Easter Vigil and the Extraordinary Form

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I was under the impression that the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church requires that the Easter Vigil not begin until sunset, and that this is a modern reform such that before the Mass of Paul VI Easter Vigils in what would become the Extraordinary Form were celebrated in the afternoon.

So where does this leave modern practice for the EF? Is the Easter Vigil of the EF supposed to be celebrated after sunset just like the OF or may it be celebrated during daylight? I ask this because I recently watched a recorded Easter Vigil on YouTube of the Extraordinary Form which was celebrated while it was still very light outside.
 
I could be wrong, but I understood that the Easter Vigil was moved to late night Holy Saturday during the liturgical reforms of the mid-1950s, not the Novus Ordo reforms of the 60s…meaning the EF (which must follow the 1962 Missal) would also have a night Easter Vigil. This was a restoration of an ancient practice. In the East, the vigil is celebrated around midnight-ish on Holy Saturday / Easter Sunday morning I believe.
 
twf said:
I could be wrong, but I understood that the Easter Vigil was moved to late night Holy Saturday during the liturgical reforms of the mid-1950s, not the Novus Ordo reforms of the 60s…meaning the EF (which must follow the 1962 Missal) would also have a night Easter Vigil. This was a restoration of an ancient practice. In the East, the vigil is celebrated around midnight-ish on Holy Saturday / Easter Sunday morning I believe.
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Wow! You’re right! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liturgical_reforms_of_Pope_Pius_XII#Revised_Easter_Vigil

And by none other than Venerable Pope Pius XII.

Guess that answers my question. As an aside, do such changes in liturgical particulars affect only modern liturgies or are they like Canon Law issues which are universally binding on the church? As an example, let’s say in the future a Pope allows liberal use of pre-1955 Roman liturgies. Could those Easter Vigil liturgies be celebrated at Noon or would they have to be celebrated at dark?
 
Easter Vigil liturgies in the West often used to be really early morning stuff, like 3 AM.

In Jerusalem in early Christian times, it was an honest to goodness stay up all night until morning vigil, and they had a lot more readings and psalms than anybody uses today!

Some areas of the world still have services associated with Easter Vigil that last all the night, except the part when folks are having Mass.

And of course, it was an custom in many places, from early Christian times on, for people who were already baptized to fast and stay awake praying for those who were going to be baptized that year.
 
This age old tradition and concept of a vigil dates back to the early church when Christianity had taken a basic shape. Up to the 6th century AD, the vigil would go on from Saturday night night until day break. By the 10th century AD it prolonged as far as Easter Sunday afternoon. However by the middle ages the tradition of Easter vigil was lost due to an unstable practice that was changing with time and was celebrated as early as on Holy Saturday afternoon.

Then how is it that the tradition was brought back and we now observe the vigil on Holy Saturday night?? Well, In the year 1955 the Vatican officially announced that it was right that the vigil should be held on the sunset of the Holy Saturday

Here is the exact of the 1955 Vatican reform issued by the Holy See:

“In the middle ages various causes conspired to bring them forward earlier and earlier into the day, so that eventually they became morning functions, impairing the earlier harmony with the accounts given in the Gospel narratives. This disharmony was most glaring on the Saturday, which became liturgically the day of Resurrection instead of that day’s eve, and, liturgically again, from a day of darkest mourning became a day of light and gladness.”
 
Holy Saturday noon is still considered as the darkest day after Christ’s death therefore the church announced for the aforesaid reform
 
In fact, the reform of the Easter Vigil had actually begun in 1951, when the revised rite was introduced for a two-year trial. The Ordo Sabbati Sancti was the Ordo used, containing only the Easter Vigil rite as it was later promulgated in 1955, as has been noted here. The rite as laid out in that Ordo was intended to be celebrated after dark. Bishops were requested to provide feedback, and based on their positive reports, the experiment was continued for an additional two years. Ven. Pius XII was ill for a period in 1954-55, which delayed the implementation of the entire Holy Week revision for the better part of a year, but it was promulgated in late 1955 and first used in 1956. Additional clarifications were made in 1957, and that is the Order used in the 1962 missal.

The time of the Easter Vigil had through the centuries leading up to the late Middle Ages gradually moved back into Holy Saturday afternoon, and then to Holy Saturday morning. Older people today may recall the notion that Lent ended at noon on Holy Saturday. Prior to the 1950s this was true, as noon was reckoned to be when the Vigil rites ended and the First Mass of Easter was celebrated. The chants after communion were of Vespers, rather than Lauds, as in the 1955 rite. The irony of these morning celebrations was that the deacon was singing about darkness being dispelled in broad daylight that was getting even brighter. But these rites had fallen out of use in regular parish churches, so only if someone attended Mass at a cathedral, basilica or religious house was he likely to see the Easter Vigil liturgy.
 
