This past Easter Vigil, I was visiting a parish I had never been to before. I was truly uplifted by the beauty and quality of the entire liturgy. It was one of the best Easter Vigil liturgies I have celebrated. The key factor that made the liturgy so good was the effort the planners and …
Should baptized candidates celebrate their sacraments at the Easter Vigil?
Q. I am the director of the catechumenate process in my parish. I was asked by two of my catechumens to be their godmother. While I am so humbled, I am not sure what the proper protocol is. Is it okay for catechumenate directors to be godparents of their catechumens? A. As long as you …
Q&A: Can directors of the catechumenate be godparents of their catechumens?
I can’t help but smile as I read—and teach—that Lent is like a 40-day retreat, a time of reflection, quiet, prayer, and fasting. Sometimes it seems that even the spirit of “fasting and feasting” takes a back seat to the activities of initiation ministries during Lent. The invitation to silence and reflection is welcome but …
The last Easter Sunday Mass that St. Augustine celebrated was in 430 AD, when he was 75 years old. In those days, 75 was more like 100 is today. Augustine must have been very tired from having concluded the long Easter Vigil just a few hours before. After his brief homily, the catechumens were dismissed …
Why the participation of the elect in the Easter Vigil is so important
I don’t know if it’s just from celebrating so many Catholic liturgies over my lifetime, but I can’t look at fire—or the light and shadow cast by the sun, or an eclipse, or the full moon, or the candle on my dinner table—without thinking of the fire we light at the Easter Vigil. On the …
Someone recently asked on Facebook, “What is the Easter Vigil for?” The person asking is from a Christian tradition that does not usually celebrate baptisms at the Vigil. If you’re old enough, you will remember when that was true for Roman Catholics. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults was issued shortly after Vatican II, …
What does baptism do? A mystagogy on the sacramental act of washing
Q: Is there a possibility that a seeker would come to faith before the Easter Vigil… and how do you proceed with that scenario? A: This is a great question. The answer is a bit complicated, but if we dig a little deeper into the question, the answer becomes simpler. There is a caveat however. …
Can RCIA seekers celebrate their sacraments outside of the Easter Vigil?
Many communities might not be able to gather to celebrate the Triduum this year because of Coronavirus precautions. What does this mean for the RCIA rites of initiation that usually take place at the Easter Vigil? Here we look at some options that the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults gives us and explore some …
Free download: Why Baptized Candidates Should Not be Received at the Easter Vigil Your turn What are the best practices you’ve learned in your parish? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Free download: Why Baptized Candidates Should Not be Received at the Easter Vigil
We have a new pastor, and he told us that we are not supposed to be confirming adult Catholics at the Easter Vigil. If confirmation is an initiation sacrament, what’s wrong with celebrating it at the Vigil? Your question raises a larger issue of who should be celebrating sacraments at the Easter Vigil. I’ve seen …
