Nuns’ Gift From Pope

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31057, 12 May 1966, Page 16

Nuns’ Gift From Pope

The community of 15 Carmelite nuns, which has lived at the Carmelite Monastery, Halswell, since early 1933, has received a liturgical candle and the Apostolic Blessing from Pope Paul. The candle, 4ft Bin high, bears the Papal coat of arms, and is one of several presented to the Pope in solemn ceremony in St. Peter’s Basilica on the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple on February 2. Ecclesiastical dignitaries, representing the basilicas of Rome, the seminaries, colleges and religious orders which have the privilege of

offering a candle to the Pope, took part. This year Pope Paul decided to send most of the candles to centres of prayer and the contemplative life to emphasise the power of prayer and the union of souls with God.

The candle is lit during the most solemn moments of the Mass to symbolise the presence of Christ. In his discourse after the offering of the candles, Pope Paul said:

“As is customary, some of the candles will be sent by us to persons and to places to whom we are indebted for special reasons of respect or affection. But the greater part

will be sent to religious houses monasteries, convents, sanctuaries, communities—consecrated to prayer, to the contemplative life. “Let no-one reproach us If, from among the innumerable possible destinations of this category of religious life, we, having to choose, should give some preference to religious families known to us personally during the course of our priestly ministry. But if the candles are few, our thoughts, our heart go out to all. “We wish that these islands of hiddenness, of penance and meditation, may know, even by means of this symbolical token of ours, that not only are they neither forgotten nor cut off from communion with the Church of God, but rather, they constitute its heart, nourish it with spiritual riches, uplift it by their prayer, sustain it by their charity, share in its sufferings, its fatigues, its apostolate, its hopes, and add to its merits.”

Above: An altar boy, Bernard Tranter, lighting the candle in the chapel.