We have done this at Walsingham within the morning's solemn high mass.

[EDITED] The description in the Missal leaves me with further logistical questions: What if the short antiphon given does not cover the lighting of the candles? ‡ (I suppose Bugnini et al assumed that every adult carried a cigarette lighter!) When are the candles extinguished, and are they relit for the Creed as at the Easter Vigil? I would deduce that the blessing precedes Mass, which begins with the veneration of the altar and the Introit, and that the candles are extinguished at the end of the procession (to be taken home). But as a liturgical action has preceded Mass, there is no penitential rite.
Fortescue spends ten pages of Ceremonies .. on Candlemas.
‡ LU pairs this antiphon with Ps 113V(114&115) In exitu, but that is on a different occasion.

If the lighting of the candles takes (much) longer than the antiphon, it could be repeated until all candles are lit, or another appropriate chant could be sung, or psalm verses could be added. The Processional gives Ps 94 (95):1-7 or Rev 15:3-4 as suggested verses to be sung with the antiphon.

I also checked msgr. Peter Elliott's Ceremonies of the Liturgical Year. "Strictly speaking, candles should be extinguished at the conclusion of the procession, but it would seem more convenient, and seemly, for all who carried candles in the procession to extinguish them only after the Opening Prayer." (p. 48-49).

At the Easter Vigil, there is no Creed, but the Renewal of Baptismal Promises, during which all hold lighted candles in their hands. This is not done at the Presentation of the Lord.

So in the EF the candles are relit, twice, first for the Gospel and then again for the Canon. Should we do that in the OF?

I might be wrong (please correct me if so) but looking over the rubrics of both the Ceremonial of Bishops and the Roman Missal, there is really no indication of what is done with the candles. Of course, it makes logical sense to extinguish them after the procession, but this is not indicated.

The Missal is completely silent, although presumably the celebrant must get rid of the candle in order to perform certain actions. The Ceremonial of Bishops is a little more detailed - the candle is handed to a deacon - but is silent on what happens to the people's candles. For that reason, I feel that any legitimate customs could be observed - including holding them lit for the Mass, or relighting them at certain points.

One could perhaps make an analogy with Palm Sunday** and the fact that palms are laid aside after the procession. However, there are difficulties even there because the case is not strictly analogous. On Palm Sunday there are two Gospels, and the Gospel of the Mass is focused on the Passion, not the Palms -- while the Gospel of the Mass on Feb 2 does focus on the Presentation and Christ as Light.

Interestingly, although it is widespread, neither the Roman Missal nor the Ceremonial of Bishops say that the celebrant's or peoples' candles are extinguished at the Easter Vigil. They simply say that they are set/laid aside when the Liturgy of the Word begins. Later for the Renewal of Promises, it says that the people hold lighted candles. But the candles could conceivably have stayed lit all the while (where and how? that's another question :) ).


**(I think this analogy is why most places adopt the unprovided for 'third option' of doing neither procession nor solemn entrance. Though unprovided for, I believe it is a logical argument. Yes, the missal could have provided for a Simple Rite and did not do so. But surely,it did not expect to invest EVERY Mass this day with the solemnity of a solemn entrance, which is otherwise not provided for even for more solemn days ranked higher in the Table of Liturgical Days).

As I understand the rubrics for the solemn entrance without procession, the introit is omitted and replaced by the antiphone Lumen ad revelationem. Is this correct? In my parish there is no procession at the Gregorian mass, so it feels a little sad not to be able to sing the Gregorian introit Suscepimus. (However, the text for the gradual is indeed the same).

WGS: Sorry, I translated directly from French where ”Messe Grégorienne” simply means a mass with Gregorian chant (whereas ”Gregorian Masses” are known as ”Trentain Grégorien”).

So, any ideas about the Introit Suscepimus for Candlemas without procession?

From the US version of the missal -

8. as the procession enters the church, the entrance antiphon of the Mass is sung. When the priest has arrived at the altar, he venerates it and, if appropriate, incenses it. then he goes to the chair, where he takes off the cope, if he used it in the procession, and puts on a chasuble. After the singing of the hymn gloria in excelsis (glory to god in the highest), he says the collect as usual. the Mass continues in the usual manner.

Second Form: The solemn entrance
9. Whenever a procession cannot take place, the faithful gather in church, holding candles in their hands. the priest, wearing white sacred vestments as for Mass, together with the ministers and a representative group of the faithful, goes to a suitable place, either in front of the church door or inside the church itself, where at least a large part of the faithful can conveniently participate in the rite.
10. When the priest reaches the place appointed for the blessing of the candles, candles are lit while the antiphon behold, our Lord (no. 3) or another appropriate chant is sung.
11. then, after the greeting and address, the priest blesses the candles, as above nos. 4-5; and then the procession to the altar takes place, with singing (nos. 6-7).‡
for Mass, what is indicated in no. 8 above is observed.

‡ no.7 is the antiphon Lumen ad revelationem, so I think it is that during a short procession from the back of the church (or wherever), and then Suscepimus during he veneration of the altar, but he is already wearing the chasuble, not a cope, so the next part of no.7 does not apply. N.B. As with all processionals, and other music to accompany a rite, you cut it short when the action is complete.

a_f_hawkins: No. 8 says that the entrance antiphon is sung ”as the procession enters the church”. If the procession starts from the back of the church, no. 11 says that Lumen ad revelationem is sung when ”the procession to the altar takes place”. It seems to me that the rubric ”for Mass, what is indicated in no. 8 above is observed” only applies to what is done after the singing of the introit, since it is supposed to be sung at the same time as the procession chant (and thus omitted if the second alternative is used), not after. But I’d love to be wrong.