Brandon_Cal said:
As an aside, do such changes in liturgical particulars affect only modern liturgies or are they like Canon Law issues which are universally binding on the church? As an example, let’s say in the future a Pope allows liberal use of pre-1955 Roman liturgies. Could those Easter Vigil liturgies be celebrated at Noon or would they have to be celebrated at dark?
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Canon Law determines current practices such as fasting, Sunday obligations and times, so I would think theoretically that even a restoration of all pre-1570 rites would follow the current legislation in such matters. Further clarifications by the Ecclesia Dei or such commissions might be necessary to resolve any future disputes.
 
For what its worth; our Easter Vigil (FSSP) in Seattle area, begins at 10:00 pm. Then at precisely midnight the Goria is sung and all lights come on. It is beautiful.

Our choir does a magnificent job as do the Fraternity priests.

We make this journey every year for the Triduum. My “Liturgical Over-load” as I call it. 😃 👍
 
Brandon_Cal said:
I was under the impression that the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church requires that the Easter Vigil not begin until sunset, and that this is a modern reform such that before the Mass of Paul VI Easter Vigils in what would become the Extraordinary Form were celebrated in the afternoon.

So where does this leave modern practice for the EF? Is the Easter Vigil of the EF supposed to be celebrated after sunset just like the OF or may it be celebrated during daylight? I ask this because I recently watched a recorded Easter Vigil on YouTube of the Extraordinary Form which was celebrated while it was still very light outside.
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My guess is that the video you watched was a sedevacantist group that adheres to the pre-1955 rubrics for Holy Week and the East Vigil.
 
The revisionists’ hatchet fell hard on Palm Sunday and Good Friday, but although they were also negatively affected, less so on Holy Thursday and the Easter Vigil. IMH (and less-than-worthless) O, just about the only good thing in the 1955 “reforms” of Holy Week was the restoration of the timings.
 
The fact that the 1955 revisions retained reference to the “perfidis Judæis” (perfidious / faithless Jews) was sad, something fortunately corrected by St. John XXIII.
 
ProVobis said:
Canon Law determines current practices such as fasting, Sunday obligations and times, so I would think theoretically that even a restoration of all pre-1570 rites would follow the current legislation in such matters. Further clarifications by the Ecclesia Dei or such commissions might be necessary to resolve any future disputes.
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Canon law generally does not legislate liturgical matters, except in a few very specific cases. That is left to the Congregation of Divine Worship and other involved Roman dicasteries. Regulation of all matters pertaining to the celebration of the Extraordinary Form is the province of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, currently under the leadership of Gerhard Cardinal Muller, who is also the Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the faith.
 
So I went to this particular parish’s website to see what they’d going this year, and it looks like the EF Easter Vigil will be at 4:00 PM. They have an 8:00 PM OF Easter Vigil. So is this allowable or should the EF Vigil be at dark as well? I’ve also read that each parish should only have one Easter Vigil. Is this correct?
 
Brandon_Cal said:
So is this allowable or should the EF Vigil be at dark as well?
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I don’t see why it wouldn’t be allowable, even though this wouldn’t have occurred in 1962.
I’ve also read that each parish should only have one Easter Vigil. Is this correct?
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I don’t think so but I could be wrong. My local parish typically holds a 5pm Mass in English and a 7pm Mass in Spanish. I’ll report back if they combine the two.
 
ProVobis said:
I don’t see why it wouldn’t be allowable, even though this wouldn’t have occurred in 1962.

I don’t think so but I could be wrong. My local parish typically holds a 5pm Mass in English and a 7pm Mass in Spanish. I’ll report back if they combine the two.
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This is from the Archdiocese of New Orleans (not the diocese of this parish I’ve been mentioning):
Time for the celebration of the Easter Vigil The Roman Missal states: ** “The entire celebration of the Easter Vigil must take place during the night, so that it begins after nightfall and ends before daybreak on the Sunday.” No Mass may precede the Easter Vigil. ** Pastors are reminded that daylight savings time this year will begin at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 8, which is the Third Sunday of Lent. This year, the Vigil will take place during Central Daylight Savings Time. The United States Naval Observatory states that on Holy Saturday, April 4, 2015, the end of civil twilight (beginning of night) is 7:45 p.m. Central Daylight Time. Therefore, in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, the Easter Vigil Liturgy may not begin before 8 p.m. Central Daylight Time. Only one Easter Vigil Mass is to be celebrated in each parish.
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So does this only apply to this one archdiocese or does their citing of the Roman Missal imply that its a universal law? Does the missal actually use the word “must” when talking about the timing of the Vigil? Sorry, I wouldn’t even know where to begin fact checking this.
 
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