Liturgical Information
The Easter Vigil in the Holy Night (A)
Liturgical Color: White [Note: On more solemn days, festive, that is, more precious, sacred vestments may be used, even if not the color of the day [GIRM #346-g]. The colors gold or silver may be worn on more solemn occasions [GIRM #346-h].
Themes: solemnity, glory, joy, initiation, history of salvation, resurrection, life, hope
+++ Lucenarium: The Solemn Beginning of the Vigil +++
The Blessing of the Fire:
Dear brethren (brothers and sisters),
on this most sacred night,
in which our Lord Jesus Christ
passed over from death to life,
the Church calls upon her sons and daughters,
scattered throughout the world,
to come together to watch and pray.
If we keep the memorial
of the Lord's paschal solemnity in this way,
listening to his word and celebrating his mysteries,
then we shall have the sure hope
of sharing his triumph over death
and living with him in God.
Let us pray.
O God, who through your Son
bestowed upon the faithful the fire of your glory,
sanctify + this new fire, we pray,
and grant that,
by these paschal celebrations
we may be so inflamed with heavenly desires,
that with minds made pure
we may attain festivites of unending splendor.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Preparation of the Candle:
- Christ yesterday and today
- the Beginning and the End
- the Alpha
- and the Omega
- All time belongs to him
- and all the ages
- To him be glory and power
- through every age and for ever. Amen.
- By his holy
- and glorious wounds,
- may Christ the Lord
- guard us
- and protect us. Amen.
May the light of Christ rising in glory
dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds.
During procession:
The Light of Christ.
Thanks be to God.
— or —
Lumen Christi.
Deo gratias.
See Lumen Christi (Richard Clark)
Exsultet (The Easter Proclamation):
An audio CD is available to aid in practicing this chant in Latin
Exult, let them exult, the hosts of heaven
exult, let Angel ministers of God exult,
let the trumpet of salvation
sound aloud our mighty King's triumph!
Be glad, let earth be glad, as glory floods her,
ablaze with light from her eternal King,
let all the corners of the earth be glad,
knowing an end to gloom and darkness.
Rejoice, let Mother Church also rejoice,
arrayed with the lightning of his glory,
let this holy building shake with joy,
filled with the mighty voices of the peoples.
Omit the following 10 lines if not sung by a deacon or priest.
[Therefore, dearest friends,
standing in the awesome glory of this holy light,
invoke with me, I ask you,
the mercy of God almighty,
that he, who has been pleased to number me,
though unworthy, among the Levites,
may pour into me this light unshadowed,
that I may sing this candle's perfect praises.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.] *
V. Lift up your hearts.
R. We lift them up to the Lord.
V. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
R. It is right and just.
It is truly right and just
that with ardent love of mind and heart
and with devoted service of our voice,
we acclaim our God invisible, the almighty Father,
and Jesus Christ, our Lord, his Son, his Only Begotten.
Who for our sake paid Adam's debt to the eternal Father,
and, pouring out his own dear Blood,
wiped clean the record of our ancient sinfulness.
These, then, are the feasts of Passover,
in which is slain the Lamb, the one true Lamb,
whose blood anoints the doorposts of believers.
This is the night,
when once you led our forebears, Israel's children,
from slavery in Egypt
and made them pass dry-shod through the Red Sea.
This is the night
that with a pillar of fire
banished the darkness of sin!
This is the night
that even now, throughout the world
sets Christian believers apart from worldly vices
and from the gloom of sin,
leading them to grace
and joining them to his holy ones.
This is the night,
when Christ broke the prison-bars of death
and rose victorious from the underworld.
Our birth would have been no gain,
had we not been redeemed.
O wonder of your humble care for us!
O love, O charity beyond all telling,
to ransom a slave you gave away your Son!
O truly necessary sin of Adam,
destroyed completely by the Death of Christ!
O happy fault
that earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer!
O truly blessed night,
worthy alone to know the time and hour
when Christ rose from the underworld!
This is the night
of which it is written:
The night shall be as bright as day,
dazzling is the night for me,
and full of gladness.
The sanctifying power of this night
dispels wickedness, washes faults away,
restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to mourners,
drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings down the mighty.
On this, your night of grace, O holy Father,
accept this candle, a solemn offering,
the work of bees and of your servants' hands,
an evening sacrifice of praise,
this gift from your most holy Church.
