The Great Vigil of Easter | St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Thursday, March 17, 2022, 1:09 PM

The first (and arguably, the primary) celebration of Easter in the Book of Common Prayer, our St. Paul's Easter Vigil will begin at 7 p.m. in darkness.

On the eve of Easter, a fire is lit and blessed in the church yard, as we hundle together, lighting the Pascal candle and then our own candles from the New Flame. We chant our way indoors to sit and listen to the stories of God’s people throughout our scripture. And then, with music, bells, and joy, the lights come on and we proclaim the Resurrection and celebrate the first Eucharist of Easter. If one service in the entire year were to attempt to holdthe whole meaning of our faith in a risen Christ, it would be this one.

The Easter Vigil Service consists of four parts:

The Service of Light (kindling of new fire, lighting the Paschal candle, the Exsultet);
The Service of Lessons (readings from the Hebrew Scriptures interspersed with prayers);
Renewal of Baptismal Vows;
and the Eucharist in which we fully enter into the Easter Season with shouts of Alleluia, the proclamation of the Easter Gospel and Holy Communion

If you cannot join us in-person at St. Paul's, you can find other churches that are providing online worship opportunities for The Great Vigil of Easter at this link.

Lectionary Readings for The Great Vigil of Easter

An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church: Easter Vigil

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