A Husband-and-Wife Team Has Been Hand-Painting Paschal Candles Since 2018. Each One Looks Like an Illuminated Manuscript.
It is the Easter Vigil. The church is completely dark. The priest lights the Paschal candle at the door and processes up the aisle, and every eye follows that single flame, the Light of Christ entering the world again. Now picture the candle itself: hand-painted with gold leaf and organic motifs, every symbol chosen for your community, each stroke drawn from the illuminated manuscript tradition. That is the kind of candle Regina Sanctorum creates.
Regina Sanctorum is a Catholic husband-and-wife studio that creates hand-painted Paschal candles, baptism tapers, Catholic art, cards, and sacramental gifts, all rooted in the illuminated manuscript tradition. Founded in 2018 by Kevin and Laura O'Connor, the studio produces bespoke liturgical candles that treat the Paschal candle as a genuine work of sacred art, one that the parish will remember long after the Easter season ends.
What Makes a Hand-Painted Paschal Candle Special?
The difference is the same one that separates a hand-lettered Bible from a photocopy. A hand-painted Paschal candle from Regina Sanctorum is painted directly onto the wax using techniques drawn from centuries of Catholic artistic tradition. The result is a candle that looks like it belongs in a medieval scriptorium, rich with symbolism, layered with color, and unmistakably crafted by human hands.
Every Paschal candle carries the required liturgical elements: a cross, the alpha and omega, the current year, and five wax nails representing the wounds of Christ. What Regina Sanctorum brings to those elements is artistry. Each symbol is rendered with the care and detail of an illuminated manuscript page, turning the candle into a piece of sacred art that teaches and inspires.
The Paschal candle stands in the sanctuary from the Easter Vigil through Pentecost, is lit at every baptism and funeral for the rest of the year, and is often the single largest object near the altar. A hand-painted candle transforms that presence into a visual catechesis that visitors, children, and lifelong parishioners will all notice.
What Does the Illuminated Manuscript Tradition Look Like on a Candle?
Laura O'Connor's painting style draws directly from the great illuminated manuscripts of the Catholic tradition: the Book of Kells, the Lindisfarne Gospels, and the hours books that Benedictine and Cistercian monks produced for centuries across Europe.
In practice, this means several things:
- Organic motifs: vines, leaves, and interlacing patterns that echo the Celtic and Romanesque decoration found in medieval Gospel books
- Symbolic imagery: the Lamb of God, Chi-Rho, the cross, Marian symbols, and patron saint iconography, all historically grounded in the Catholic visual vocabulary
- Rich color: bold blues, deep reds, and gold that stand out in a candlelit sanctuary, designed to be seen from the pews and not just up close
- Custom elements: parish patrons, diocesan symbols, or specific devotional imagery can be incorporated into each commission
The Liturgical Arts Journal, one of the most respected voices in Catholic sacred art, featured Regina Sanctorum in 2023 and noted that their work is "bright and colourful, sure to stand out (in a good way)." That endorsement from a publication dedicated to elevating Catholic liturgical art carries real weight.
This matters because Catholic sacred art is not decoration. The Second Vatican Council's Sacrosanctum Concilium calls for art that serves the liturgy and draws the faithful toward God. A hand-painted Paschal candle that draws from the same tradition as the Sistine Chapel ceiling and the Book of Hours does exactly that. It connects your parish's Easter celebration to a visual lineage stretching back over a thousand years.
How Do You Commission a Paschal Candle from Regina Sanctorum?
Because each candle is a custom piece of art, Regina Sanctorum works on a commission basis. The process is closer to commissioning a painting than placing a catalog order:
- Plan ahead. Original liturgical art takes time to design and execute. If you want a hand-painted Paschal candle for Easter, begin the conversation months in advance. The LAJ recommends reaching out well before Lent to ensure the studio can accommodate your order.
- Discuss your vision. What saints or symbols are meaningful to your parish? Is there a patron feast, a jubilee anniversary, or a particular devotion that should be reflected in the design?
- Review the design. Laura works with clients to refine the composition before painting begins.
- Receive the finished candle. Each piece is hand-painted directly onto the wax, ready for the Easter Vigil.
Beyond Paschal candles, Regina Sanctorum also creates baptism tapers, the small candles lit from the Paschal candle during the Rite of Baptism. A hand-painted baptism taper becomes a family keepsake, something the child (or their parents) will save for decades. The studio also produces Catholic art prints, cards, and sacramental gifts, all in the same illuminated manuscript style.
The best way to reach the studio is through Instagram (@lauracharlotteoconnor) or their website at reginasanctorum.com. Because this is bespoke work, availability varies by season. Easter and Christmas are naturally the busiest periods.
Why Does Your Parish's Paschal Candle Matter More Than You Think?
The Paschal candle is one of the oldest and most theologically rich symbols in Catholic worship. Its use dates to at least the fourth century, and the Exsultet, the great Easter Proclamation sung as the candle is carried into the darkened church, is among the most ancient hymns in the Roman liturgy.
According to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, the Paschal candle should be made of wax, "never be artificial," and should be "renewed each year." It symbolizes Christ Himself, the Light of the World who conquers the darkness of sin and death. The five grains of incense pressed into the cross represent His five wounds. The alpha and omega declare Him the beginning and end. The numbers of the current year place His sacrifice in the present moment, in this community, this Easter.
Given all of that theological weight, a hand-painted Paschal candle is one of the most powerful ways a parish can honor the symbol. Parishes that commission one from an artist like Laura O'Connor are making a statement about what they believe: that sacred art matters, that beauty is a form of evangelization, and that the objects used in worship should reflect the glory of what they represent.
If you serve on your parish liturgy committee, coordinate worship for a chaplaincy or religious community, or simply want to advocate for more beautiful liturgical art in your church, a hand-painted Paschal candle is one of the most visible and accessible ways to elevate your worship space. It does not require a building renovation or a capital campaign. It requires one commission, one artist, and a love for sacred beauty.
Where Can You Find Catholic Church Supplies and Liturgical Art?
Regina Sanctorum represents a growing movement of Catholic artisans who are creating sacred objects by hand: rosaries, vestments, icons, candles, and more.
The Discover Catholic Business directory lists over 46,000 Catholic-owned businesses across the United States, including church supply companies, liturgical artists, gift and religious goods vendors, and artisans working in every medium from beeswax to bronze. Whether your parish is looking for a hand-painted Paschal candle, a custom tabernacle veil, or a set of hand-carved Stations of the Cross, the directory is the place to start.
And if you are a Catholic artisan yourself, whether a candlemaker, iconographer, vestment maker, or sacred artist of any kind, listing your business is free. The Catholic community is actively searching for work like yours. A directory listing puts your studio in front of the parishes, chaplaincies, and families who want exactly what you make but do not yet know you exist.
Regina Sanctorum
- Website: reginasanctorum.com
- Instagram: @lauracharlotteoconnor
- Category: Church Supply / Gifts & Religious Goods
- Founded: 2018
Find Regina Sanctorum on Discover Catholic Business
Sources: Liturgical Arts Journal - Introducing Regina Sanctorum, Regina Sanctorum, Second Vatican Council - Sacrosanctum Concilium, Discover Catholic Business
Social Repurposing Notes:
Caption: Ignite the Easter season with quality craftsmanship. Kevin and Laura O'Connor have been hand-painting Paschal candles since 2018, each one inspired by the illuminated manuscript tradition, rich with gold and organic motifs, and designed for a specific parish. Their studio, Regina Sanctorum, treats the Paschal candle as sacred art. The Liturgical Arts Journal calls their work "bright and colourful, sure to stand out." Find them in our directory.