But now we know the praises of this pillar,
which glowing fire ignites for God's honor,
a fire into many flames divided,
yet never dimmed by sharing of its light,
for it is fed by melting wax,
drawn out by mother bees
to build a torch so precious.
O truly blessed night,
when things of heaven are wed to those of earth,
and divine to the human.
Therefore, O Lord,
we pray you that this candle,
hallowed to the honor of your name,
may perserve undimmed,
to overcome the darkness of this night.
Receive it as a pleasing fragrance,
and let it mingle with the lights of heaven.
May this flame be found still burning
by the Morning Star:
the one Morning Star who never sets,
Christ your Son,
who, coming back from death's domain,
has shed his peaceful light on humanity,
and lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
Instruction:
Dear brethren (brothers and sisters),
now that we have begun our solemn Vigil,
let us listen with quiet hearts to the Word of God.
Let us meditate on how God in times past saved his people
and in these, the last days, has sent us his Son as our Redeemer.
Let us pray that our God may complete this paschal work of salvation
by the fullness of redemption.
Lectionary Readings:
Old Testament Readings and Responsorial Psalms:See CNP's Psalms for the Easter Vigil (McManus)
- Genesis 1:1 - 2:2 [And God saw all that He made, and behold, it was very good. /v.31]
Psalm 104:1-2 / 5-6 / 10,12 / 13-14 / 24,35 [R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. /v.30] – or –
Psalm 33:4-5 / 6-7 / 12-13 / 20-22 [R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.] - Genesis 22:1-18 [I will greatly multiple your seed as the stars of the heavens. /v.17]
Psalm 16:5,8 / 9-10 / 11 [R. You are my inheritance, O Lord. /v.1] - Exodus 14:15 - 15:1 [And the sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on dry land. /v.22]
Exodus 15:1-2 / 3-4 / 5-6 / 17-18 [R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory. /v.1b] - Isaiah 54:5-14 [My lovingkindness will not be removed from you. /v.10]
Psalm 30:2,4 / 5-6 / 11-12a,13 [R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me. /v.2a] - Isaiah 55:1-11 [I will make an everlasting covenant with you. /v.3]
Isaiah 12:2-3 / 4 / 5-6 [R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation. /v.3] - Baruch 3:9-15,32 - 4:4 [Approach the splendor of the Lord.]
Psalm 19:8 / 9 / 10 / 11 [R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life. Jn 6:68c] - Ezekiel 36:16-17a,18-28 [I will sprinkle clean water on you. /v.25]
Psalm 42:3 / 5 / 43:3 / 4 [R. Like a deer that longs for running streams, my soul longs for you, my God. /v.42:2] – or –
Isaiah 12:2-3 / 4bcd / 5-6 [R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation. /v.3] – or –
Psalm 51:12-13 / 14-15 / 18-19 [R. Create a clean heart in me, O God. /v.12a]
Prayers after the Readings:
-
Al- mighty ever-living God,
who are wonderful in ordering all your works,may those you have redeemed understand
that there exists nothing more marvelous
than the world's creation in the begin- ningex -cept that, at the end of the ages,
Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.Who lives and reigns for ev-er and ev-er. A-men.
— or —
O God, who wonderfully created human nature
and still more wondrously redeemed it,grant us, we pray,
to set our minds against the enticements of sin,
that we may merit to attain e- ter-nal joys.Through Christ our Lord. A-men.
-
O God, supreme Father of the faithful,
who increase the children of your promise
by pouring out the grace of adoption
throughout the whole worldand who through the Paschal Mystery
make your servant Abraham father of nations,
as you once swore,grant, we pray,
that your peoples may enter worthily
into the grace to which you call them.Through Christ our Lord. A-men.
-
O God, whose ancient wonders
remain undimmed in splendor even in our day,for what you once bestowed on a single people,
freeing them from Pharaoh's persecution
by the power of your right hand,now you bring about as the salvation of the nations
through the waters of re- birth,grant, we pray, that the whole world
may become children of Abraham
and inherit the dignity of Is- ra-el's birthright.Through Christ our Lord. A-men.
— or —
O God, who by the light of the New Testament
have unlocked the meaning
of wonders worked in former times,so that the Red Sea prefigures the sacred font
and the nation delivered from slavery
foreshadows the Christian peo- ple,grant, we pray, that all nations,
obtaining the privilege of Israel by merit of faith,
may be reborn by partaking of your Spirit.Through Christ our Lord. A-men.
