Paschal Candle

Since the kids were old enough to go to Easter Vigil, we have made a Paschal Candle on Holy Saturday.  The process is fairly simple, take a large pillar candle, carve a cross, the year, and the Alpha and Omega.  Next the kids apply tempera paint to the general area, you wipe off the excess... and you have a Paschal Candle that you can use to walk through what they are going to see at the Easter Vigil.

This year, we did make the candle from 100% bleached beeswax, and had the candle blessed on Candlemas.

Through the years, we have tried various designs, and methods.  Any more, I have a template that I either cut out and trace, or print in reverse, trace with pencil, and rub onto the candle.

I use GIMP to edit the template, and the font I use for the numbers is "Old London"

Feel free to edit, use, etc the template.  I have used some fancy tools to carve candles, but the best ones we have done have just been carved with a large nail.

Paschal Candle Template

Some day, I will get some decent candle painting medium and gesso so I can apply gold leaf to the inside of the cross: