SPOTLIGHT 26/04/01 Korean Catholics find peace, purpose carving Easter candles

[성기화 요셉]

The slow, deliberate candle production work is a source of healing and spiritual peace

Kim Hwa-sook (left) and Lee Sook-jae of the Lux Society of Yangdeokwon parish in Chuncheon Diocese are holding a Pascal candle made by their group. (Photo: Catholic Times of Korea)

By UCA News reporter

Published: April 07, 2026 11:12 AM GMT

Updated: April 08, 2026 04:43 AM GMT

A group of Catholics manufacturing hand-carved candles in South Korea has expressed immense joy and mental satisfaction as they engage wholeheartedly in the production process.

The roughly six-member crew, mostly women, is part of the “Lux Society” in Yangdeokwon parish in Hongcheon, in the Chuncheon Diocese.

In addition to normal candles, the group also offers hand-carved Paschal candles, which have seen rising demand.

The Paschal candle is a large, decorated beeswax candle blessed and lit at the Easter Vigil, symbolizing Christ as the Light of the World and his resurrection, making it central to Easter liturgy.

Members like Paul Jeon Man-jun say the candle carving process helped her find inner peace and a meaningful calling.

“I joined the Lux Society while going through a difficult personal period and found that my inner turmoil gradually subsided as I carved candles,” says Jeon.

While Paul admits that art was a difficult subject for him in school, his work with the society feels “more meaningful.”

The candle carving group was formed in 2017 after a member, Cecilia Jang Mi-jin, learned liturgical candle carving at the Daejeon Milemani Center.

Parishioners showed interest in the candles displayed at her home, and eight of them started gathering at each other’s homes to make liturgical candles together.

By 2023, the group was formally named the Candle Carving Class, and by 2024, it was renamed as the Lux Society, dedicating itself to producing altar and Paschal candles.

To create the Paschal candles for this year’s Easter celebrations, the group members gathered every Tuesday since February at the church’s “John’s Room.”

The most crucial part in the Paschal candle’s production is its design, which expresses liturgical themes through various imageries.

Jang Mi-jin, who played a key role in the design of this year’s Paschal candle, said the artwork depicted “Mystery of Christ, the Light of the World.”

Jan emphasizes that she used various colors to depict the Paschal Mystery from the Passion and Death to the Resurrection and Ascension.

“I carved this liturgical candle with the hope of living as a person of faith who loves God and my neighbors and serves in the Lord’s house during the time given to me,” says Jang.

The Paschal Mystery is the central concept of Christian theology and faith, representing Jesus Christ's Passion, death, resurrection, and ascension.

While not all members of the Lux Group are experts in design and candle carving, they all contribute in their own ways to the production process.

 Agnes Kim Hwa-suk says she gets so deeply absorbed in the candle-making process that she would spend entire nights at the facility working on candles.

“Whenever I face difficult moments, holding the candle calms my heart, and before I know it, I find myself relying on it [for peace],” says Kim.

The group has produced candles for all major Catholic feasts, and demand has steadily grown.

This year, the Catholic Apostolic Society, also known as the Palotti Society, requested a custom candle dedicated to the religious order.

This is the first time the group has created a special candle for a religious order.

The example has inspired several parishes in the Chuncheon Diocese, and one has already sent a member for training with the group to launch a similar initiative.

*This is a translated and edited version of the feature that was first published by the Catholic Times of Korea on April 1, 2026, and has been republished with permission.