History of Chalmette Candle Ministry

Close to midnight, on New Year’s Eve 2006, at a crossroads in rural Louisiana, and through a miraculous encounter, Chalmette Candle Ministry was born!

At the crossroads that night we met a man who said it was his mission to be a portal for beauty and strength in the world.

He asked if we loved tigers. Having never been asked this question, we were surprised to find ourselves saying with enthusiasm that we did. This was because what was happening in that moment was magical. When we said we loved tigers, it was with a passion not logical when in proximity to the fact that we had never really thought about tigers, not really.

The man began to talk about tigers and said he had so many that they filled a FEMA trailer. He said he was here for Beauty, and that he wanted there to be more and more of it. He said that this world needs tigers. He happened to have a statue of a tiger for sale. An immediate sensation of love for this statue arose and we exchanged a small sum of money for it. The man told us to enjoy its amazing beauty, and then we were back on the road.

Once in the car we found we could hardly keep our eyes off the tiger statue. We turned on the car light and drove with it on for hours so we could see him. As we drove deeper into the night and into the New Year, we found ourselves inside a litany of praise for the statue’s beauty.

What happened next is difficult to explain. A miraculous energy began to permeate everything, and the only way we know how to talk about it is to say: the tiger told us things. He told us his name was Chalmette, which is where he lived before Hurricane Katrina. He told us he was a portal of energy, and was to be used in a community prayer candle altar, a ministry. He told us how to proceed.

As soon as we got home we created Chalmette Candle Ministry Headquarters, a home temple space outfitted with a small Southern rootwork apothecary for setting lights across five different altars. Since January 2007 we have set just over two hundred lights and made petitions on behalf of others. Many vigils last three days; however, we’ve had quite a few going for many, many months. In the tradition of the Spiritual Church Movement, we fix our candles with sacred oils, herbs, and other substances, pray over, light, and tend to the candles.

This ministry is an interfaith expression of love and vigilance and is here for you and the ones you care about.

Your friends at Chalmette Candle Ministry