Lumen Christi (Latin for "Light of Christ") is a

versicle A versicle (from Latin , ) is a short two- or four-line verse that is sung or recited in the liturgy alternating between the celebrant, hebdomadarian or cantor and the congregation. It is usually a psalm verse in two parts. A series of versicl ...

sung in

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

and some Anglican churches as part of the

Easter Vigil The Easter Vigil, also known as the Paschal Vigil, the Great Vigil of Easter, or Holy Saturday at the Easter Vigil on the Holy Night of Easter, is a Christian liturgy, liturgy held in Christian worship#Sacramental tradition, traditional Christian ...

. In Lutheran and Anglican services, it is sung in the local language. It is chanted by the

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

Holy Saturday Holy Saturday (), also known as Great and Holy Saturday, Low Saturday, the Great Sabbath, Hallelujah Saturday, Saturday of the Glory, Easter Eve, Joyous Saturday, the Saturday of Light, Good Saturday, or Black Saturday, among other names, is t ...

as he lights the candle. In the English

Sarum Rite The Use of Sarum (or Use of Salisbury, also known as the Sarum Rite) is the Use (liturgy), liturgical use of the Latin liturgical rites, Latin rites developed at Salisbury Cathedral and used from the late eleventh century until the English Refor ...

, one candle is lit.

Details

In the Catholic service, after the new fire has been blessed outside the church, a light is taken from it by an acolyte. The procession moves up the church toward the altar, the deacon in a white

Dalmatic The dalmatic is a long, wide-sleeved tunic, which serves as a liturgical vestment in the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, United Methodist, and some other churches. When used, it is the proper vestment of a deacon at Mass, Holy Communion or other ...

carrying the candle. Three times the procession stops, the deacon lights one of the candles from the taper and sings, ''Lumen Christi'', on one note (fa, in the Solfege system), dropping a

minor third In music theory, a minor third is a interval (music), musical interval that encompasses three half steps, or semitones. Staff notation represents the minor third as encompassing three staff positions (see: interval (music)#Number, interval numb ...

(to re) on the last syllable. The choir answers, ''Deo gratias'' to the same tone. Each time it is sung at a higher pitch. As it is sung, all genuflect. Having arrived at the altar, the deacon begins the blessing of the

Paschal Candle A Paschal candle is a large candle used in Liturgy, liturgies in Western Christianity (videlicet, viz., the Roman Catholic Church, the Lutheran Churches, the Anglican Communion, and the Methodist Churches, among others). A new Paschal candle is b ...

('' Exsultet'').

History and variations

From time to time, a light must be brought from the new fire to the Paschal candle. The ceremony grew from this practical need and later acquired symbolic meaning. At first, a triple candle was likely a precaution against the light blowing out on the way. At one time there were only two lights. The ''Sarum Consuetudinary'' (about the year 1210) says: "Let the candle upon the reed be lighted, and let another candle be lighted at the same time, so that the candle upon the reed can be rekindled if it should chance to be blown out".Thurston, ''Lent and Holy Week'' (London, 1904), p. 416 A miniature of the eleventh century shows the Paschal Candle being lighted from a double taper. Triple candles appeared first in the twelfth and fourteenth Ordines Romani, about the twelfth century. Father Thurston suggests a possible connection between it and the old custom of procuring the new fire on three successive days. But precaution against the light blowing out accounts for several candles. The mystic symbolism of the number three applied, too.

Guillaume Durand Guillaume Durand, or William Durand (c. 1230 – 1 November 1296), also known as Durandus, Duranti or Durantis, from the Italian form of Durandi filius, as he sometimes signed himself, was a French canonist and liturgical writer, and Bishop o ...

, in his chapter on the Paschal Candle, does not mention a triple candle. In the

, only one candle was lighted. While it was carried in procession to the Paschal Candle, a hymn, ''Inventor rutili dux bone luminis'', was sung by two

cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. Cantor as a profession generally refers to those leading a Jewish congregation, although it also applies to the lead singer or choir director in Christian contexts. ...

s, the choir answering the first verse after each of the others. In the Mozarabic Rite, the bishop lights and blesses one candle; while it is brought to the altar an

antiphon An antiphon ( Greek ἀντίφωνον, ἀντί "opposite" and φωνή "voice") is a short chant in Christian ritual, sung as a refrain. The texts of antiphons are usually taken from the Psalms or Scripture, but may also be freely compo ...

, ''Lumen verum illuminans omnem hominem'', etc., is sung. In

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, in the middle of the ''Exultet,'' a

subdeacon Subdeacon is a minor orders, minor order of ministry for men or women in various branches of Christianity. The subdeacon has a specific liturgical role and is placed below the deacon and above the acolyte in the order of precedence. Subdeacons in ...

goes out and brings back a candle lit from the new fire without any further ceremony. He hands this to the deacon, who lights the Paschal Candle (and two others) from it, and then goes on with the Exultet.''Missale Ambrosianum'', editio typica, Milan, 1902, Repertorium at end of the book, p. 40

Works based upon

The Roman three-part version of the ''Lumen Christi'', with its repetitions in ascending half-steps, is the basis for the dramatic organ work ''Incantation pour un jour saint'' ("Incantation for a holy day", 1949) by Jean Langlais, a favorite Easter postlude.

Other uses

''Lumen Christi'' is also the name of several Catholic

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

s, and of the German religious community ''Gemeinschaft Lumen Christi''. Schools using the name include: * Lumen Christi College (Derry, Northern Ireland) * Lumen Christi College (Martin, Australia) * Lumen Christi Catholic High School (Michigan, United States)

Notes

References

;Attribution * {{Easter Easter liturgy Christian hymns in Latin Catholic liturgy