Q: Good day Fr. Paul, I thank you very much for helping to clarify issues bothering on the liturgy. I have benefitted a great deal. May I ask following from your recent post on paschal candle: At funeral masses the paschal candle is placed close to the coffin and during Easter the candle is placed next to the Ambo. Now what happens at funeral masses within Eastertide, where is the paschal candle placed? Thanks.
==
A: Neither the OCF nor the missal give instructions on this. The Circular Letter Paschalis Sollemnitatis says in 99 that the paschal candle is placed near the coffin at funerals, and from my reading it implies year round.
In my experience, parishes consider the placement of the candle near the coffin at an Easter Time funeral to take precedence over leaving it by the ambo.