions.  At the focal point are a chalice, bread, and grapes representing the communion of all Christians in the body and blood of Jesus Christ.  The color scheme of the candle uses all of the colors of the liturgical year, also symbolizing the unity of Christian practice as branches of the one true vine.  Indeed, the candle is filled with minute detail and symbolism.  We invite you to take a closer look and bring your own vision to the interpretation of the design.

A special thanks to Jacob Just and Jessica McCallum for their design talents and artistic inspiration.  Thank you also to the Sacristy Staff for their time, effort, and skill in carving and making the final product.