-
Al- mighty ever-living God,
surpass, for the honor of your name,
what you pledged to the Patriarchs by reason of their faith,and through sacred adoption increase the children of your promise
so that what the Saints of old never doubted would come to pass
your Church may now see in great part ful- filled.Through Christ our Lord. A-men.
-
Al- mighty ever-living God,
sole hope of the world,who by the preaching of your Prophets
unveiled the mysteries of this present age,gra- ciously increase the longing of your people,
for only at the prompting of your grace
do the faithful progress in any kind of virtue.Through Christ our Lord. A-men.
-
O God, who constantly increase your Church
by your call to the na- tions,gra- ciously grant
to those who wash clean in the waters of Baptism
the assurance of your unfail- ing pro -tection.Through Christ our Lord. A-men.
-
O God, of unchanging power and eternal light,
look with favor on the wonderful mustery of the whole Church,and serenely accomplish the work of human salvation,
which you planned from all eterni- ty;may the whole world know and see
that what was cast down is raised up,what, had become old is made new,
and all things are restored to integrity through Christ,
just as by him they came in-to being.Who lives and reigns for ev-er and ev-er. A-men.
— or —
O God, who by the pages of both Testaments
instruct and prepare us to celebrate the Paschal Myster- y,grant that we may comprehend your mercy,
so that the gifts we receive from you this night
may confirm our hope of the gifts to come.Through Christ our Lord. A-men.
The Gloria is sung, while all the bells are rung.
Prayer after the Gloria:
-
O God, who make this most sacred night radiant
with the glory of the Lord's Resurrection,
stir up in your Church a spirit of adop- tion,so that, renewed in body and mind,
we may render you undi- vid-ed service.Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Ho-ly Spirit,
one God, for ev-er and ev-er. A-men.
Lectionary Readings:
(continued)- Epistle: Romans 6:3-1 [Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again. /v.9]
- Gospel Psalm: Psalm 118:1-2 / 16-17 / 22-23 [R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.]
See CNP's Easter Alleluia -or- Easter Vigil Gospel Procession - Gospel: Matthew 28:1-10 [He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. /v.6]
See CNP's Book of Sung Gospels – 4th Edition
+++ Celebration of Baptism +++
Presentation of Candidates
Invitation to Prayer:
Dearly beloved,
with one heart and one soul, let us by our prayers
come to the aid of these our brothers and sisters in their blessed hope,
so that, as they approach the font of rebirth,
the almighty Father my bestow on them
all his merciful help.
Litany of the Saints
Litany of the Saints [Roman Missal]
Litaniæ sanctorum [Graduale Romanum, p.192]
Litaniæ sanctorum [Gregorian Missal, p.340]
Litaniæ sanctorum [Graduale simplex, p.148]
See CNP's Litaniæ sanctorum (SATB & congregation, with organ)
Almighty ever-living God,
be present by the mysteries of your great love
and send forth the spirit of adoption
to create the new peoples
brought to birth for you in the font of Baptism,
so that waht is to be carried out by our humble service
may be brought to fulfillment by your mighty power.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Blessing of Baptismal Water:
O God, who by invisible power
accomplish a wonderful effect
through sacramental signs
and who in many ways have poured water, your creation,
to show forth the grace of Baptism;
O God, whose Spirit
in the first moments of the world's creation
hovered over the waters,
so that the very substance of water
would even then take to itself the power to sanctify;
O God, who by the outpouring of the flood
foreshadowed regeneration,
so that from the mystery of one and the same element of water
would come an end to vice and a beginning of virtue;
O God, who caused the children of Abraham
to pass dry-shod through the Red Sea,
so that the chosen people,
set free from slavery to Pharaoh,
would prefigure the people of the baptized;
O God, whose Son,
baptized by John in the waters of the Jordan,
was anointed with the Holy Spirit,
and, as he hung upon the Cross,
gave forth water from his side along with blood,
and after his Resurrection, commanded his disciples:
"Go forth, teach all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,"
look now, we pray, upon the face of your Church
and graciously unseal for her the fountain of Baptism.
May this water receive by the Holy Spirit
the grace of your Only Begotten Son,
so that human nature, created in your image
and washed clean through the Sacrament of Baptism
from all the squalor of the life of old,
may be found worthy to rise to the life of newborn children
through water and the Holy Spirit.
