Easter Vigil Mass Attendance

[SMHW]

Our parish had about the same number of people as attend a regular Sunday Mass. It wasn’t full to overflowing but well attended.

 

[KarenElissa]

Ours was packed, as usual. We had 38 people receiving one or more of the sacraments of initiation, so with all of them and their godparents/sponsors, plus family and friends, that is a lot of people to begin with. Then add in all the people who just want to come to Easter Vigil, and you get a packed church.

 

[txangel]

How was the attendance at your church for the Easter Vigil? Holy Thursday and Good Friday were really well-attended, but tonight there were less than a regular Saturday evening Mass (most of the pews are full). The pews nearest the back of the church were all empty. I kind of figured since last year was not well-attended either. Typically, the Easter Sunday Masses have more attendance than the Easter Vigil around here.

Our Holy Thursday and Good Friday services had the church packed. Thursday we started at 7:30 and ended at 9:45; Good Friday started at 7:30 and ended about 10:15. I did not attend Easter Vigil as I have small grandchildren but per friends, the Church was overflowing. We had 36 coming into the Church so that may have played a part in the attendance but it’s usually full anyway. The Vigil lasted 4 hours and 20 minutes, with a reception following for all the newly initiated. Talk about a late night/early morning.

 

[nickybr38]

How was the attendance at your church for the Easter Vigil? Holy Thursday and Good Friday were really well-attended, but tonight there were less than a regular Saturday evening Mass (most of the pews are full). The pews nearest the back of the church were all empty. I kind of figured since last year was not well-attended either. Typically, the Easter Sunday Masses have more attendance than the Easter Vigil around here.

We had the same amount as a Saturday evening Mass but less then a Sunday Mass and quite frankly I’m not surprised since Mass was three hours.

However, it was so beautiful!!! I know I will be attending every year from now on (provided I am in good health!)

 

[nickybr38]

The church was pretty full but we could have fit more people if everyone squeezed in more. I don’t think alot of the people understood that this mass was going to be different from the typical service.

We had six readings, 12 baptisms, 6 confirmations and 51 candidates joining the church. I noticed at the 2 hour mark that there were many empty seats…and of those who did stay I noticed alot of people who received communion and headed straight for the exit. By the time mass was officially over (2 hours and 45 minutes after it started) there weren’t a whole lot of people left.

Really??? We only had three baptisms and 2 confirmations and ours lasted just as long! Haha. You got off lucky methinks.

 

[Sandalwood]

I’m not sure we even had a dozen people, and that includes the choir. There were no Baptisms, no Confirmations, and the Priest got several things confused (cut off the Exalt? halfway thru the song, mixed up readings, etc.) It was rather disappointing.

 

[jmcrae]

I’m not sure we even had a dozen people, and that includes the choir. There were no Baptisms, no Confirmations, and the Priest got several things confused (cut off the Exalt? halfway thru the song, mixed up readings, etc.) It was rather disappointing.

I’d have been disappointed, too.

 

[duneman]

standing room only !!!1

 

[SwizzleStick]

How was the attendance at your church for the Easter Vigil? Holy Thursday and Good Friday were really well-attended, but tonight there were less than a regular Saturday evening Mass (most of the pews are full). The pews nearest the back of the church were all empty. I kind of figured since last year was not well-attended either. Typically, the Easter Sunday Masses have more attendance than the Easter Vigil around here.

Our Holy Thursday Mass was full, though the extra chairs set up in the aisles were not needed. Our Good Friday Passion Service was not as well attended, the pews were not all full. Our Easter Vigil Mass was full, but not packed, as no chairs were even set up then and I don’t think anyone was standing in back. The last few years were better attended than this year.

My guess is that the middle two Easter Sunday Masses were overflowing, with the earliest and latest two not as well attended, but that is just a guess based on other years and the fact that Easter Sunday morning Masses are always much more full than the Easter Vigil Mass due to the later start and the length of the Vigil Mass.

 

[utah_rose]

How was the attendance at your church for the Easter Vigil? Holy Thursday and Good Friday were really well-attended, but tonight there were less than a regular Saturday evening Mass (most of the pews are full). The pews nearest the back of the church were all empty. I kind of figured since last year was not well-attended either. Typically, the Easter Sunday Masses have more attendance than the Easter Vigil around here.

I would love to attend the Vigil Mass if it was earlier! In our area it didn’t begin until 9 PM.–too late for me, a senior.

Pre Vatican II it began at noon. Wish they’d go back to that. The Easter Masses however we full.

 

[SwizzleStick]

…How does a 50+ year old Catholic, who taught in a Catholic school for decades, not know that the Vigil occurs after dark??

I don’t know. If I had to come up with something and guess, maybe she has always attended Easter Sunday morning Masses? But, truth be told, I don’t know how someone who taught in a Catholic school for decades wouldn’t know that the Easter Vigil Mass must begin after dark.

 

[powerlinemom]

We missed the Holy Thursday Mass due to a sick child and Good Friday due to a tornado warning, but the Easter Vigil Mass was beautiful. I would say there were about as many people there as usually attend the early morning Sunday Mass. We have a very large church that can hold probably 700 people and it was about 2/3 full I’d guess.

We had 3 adult baptisms, one infant baptism, about 8 Candidates, and there was myself and two others who’d been baptized Catholic as infants who received the rest of our sacraments of initiation.

Our Mass started at 8:00 PM and lasted about 2 1/2 hours. We started outside with the Easter fire, but it had to be relocated to a large flower pot underneath the awning because it was raining. They did about 4 or 5 of the readings with psalms after each one.

Copious amounts of incense were smoking, holy water was splashing, and candles burning - all in all an amazing night!