Easter Vigil Mass Attendance

[CatholicZ09]

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.

 

[mcrow]

Ours was not as full as a normal mass but then we live close to Minneapolis and a lot of people here go there to visit during the holidays.

 

[Ashurie]

I actually noticed it myself, Good Friday, the church (and it is a pretty big one) was full! But last night, it wasn’t as full - may be the same size as this mornings Easter Sunday Mass.

 

[Kevin812]

We were a bit down from previous years, but our weather was bad. On average it was similar to a Sunday Mass. The best news, we had three Friars (ofm conv) celebrating

Holy Thursday, in attendance was the same as previous years, and Good Friday was slightly down.

We will also have a Sunday evening Mass for the first time.

Happy Easter and God Bless!!!

 

[The_Reginator]

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.

You too???

I was very surprised at the relatively small number of people who came out to the Easter Vigil this year compared to other years.
We even have the added ‘attraction’ of a newly renovated church (newly opened after school gym Masses throughout Lent).

Maundy Thursday and Good Friday were both well attended here, just like at your parish.
As seems to be the custom for many churches these days, we started at 8:00pm rather than 11:00pm – so the timing was not an issue. (Well, the timing was an issue for me as I’d rather not start Mass itself until after midnight, thus being Easter.)

 

[Phemie]

I counted 50 people, out of a Catholic population of 1500. Many were the elderly. There were only 2 children in attendance, 4 & 6. Most sat in the back pews, the first 5 rows held 3 people. The ‘lateness’ of the Vigil may have contributed to the low attendance but I suspect that some of the missing were parents of children who were singing in the junior choir this morning.

I was rather taken aback by a phone call I got yesterday asking me what time the Vigil was. When I replied, “9:00 p.m.” the woman said, “That’s different!” I explained that it had to occur after full dark thus a late Easter means a later Vigil (9:30 p.m. would have been more appropriate in these parts, at 9 it was twilight) and she was quite surprised. How does a 50+ year old Catholic, who taught in a Catholic school for decades, not know that the Vigil occurs after dark??

 

[Bbigam]

Our whole Triduum was the highest attendance our pastor of 22 years has ever seen! Holy Thursday and Good Friday were jam-packed - a lot more than usual, and they are always well attended. But the Easter Vigil was actually full too! It’s usually rather poorly attended. It surely helped that we had 12 people coming into the Church - last year it was 4.

We had about a dozen servers for each of the Liturgies, which is always the case for Holy Thursday and Good Friday, and often the case on regular Sundays. But the last two years we only had 3 servers for the Easter Vigil. It was so much better this year with 12!

Thanks be to God!

 

[Skeptic92]

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 Priest guessed 500-650, about 100 more then a normal Sunday Mass, but this mornings Mass the Church was packed, not seating or standing room, our Priest said the maximum the Church is meant to hold (due to fire safety) is about 800, and we had easily exceeded that, probably 850-900.

However there are Churches that had a low attendence (around the 200-300 mark), and Churches that was easily over full (Our Cathedral had to open it’s doors last night, because of all of the people else there was just no room), so i can’t generalise about the diocese, it seems to be varied so far.

 

[GwenL]

Packed–with people three deep standing at the back and into the narthex. Also, many little ones.

The entire Mass lasted 2 hours and 15 minutes, and we did every reading and every responsorial Psalm. The Bishop baptized about nine and confirmed those nine plus about ten others.

Holy Thursday was also packed–the largest crowd in many parishioners’ memories.

 

[puzzleannie]

packed
there was room at the Vigil for everyone using the balcony–cry room, good thing because I had fully half the pews reserved for catechumens (17) and candidates (21) sponsors, and parents. The vigil attendance is usually the regulars, and families of those being received so it was full but not SRO like Holy Thursday. Here for some reason most people go to their Mass on Easter Sunday, the 5pm Sat. people scatter where they fit in best–although at Christmas there is only one Mass in the morning because almost everyone goes to one of 4 Christmas Eve Masses.

 

[Spirithound]

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

It’s specialized knowledge It happens once a year, and up to 4 hours later than the regular “vigil” of Sunday Mass.

Our Easter Vigil seemed around 2/3 to 5/6 full, while a normal anticipated Sunday Mass is almost completely full. Holy Thursday and Good Friday were Extra Chairs and Standing Room Only, and there will be 4 Masses tomorrow, as opposed to the usual 3, and 2 of them will run concurrently in the church-proper and the parish hall at 10:30.

 

[Phemie]

It’s specialized knowledge It happens once a year, and up to 4 hours later than the regular “vigil” of Sunday Mass.

Except that in this parish we never refer to the Saturday evening Mass as a ‘vigil’ Mass. It’s always ‘the Saturday evening Sunday Mass’. Even in the Worship section of the paper we say ‘Daily Mass’ is Monday to Friday and “Sunday Masses” are Saturday at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m. Needless to say, the newspaper questioned that, but I insisted that the listing be printed as submitted.

 

[Sheadad]

Except that in this parish we never refer to the Saturday evening Mass as a ‘vigil’ Mass. It’s always ‘the Saturday evening Sunday Mass’. Even in the Worship section of the paper we say ‘Daily Mass’ is Monday to Friday and “Sunday Masses” are Saturday at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m. Needless to say, the newspaper questioned that, but I insisted that the listing be printed as submitted.

Good for you for putting the record straight! The Mass is in accord with keeping holy the Lord’s day. I don’t object to Saturday evening Mass, however put in it’s perspective of being in “part of” the next day by virtue of the day ending, is why it’s allowed I’m sure. But precicely, what I like about this response is that the emphasis of your message highlights “The Lord’s day.” This is the day He set aside for himself and for us. This is why his Son died and was raised from the dead on Sunday. It’s also interesting how the Sabbath (Saturday for the Jewish) and Sunday for the Christians is separate but yet the same as they were instituted by His plan, one whole people set apart by Him for Him, but yet separated by the resurrection, with a new Sabbath for mankind (for the many).

 

[stanncie]

My church was packed as usual with some people having to stand. The Mass lasted around 4 hours from 8.00 to 12.00 and we had 7 weddings after the Mass so if you stayed for the whole thing you left around 1.30 in the morning

 

[sugarbreak]

Usually it is typical of a regular Sunday Mass but there was rather low attendence last night.

 

[Spirithound]

Except that in this parish we never refer to the Saturday evening Mass as a ‘vigil’ Mass. It’s always ‘the Saturday evening Sunday Mass’.

Humm…well, your surprise seems justified
Happy Easter!!

 

[jmcrae]

Ours was packed.

The front half of the Church was the family, friends, and sponsors of the people being baptized; the rest were the usual Sunday crowd, and members of the Youth Group who like the idea of staying out late at night and then sleeping all day on Sunday.

 

[markomalley]

It was the same as previous years – full, but not SRO. (Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception)

 

[boonert]

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.

 

[Spirithound]

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.

WOW!!! How did they fit all that in? I’ve heard that if there are many sacraments to be administered and professions received, there would be fewer readings. And your Mass was only 15 minutes longer than my parish’s!