[lowering the paschal candle in the water]
May the power of the Holy Spirit,
O Lord, we pray,
come down through your Son
into the fullness of this font,
so that all who have been buried with Christ
by Baptism into death
may rise again to life with him.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Acclamation:
- Springs of water, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all for ever. - Fontes et omnia quæ moventur in aquis, hymnum dicite Deo, alleluia.
V. Benedicte, omnia opera Domini, Domino; laudate et superexaltate eum in sæcula. [Graduale simplex, p.150]
Renunciation of Sin:
Do you reject Satan? I do.
And all his works? I do.
And all his empty show? I do.
Profession of Faith:
Do you believe in God,
the Father almighty
Creator of heaven and earth? I do.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered death and was buried,
rose again from the dead
and is seated at the right hand of the Father? I do.
Do you believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting? I do.
Baptism:
N., I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Anointing after Baptism:
if confirmation does not follow at this liturgy
The God of power and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
has freed you from sin
and brought you to new life
through water and the Holy Spirit.
He now anoints you with the chrism of salvation,
so that, united with his people,
you may remain for ever a member of Christ
who is Priest, Prophet, and King. Amen.
Clothing with a Baptismal Garment:
N. and N., you have become a new creation
and have clothed yourselves in Christ.
Receive this baptismal garment
and bring it unstained to the judgment seat of our Lord Jesus Christ,
so that you may have everlasting life. Amen.
Presentation of a Lighted Candle:
You have been enlightened by Christ.
Walk always as children of the light
and keep the flame of faith alive in your hearts.
When the Lord comes, may you go out to meet him
with all the saints in the heavenly kingdom. Amen.
Renewal of Baptismal Promises:
Dear brethren (brothers and sisters), through the Paschal Mystery
we have been buried with Christ in Baptism,
so that we may walk with him in newness of life.
And so, now that our Lenten observance is concluded,
let us renew the promises of Holy Baptism
by which we once renounced Satan and his works
and promised to serve God in the holy Catholic Church.
And so I ask you:
Do you reject Satan? I do.
And all his works? I do.
And all his empty show? I do.
Profession of Faith:
Do you believe in God,
the Father almighty
Creator of heaven and earth? I do.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered death and was buried,
rose again from the dead
and is seated at the right hand of the Father? I do.
Do you believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting? I do.
And may almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has given us new birth by water and the Holy Spirit
and bestowed on us forgiveness of our sins,
keep us by his grace,
in Christ Jesus our Lord,
for eternal life.
Amen.
Sprinkling with Holy Water:
Antiphon:
- Vidi aquam… [Graduale Romanum, p.708]
- Vidi aquam… [Gregorian Missal, p.71]
- I saw water flowing from the Temple,
from its right-hand side, alleluia;
and all to whom this water came were saved
and shall say: Alleluia, alleluia. Ezekiel 47:1-2,9
See CNP's settings of I Saw Water Flowing by Alex Hill or Matthew Koraus, or Vidi aquam from Water Music: For the Sprinkling Rite (Horst Buchholz)
+++ Celebration of Reception +++
Invitation:
N. and N., of your own free will you have asked to be received into the full communion of the Catholic Church. You have made your decision after careful thought under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I now invite you to come forward with your sponsors and in the presence of this community to profess the Catholic faith. In this faith you will be one with us for the first time at the eucharistic table of the Lord Jesus, the sign of the Church's unity.
Profession by the Candidates:
I believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church believes, teaches, and proclaims to be revealed by God.
Act of Reception:
N., the Lord receives you into the Catholic Church.
His loving kindness has led you here,
so that in the unity of the Holy Spirit
you may have full communion with us
in the faith you have professed in the presence of his family.
+++ Celebration of Confirmation +++
Invitation:
My dear candidates for confirmation, by your baptism you have been born again in Christ and you have become members of Christ and of his priestly people. Now you are to share in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit among us, the Spirit sent by the Lord upon his apostles at Pentecost and given by them and their successors to the baptized.
The promised strength of the Holy Spirit, which you are to receive, will make you more like Christ and help you to be witnesses to his suffering, death, and resurrection. It will strengthen you to be active members of the Church and to build up the Body of Christ in faith and love.
