The Parish Candle Maker - Pat Batten

My candle making started in late 1994 or early in 1995. I'm never quite sure quite when. 

One day while working in the church, I found Father Brian Dougherty making candles in the parish centre kitchen. I asked if he was making soup, because it looked like it.  I was very surprised when he replied it was candle wax. A few months later his time on loan to our Diocese was over and he returned to Dunedin Diocese.

It was then that I thought of trying to make them myself. Why not? it sounded interesting.  I approached Father Pat Foy who was more than happy with my offer, and gave me the address of a candle supplier in Auckland.

That started a long learning curve and I'm still learning! 

The first candles reminded me of the days of the steam trains belching thick black smoke. Even with Father’s good nature, he started to look at me long and hard. I got the message: a big improvement was necessary.  We went to the UK in 1996 for three months and when I mentioned this to Father in the context of what would happen with the candles, he then told me he was a candle maker himself. Several years previously, he had had a serious accident with some boiling wax spilling over his chest, so he went into early retirement from candle making. 

One thing I've never told anyone, not even Father Joe, is about the first big paschal candle made for the church. It is a metre high and the first one took hours to make. It's still a big job. When it came out of the mould I was very proud. My biggest one yet: I finished it completely, gave it a good polish and put it on the back seat of the car and rushed into church to show Father. Unfortunately, at the roundabout off the expressway at Elizabeth Street, another car pulled out in front of me, forcing me to brake hard.  A big crack was heard from the rear seat.  Pulling over to the side I realised the candle had snapped completely in half. All I could do was go straight home and redo the whole thing again. About six hours work. I've never told anyone.

Although a great deal of candle making is routine, it is not just a matter of pouring molten wax into a mould.  Far from it!  One needs the right melting point of wax, the correct amount of additive and even the more suitable additive as well is the wick that is the correct size.  The room temperature is important too.

It's interesting work and very satisfying.  It is unfortunate that candle making seems to be a dying art/trade as it goes back to Biblical times.   If anyone wants to find out more I am happy to talk to them.