How many readings are required before the Gloria at Easter Vigil Mass?

[jas84173]

Just curious. In the readings there’s seven listed before the Gloria; however at the Vigil I went to, three were said. Is there a minimum amount of readings which have to be said? Are all seven supposed to be read or is that just optional and can choose between all of them?

 

[Phemie]

Just curious. In the readings there’s seven listed before the Gloria; however at the Vigil I went to, three were said. Is there a minimum amount of readings which have to be said? Are all seven supposed to be read or is that just optional and can choose between all of them?

Minimum is three. The reading from Exodus Chapter 14 must never be omitted.

Tonight we had 4 but I’ll admit that I was never so happy as when we had a Pastor who, upon being asked how many readings he wanted us to do, replied, “Is there any reason not to do them all?” I could have kissed him, but that would have been frowned up.

 

[jas84173]

Minimum is three. The reading from Exodus Chapter 14 must never be omitted.

Tonight we had 4 but I’ll admit that I was never so happy as when we had a Pastor who, upon being asked how many readings he wanted us to do, replied, “Is there any reason not to do them all?” I could have kissed him, but that would have been frowned up.

Yah we had Genesis 1:1-2:2, Exodus 14:15-15:1, and Isaiah 55:1-11 read. Just was confused how they determine it because the other ones which could be read are Genesis 22:1-18, Isaiah 54:5-14, Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4, and Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28. So I was just curious how that worked. Thanks for the answer. And yah I’m probably in a minority but I wouldn’t mind them all being read either!!!

 

[pnewton]

We do one, three, five and seven, with the Psalms. If we did more, we would have to have people do two, as it is usually a stretch to find for readers/singers.

 

[jas84173]

We do one, three, five and seven, with the Psalms. If we did more, we would have to have people do two, as it is usually a stretch to find for readers/singers.

Oh yah of course the Psalm was sung following the reading, and then the Liturgy of the Word prayer following it.

 

[Phemie]

We do one, three, five and seven, with the Psalms. If we did more, we would have to have people do two, as it is usually a stretch to find for readers/singers.

Those are the ones we did tonight. I read Genesis. I was disappointed that Fr. insisted that we only do the short version. But I guess he was tired since he’d already celebrated the Vigil in a neighboring parish for 10 people (better than the Mass of the Lord’s Supper though, which he celebrated for 1 person in that parish). Not much better in our parish tonight: out of a community of about 1500 fewer than 50 came to the Vigil.

 

[jas84173]

Those are the ones we did tonight. I read Genesis. I was disappointed that Fr. insisted that we only do the short version. But I guess he was tired since he’d already celebrated the Vigil in a neighboring parish for 10 people (better than the Mass of the Lord’s Supper though, which he celebrated for 1 person in that parish). Not much better in our parish tonight: out of a community of about 1500 fewer than 50 came to the Vigil.

Unfortunately a lot of people know it is a long Mass and know the Sunday morning Masses are shorter so they skip. It’s unfortunate people think this way. I think the Easter Vigil Mass is the most beautiful and heart touching Mass of the year.

 

[phil19034]

Wow… I’ve never been to an Easter Vigil where some of the readings were skipped. I’ve only been where all 7 were read.

Archbishop Chaput explained to us tonight in his Homily that in the early Church, the Easter vigil used to last until Sunrise and more readings took place and a homily for each reading

The Vigil I went to tonight only had 4 people receive Baptism & Confirmation, yet Mass still lasted until 11pm.

Last year, I attended the Vigil and 50 people were brought into the Church… all 7 readings were still done.

 

[jas84173]

Wow… I’ve never been to an Easter Vigil where some of the readings were skipped. I’ve only been where all 7 were read.

Archbishop Chaput explained to us tonight in his Homily that in the early Church, the Easter vigil used to last until Sunrise and more readings took place and a homily for each reading

The Vigil I went to tonight only had 4 people receive Baptism & Confirmation, yet Mass still lasted until 11pm.

