Holy Saturday: The Great Vigil of Easter

Please make every effort to join us for Saint Andrew's celebration of the Easter Vigil tomorrow, Saturday, April 4th at 7:30pm. Weather permitting, the service will begin in front of the church with the Blessing of the New Fire. Following the service, a festive reception will be held in Trinity Commons.

About the Easter Vigil
The Easter Vigil was anciently a night service, beginning on Saturday evening and ending with the First Mass of Easter, sung at midnight. The entire service is shaped by the symbolism of the Light of Christ in Baptism and the Resurrection. There are various elements to the liturgy: the custom of Blessing the New Fire, which comes from medieval Northern Europe; the chanting of the oldest distinctively Christian melody called the Exsultet; the Old Testament Prophecies, dating to the 4th century, which served in the early church as the final instruction to the catechumens preparing for Baptism; the blessing of the baptismal font and lustral water; and the First Mass of Easter.

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"O God, who made this holy night to shine with the glory of the Lord's resurrection: Stir up in your Church that Spirit of adoption which is given to us in Baptism, that we, being renewed both in body and mind, may worship you in sincerity and truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen."