The Easter Vigil is the major celebration in the Church's year. It takes place on the evening of Holy Saturday (called the Vigil of Easter Sunday).
Christ has Risen!
The Easter Vigil service celebrates the resurrection - the triumph of Jesus over death as He rises from the grave. Light has overcome darkness and new life bursts through. New members of the Church are initiated and the waters of Baptism poured out.
Listen to Homily given by Bishop Hugh Lindsay at the Easter Vigil Celebration in St Mary's Cathedral2008 (MP3 2Mb )
Listen to St Mary's Cathedral Choir sing "Jubilate Deo" (MP3 0.5Mb)
The church, which during Lent has been decorated sparingly and sombrely, now celebrates the resurrection and is vibrant with beautiful flowers. Music, in all its forms, is used to praise God, in joyful celebration.
Bishop Hugh Lindsay celebrated, with the cathedral priests, the Easter Vigil at St Mary's Cathedral this Easter. In his homily he said: "The Easter Vigil is the richest celebration of the Church’s year, and inexhaustible in its deep meaning. We come to it after over a day’s mourning for our entombed and crucified Lord."
Lighting the Easter Candle from the new fire
The Vigil began with the Service of Light, a celebration beginning with the church in complete darkness. A new fire was lit and the Easter or Pascal Candle lit from the new fire.
Bishop Hugh Lindsay inscribes the Paschal Candle, and places the brass studs in it.
Alpha and Omega (the beginning and end letters of the Greek alphabet) and the year 2008 were inscribed on the pascal candle, and the candle carried through the church, each person in the church lighting an individual candle from it until the church was full of light.
The Liturgy of the Word contained scripture readings telling the story of the way God has shown love for God's people, leading up to the story of the resurrection.
Bishop Lindsay commented about the readings: " The account we have just heard portrays a God who just keeps on loving us when we don’t deserve it. It was His love which made him create our universe and our world before making us out of nothing. When we walked away from Him with Adam, he called Abraham to faith and hope, and Moses to lead His People out of slavery into a wonderful promised land. Even then, through Ezekiel He had to urge them not to oppose Him from hearts of stone but to love Him with hearts of flesh. Jesus’ becoming man, suffering,dying and rising changed that so that we believers could join Him in the still difficult journey to the Father. It is summed up for us in what we heard the angel say, ‘He has risen from the dead, and now he is going before you’."
The liturgy of Baptism and Reception of new members of the Church took place during the vigil mass, and everyone present renewed their own baptismal promises. The new members of the church were confirmed and the service continued with a joyful celebration of the Eucharist.
.
The Celebration of the Easter Vigil Mass.The Paschal Candle can be seen in the centre.