Last year, I attended the Vigil and 50 people were brought into the Church… all 7 readings were still done.

That’s amazing but I’m assuming you go to a Cathedral that is the heart of your diocese or archdiocese. The heart church or cathedral of the diocese is normally much more formal in Mass. Smaller churches tend to not do the entire thing like that. I only know this because I talked to a priest about how sometimes it seems like the Mass at a Parish is not as formal as the seat of the diocese. Is this right? Maybe not. But let’s face it, a lot of lay Catholics probably think threw readings is a lot. Seven and some people would probably be walking out. That’s the unfortunate reality priests have to take into effect nowadays. I personally wish all seven were read. I went home and read the readings which were omitted and they are beautiful. But if the priest has a choice to only do so many of the readings he probably will do that for the sake of time. A heart of the diocese church or cathedral tends to bring in more devote faithful thus it’s more by the books in a way.

 

[venite_adoremus]

The vigil from Rome this evening featured only 3, Genesis, Exodus and Baruch.

The year I was received into the Church, all of them were proclaimed.

Good fruit for this week’s meditations, folks.

 

[Nelka]

We didn’t have all of them last night either but I am glad my favourite Psalm was sung, As the Deer Longs.

Shame about the people using the light (the camera flash) on their mobile phones to follow the readings in the booklet.

 

[Phemie]

We didn’t have all of them last night either but I am glad my favourite Psalm was sung, As the Deer Longs.

Shame about the people using the light (the camera flash) on their mobile phones to follow the readings in the booklet.

If the rubrics were followed they wouldn’t have to use their phones to follow the readings. The lights are supposed to come on after the third “The Light of Christ! Thank be to God.” Sure keeping them off until the Gloria is dramatic but it makes no liturgical sense to proclaim Light! and then sit in the dark for 40 minutes to an hour.

 

[peter26]

My parish did psalms 1, 3 5 and 7 with the relevant readings. Long version of Genesis however.

 

[Melissa]

Unfortunately a lot of people know it is a long Mass and know the Sunday morning Masses are shorter so they skip. It’s unfortunate people think this way. I think the Easter Vigil Mass is the most beautiful and heart touching Mass of the year.

Then there are the people who know it is long (at Vigil) and love it. We had 5 readings in my parish (I read Exodus, we also had both Genesis readings and Isaiah 55 and Ezekiel. We were promised we’ll get all 7 next year, but this year we had 7 baptisms and 5 being received into full communion.) I would love to have all 7, which is one of the reasons that I feel it is important to volunteer to do one of the readings–and I think there’s actually quite a few people who love to hear all the readings (when else do you get to hear the whole plan from Creation to the Resurrection in a single Mass?).

On the lights–we have individual hand-held candles that get lit (pass it on–starting with the priest who lights his from the paschal candle to the next in procession, and then from person to person until everyone’s candle is lit, so we do have quite a bit of light). Then the lights are gradually brought up during the Exultet, and by the end it is full brightness.

Our Vigil is pretty well-attended, although I do notice that we have a lot of people who are present who had been baptized and/or confirmed in the last few years (I’d probably realize more if I had been in this community more than 6 years). I guess, at least around here, we converts love our Easter Vigil.

 

[Phemie]

Then there are the people who know it is long (at Vigil) and love it. We had 5 readings in my parish (I read Exodus, we also had both Genesis readings and Isaiah 55 and Ezekiel. We were promised we’ll get all 7 next year, but this year we had 7 baptisms and 5 being received into full communion.) I would love to have all 7, which is one of the reasons that I feel it is important to volunteer to do one of the readings–and I think there’s actually quite a few people who love to hear all the readings (when else do you get to hear the whole plan from Creation to the Resurrection in a single Mass?).

On the lights–we have individual hand-held candles that get lit (pass it on–starting with the priest who lights his from the paschal candle to the next in procession, and then from person to person until everyone’s candle is lit, so we do have quite a bit of light). Then the lights are gradually brought up during the Exultet, and by the end it is full brightness.

Our Vigil is pretty well-attended, although I do notice that we have a lot of people who are present who had been baptized and/or confirmed in the last few years (I’d probably realize more if I had been in this community more than 6 years). I guess, at least around here, we converts love our Easter Vigil.

 

[Red_James]

If the rubrics were followed they wouldn’t have to use their phones to follow the readings. The lights are supposed to come on after the third “The Light of Christ! Thank be to God.” Sure keeping them off until the Gloria is dramatic but it makes no liturgical sense to proclaim Light! and then sit in the dark for 40 minutes to an hour.

We turn the lights on for the laity to read but we keep most of the altar lights off until the Gloria, so there’s enough on the altar for the priests and lectors to read and be seen but not enough to see all the flowers and beautiful decorations. The rest of the church is fully lit.

 

[Phemie]

We do one, three, five and seven, with the Psalms. If we did more, we would have to have people do two, as it is usually a stretch to find for readers/singers.

We never had a problem finding readers when we had all 7 before, but it was taxing on the sole cantor who had already had to sing the Exsultet! She solved that by assigning 5 of the Psalms to other singers and only doing 2 herself. I did both a reading and a Psalm at a couple of Vigils.

It’s strange, as priests have cut back on readings over the years you’d think the shorter celebration would have attracted more people but the opposite is the case. Fewer and fewer people attend each year. By my count we had fewer than 50 last night when we used to have a full church. It might not have been so bad if they’d all come to the front to give the illusion of a united community but no, they were scattered throughout the church so that it felt empty.

 

[Ubenedictus]

We had all 7, had about a hundred at mass.

 

[RCbkr]

We had seven readings (one proclaimed in Spanish) at our packed-church, nearly four hour long Vigil. The music included chant, traditional, contemporary, and Spanish selections by various groups. It was glorious!

 

[boldlygo]

Then there are the people who know it is long (at Vigil) and love it. We had 5 readings in my parish (I read Exodus, we also had both Genesis readings and Isaiah 55 and Ezekiel. We were promised we’ll get all 7 next year, but this year we had 7 baptisms and 5 being received into full communion.) I would love to have all 7, which is one of the reasons that I feel it is important to volunteer to do one of the readings–and I think there’s actually quite a few people who love to hear all the readings (when else do you get to hear the whole plan from Creation to the Resurrection in a single Mass?).

On the lights–we have individual hand-held candles that get lit (pass it on–starting with the priest who lights his from the paschal candle to the next in procession, and then from person to person until everyone’s candle is lit, so we do have quite a bit of light). Then the lights are gradually brought up during the Exultet, and by the end it is full brightness.

Our Vigil is pretty well-attended, although I do notice that we have a lot of people who are present who had been baptized and/or confirmed in the last few years (I’d probably realize more if I had been in this community more than 6 years). I guess, at least around here, we converts love our Easter Vigil.

We’ve been members of our current parish for almost 30 years, and haven’t missed a Vigil. Our parish is rural, covering several hundred square miles and having four worship sites, so getting to the Vigil is a haul for some…I’ve been on the RCIA team for 20+ years, and have noticed over the years that many of the Vigil ‘regulars’ are people who have come through the RCIA process.

For many years, our Vigil was standing room only, but, more recently, since a Diocesan directive required that the Vigil Mass begin at 9:00, attendance has dropped significantly - that’s too late at night for farmers and a lot of seniors and youngsters.

The Vigil is the high point of the liturgical calendar, and one of my ‘pet peeves’ over the years has been that frequently, the lectors seem underprepared, even though they are selected weeks ahead of time…there’s no excuse for a generic, monotone rendering of those wonderful passages…this year, we had three of the seven readings from the Hebrew Scriptures, and only one was done with any thought.