THE PASCHAL CANDLE bears the symbols of Christ's Wooden Cross with five nails marking the five wounds of our Lord.  Above the Cross is the Greek letter, Alpha, and below the Greek letter, Omega, proclaiming the fact that our Crucified and Risen Lord is the "Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end." (Revelation 21:6)  During the Easter Vigil, the Procession with the Paschal Candle reminds us of God's leading the People of Israel through the wilderness with a pillar of fire.  Our Risen Lord is our Light guiding us through the wilderness of our world.  The Paschal Candle burns in front of the Altar at the Baptismal Font through these Great Fifty Days, representing the presence of our Risen Lord shining in the splendor of his resurrection.  The blue bands remind us of the purity of Christ, the Crosses speak of Calvary.  The Palm branches shout "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!"  The fish remind us that the letters of the Greek word for fish, Ichthus, proclaims - Jesus Christ, son of God, Savior!" - and it was the secret sign used by Christians in the early Church as a witness to our faith.

After Pentecost, the Paschal Candle should remain unlit at the Baptismal Font.  It is lighted for Baptisms and Funerals as a sign of our dying and rising with Christ!