Inside ML

Do people complain that your Easter Vigil is too long? Do you debate every year about adding another reading and deciding not to because last year’s vigil was already pushing past the two-hour mark with only three readings? One solution might be to make the vigil even longer. St. Claire’s parish in O’Fallon, Ill., went from celebrating a three-hour vigil to celebrating a true, all-night vigil. The vigil began with the lighting of the Easter fire at 8:45 p.m. and ended with Easter breakfast at 6:00 a.m. the next day.

The planners had lots of questions and worries. “Would an all-night Easter Vigil be embraced in a culture that was preoccupied with convenience? Would people come at nightfall to a Service of Light and Liturgy of the Word that didn’t fulfill their Easter ‘obligation’? Would enough people sign up to keep the vigil through the entire night? Would people come at 4:30 a.m. for the conclusion of the Easter Vigil? Would families with children come? Would the people who came have the energy to celebrate festively this central mystery of our faith?”

Would they? Turn to page 16 to find out.

Whether you are planning an all-night vigil or a more condensed vigil, be sure to see the Planning Guide in this issue (page 20) for background on the spirituality of the three days, suggestions for planning the ritual, and music ideas.

What have you done in past years to make your Triduum more powerful? Send your stories — and pictures if you have them — to Triduum Stories, Ministry & Liturgy Magazine, 160 E. Virginia St. #290, San Jose, CA 95112. Or e-mail them to editor@rpinet.com.

Correction

In the December–January issue, we misspelled the name of the author of “Electronic Music Ahead: Proceed with Caution.” The correct spelling is Terry Arford. Paid subscribers can see an expanded version of his article on the ML website.
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