My dear friends, let us pray to God our Father, that he will pour out the Holy Spirit on these candidates for confirmation to strengthen them with his gifts and anoint them to be more like Christ, the Son of God.
Laying on of Hands:
All-powerful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by water and the Holy Spirit
you freed your sons and daughters from sin
and gave them new life.
Send your Holy Spirit upon them
to be their helper and guide.
Give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of right judgment and courage,
the spirit of knowledge and reverence.
Fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe in your presence.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Anointing with Chrism:
N., be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Peace be with you. And with your spirit.
Offertory Antiphon:
The right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord has struck with power.
I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. Psalm 118:16-17 **
Verses of Psalm 118 can also be sung between repetitions of the antiphon.
Dextera Domini fecit virtutem, dextera Domini exaltavit me: non moriar, sed vivam, et narrabo opera Domini, alleluia. [Graduale Romanum, p.194]
Dextera Domini fecit virtutem, dextera Domini exaltavit me: non moriar, sed vivam, et narrabo opera Domini, alleluia. [Gregorian Missal, p.347]
Dextera Domini fecit virtutem: dextera Domini exaltavit me. [Graduale simplex, p.112]
Verses of Psalm 118 can also be sung between repetitions of the antiphon.
Prayer over the Offerings:
Ac- cept, we ask, O Lord,
the prayers of your people
with the sacrificial offer- ings,
that what has begun in the paschal mysteries
may, by the working of your power,
bring us to the healing of e -ternity.
Through Christ our Lord. A-men.
Preface I of Easter: [The Paschal Mystery]
It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
at all times to acclaim you, O Lord,
but on this night above all
to laud you yet more gloriously,
when Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.
For he is the true Lamb
who has taken away the sins of the world;
by dying he has destroyed our death,
and by rising, restored our life.
Therefore, overcome with paschal joy,
every land, every people exults in your praise
and even the heavenly Powers, with the angelic hosts,
sing together the unending hymn of your glory,
as they acclaim:
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts…
Communion Antiphon:
Christ our Passover has been sacrificed;
therefore let us keep the feast
with the unleavened bread of purity and truth.
Alleluia. I Cor 5:7-8 [Roman Missal]
Psalm 118 may appropriately be sung.
Pascha nostrum immolatus est Christus, alleluia: itaque epulemur in azymis sinceritatis et veritatis, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. I Corinthians 5:7-8 [Graduale Romanum, p.199]
Psalm 118:1,2,5,8,10,11,13,14,15,16,17,21,22,23,24,25,26,28,29 can also be sung between repetitions of this antiphon.
Pascha nostrum immolatus est Christus, alleluia: itaque epulemur in azymis sinceritatis et veritatis, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. I Corinthians 5:7-8 [Gregorian Missal, p.354]
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. [Graduale simplex, p.163]
Verses of Psalm 105 can also be sung between repetitions of the antiphon.
Prayer after Communion:
Pour out on us, O Lord, the Spirit of your love,
and in your kindness make those you have nourished
by this paschal Sacrament
one in mind and heart.
Who lives and reigns for ev-er and ev-er. A-men.
Solemn Blessing:
May almighty God bless you
through today's Easter Solemnity
and, in his compassion,
defend you from every assualt of sin.
Amen.
And may he, who restores you to eternal life
in the Resurrection of his Only Begotten,
endow you with the prize of immortality.
Amen.
Now that the days of the Lord's Passion have drawn to a close,
may you who celebrate the gladness of the Paschal Feast
come with Christ's help, and exulting in spirit,
to those feasts that are celebrated in eternal joy.
Amen.
Dismissal
The double "Alleluia" is added to the deacon's dismissal tonight and throughout the Easter Octave.** An official, approved English translation of the Offertory Antiphon has never been published. The offertory antiphon used here is from the New American Bible, a Scripture translation approved for liturgical use in the United States.
The English translation of the Ritual texts for the Lucenarium, Exsultet, Prayers, Psalm Refrains, Gospel Verse, Ritual texts for Baptism, Reception and Confirmation, Prayer over the Offerings, Preface, Communion Antiphon, Prayer after Communion and Solemn Blessing from The Roman Missal, © Copyright 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corp. All rights reserved.
Excerpts from the Old Testament Readings, Epistle and Gospel are taken from the New American Standard Bible ® © Copyright 1973 The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
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