Best Easter Service for Family?

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stavros388

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I am fairly new to being Catholic, and celebrated Easter last year as an Eastern Orthodox Christian. I have a fairly hyperactive four-year-old son with autism and a non-Christian wife (who will generally only accompany us to church on Christmas and Easter). Is the Easter vigil generally quite lengthy? Is it the service to attend? Or is Easter Sunday morning better for families with small children?

Thanks in advance!
 
I don’t know about the Easter Vigil in the Eastern Churches. In the Latin Church it varies somewhat but length-wise would probably be two hours and up. There are options with the readings – some parishes do all of them, others do only the minimum. The length of the Mass would also depend on how many people are being baptized or confirmed.

For someone who loves liturgy, the Easter Vigil is the highlight of the year. For someone who doesn’t love it, the Mass might seem to go on forever.
 
I have only done the Easter vigil once, and I loved it. The next year i was in the hospital and missed the whole week for my sons traumatic birth. The next year he was obviously around 1, and we opted for the AM service. My little guy goes to bed at the time of the vigil, and is usually getting grumpy by 15 til, so staying up a few extra hours is a no go. He is most well behaved in the mornings of any time of day, so we are again doing the AM mass this year. I would love to do the vigil again, but seeing as how I am about to have another baby, I just see the earliest AM mass working best for us in the long run.

I am thinking we may have to start doing the children’s mass on Christmas eve too and forgo the midnight mass for a few years too, that one was tough this past year with one toddler…
 
Hmmm… Yeah, 2+ hours will be great for me but probably not for my wife and son. I’d better take them for the Mass on Sunday morning instead, methinks. Thank you.
 
I have only been to the Vigil once and loved it! However, we have 5 children ranging from 7 all the way down to 4 months so it’ll be the AM Mass for the next several years for us.
 
Given your situation, I would stick to a regular Easter morning Mass. There will be lots of “once a year” people there, but it will be just as beautiful because it’s Easter!~
The Vigil might big too big of a bite to chew this year. But in the future, it would be lovely to go to with the entire family. If you can manage it. It’s long. And I would wait until everyone has an appreciation for what’s happening.
 
You will definitely see more children at the Easter Sunday Masses. The Vigil might be overkill for your son and wife. I would just go on Easter Sunday, but I’d definitely consider the Vigil in a few years!
 
Would love to be at Easter Vigil but too ill this year and will catch Mass live here tomorrow… deeply thankful for this… enjoy all of you who can be there! Light a candle!
 
Wishing you all peace and joy this Easter Eve and day as I close down to pray and keep watch now… the first and only Easter Vigil I attended, nearly 50 years ago now, changed the whole course of my life…It was at an Anglican Convent…
 
Vigil mass is way too long for families with young children! We are going to a sunday service
 
My family of 4 was confirmed last year at the Easter Vigil and it was fantastic so we are going back this year for the Vigil. On Sunday morning I’ve volunteered to be an Eucharistic Minister at an added service that will be in the Parish Hall for over flow. These are typically hard to find volunteers for so I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve.
 
This is the fourth Easter Vigil that the wife and I will attend.(our kids are all grown and on their own, finally)

We attend the EF Triduum so tonights Mass will last approximately 4 hours. (there are no Baptism’s involved) We begin with the lighting of the “Fire” in the court yard outside the church. This done at 10:00pm. We process into the dark church with only lighted candles, our priests dress the Altar, Priests change into white vestments, its a Solemn High Mass.

At precisely midnight the pipe organ starts the Golria, and all the lights come on. By the time Mass is finished its almost 2:00am.

Last evening we had 550 people at Adoration of the Cross and for communion. Good Friday services lasted 4 hours. Love it.

But its tough for the kids but most families brought theirs. I’m always amazed at how well mannered they are. Only one little one who was “displeased” with the matter. 😃
 
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