CHARLOTTE — With a large crowd of 350 attendees, St. Ann Parish and the Charlotte Latin Mass Community celebrated the Feast of the Purification, traditionally known as Candlemas, with a special blessing of candles followed by a candlelight procession and Mass Feb. 2.
The ceremonies began with St. Ann’s pastor Father Timothy Reid performing the Latin blessing of candles for the many candles parishioners brought. Father Reid then led an outdoor candlelight procession symbolizing the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph bringing the Infant Jesus into the temple in Jerusalem to meet Holy Simeon and Anna the Prophetess.
After the procession, he offered a High Mass in the Extraordinary Form.
The feast day is often associated with candles as the Blessed Mother, while visiting the temple 40 days after Christmas for the purification law, presented the Infant Jesus, the Light of the World, to Holy Simeon. A tradition in the Church developed to bless candles on this special Marian feast day. In the Extraordinary Form, Candlemas also represents the end of the 40-day Christmas season. To mark the occasion, the Charlotte Latin Mass Community celebrated with a dessert potluck and the Cantate Domino Latin Choir performed its annual Wassailing Christmas carol to officially close the season.
— Mike FitzGerald and Markus Kuncoro, correspondents