Questions on the Easter Vigil Liturgy

[jesusmademe]

I watched the Liturgy of the Easter Vigil and they sang no Kyrie Eleison. Why is this? What does the Church say about this?

Also at the Easter Vigil we celebrate the Ressurection. So Jesus rose from the dead on the evening? He died on Good friday 3 PM and rose from the dead on the evening of Easter Sunday (which we nowadays Saturday evening)?

 

[OldCAFMember]

There is no Kyrie because it is sung as part of the litany.

Our Lord rose sometime during the night between Saturday and Sunday. When the women went to the tomb at dawn on Sunday, it was empty, so the church celebrates the Easter Vigil liturgy—which involves much more than the Mass—during the night.

 

[jesusmademe]

There is no Kyrie because it is sung as part of the litany

There was no litany of saints at that Mass in our Cathedral.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

As OldCAFMember said, the Easter Vigil is celebrated during the night, between sunset on Saturday and sunrise on Sunday. Some churches celebrate the Easter Vigil later in the night, such as at midnight, so it is ending in the very early hours of Sunday. However, many churches choose to hold it around 8 pm on Saturday just after it gets dark, because attendees including elderly and children don’t have to stay up so late, people won’t be falling asleep in the Mass or driving to and from church, and it might be safer in some neighborhoods to be gathering in the earlier evening rather than late at night.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

As for the Kyrie, I don’t think there is a Kyrie at Easter Vigil. See discussion here about why.

https://forum.musicasacra.com/forum/discussion/1677/no-kyrie-at-easter-vigil/p1

 

[gotDoug]

OldCAFMember:

There is no Kyrie because it is sung as part of the litany

There was no litany of saints at that Mass in our Cathedral.

If I recall the rubrics correctly, the Litany is not sung if the font is not to be blessed. At the livestream I watched yesterday, the font was not blessed and the Litany was not sung. However, a small amount of water was blessed. Perhaps, small parishes did not bless fonts and maybe larger parishes or cathedrals did?

There is no Kyrie at the Mass, because this Mass is different from any other Mass. As you noticed, there is no traditional introduction (i.e. In the name of the Father…, The Lord be with You…, and the Penitential Act). This is because the Triduum, beginning with the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper is supposed to be one long liturgy, spread across three days. The Introductory Rites (including the Kyrie) are said on Holy Thursday and the traditional blessing does not come until at the conclusion of the Easter Vigil.

Normally on Holy Thursday there would not be a blessing at the end of the Mass making this fact all the more clearer, but most places did not celebrate a procession to the altar of repose and thus a blessing was required at the end of Mass on Holy Thursday.

If a parish celebrates the Vigil of Pentecost by combing it with Vespers, and then follows with several OT readings, as at the Easter Vigil, the Kyrie may be omitted. The Gloria is said after the last OT reading and its psalm and prayer, and Mass continues as normal.

 

[1ke]

I watched the Liturgy of the Easter Vigil and they sang no Kyrie Eleison. Why is this? What does the Church say about this?

The Kyrie is part of the Litany. And this year, we didn’t do the Litany due to all the modifications directed by the Pope and Bishop. Plus the Vigil is part of the Triduum which began on Thursday. Notice there was no introductory rite at all.

Also at the Easter Vigil we celebrate the Ressurection. So Jesus rose from the dead on the evening?

No. He rose on Sunday. Originally the Vigil began later, so that the Liturgy of the Eucharist took place after midnight. Just as the Christmas vigil mass used to be at Midnight.

The Vigil anticipates the Resurrection. We celebrate it liturgically. It isn’t a statement that he rose on Saturday.

 

[1ke]

There was no litany of saints at that Mass in our Cathedral.

Because there were no baptisms. The modifications from the Vatican directed what parts of the Vigil were modified and not done

 

[1ke]

If I recall the rubrics correctly, the Litany is not sung if the font is not to be blessed. At the livestream I watched yesterday, the font was not blessed and the Litany was not sung. However, a small amount of water was blessed. Perhaps, small parishes did not bless fonts and maybe larger parishes or cathedrals did?

The blessing of the font was omitted because there were no baptisms. The rubrics for 2020 were sent out from the Vatican since the masses were being done without the sacraments of initiation and without a congregation.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Now I’m confused. I watched the Easter Vigil livestreamed from St. Patrick’s Cathedral. They most definitely sung the Litany, with the Kyrie at the beginning (I just doublechecked my memory against the worship aid PDF) and there weren’t any baptisms happening. We did renew our baptismal promises.

Is the removal of this year’s Litany a decision made by each bishop? In which case, presumably Dolan chose to leave it in.

 

[27lw]

10 characters

 

[jesusmademe]

You know what. I haven’t attended many Easter vigils. At least one in the Catholic Church besides watching/attending this years vigil.
The first was in the EF without the Baptism and the litany was included if I remember correcrly.
So it makes sence that we are confused.

 

[gotDoug]

In prior years at my parish, we have sung the Litany without there being any baptisms.
Last night was the exception.

 

[Gorgias]

In prior years at my parish, we have sung the Litany without there being any baptisms.

Doesn’t mean that ya’ll did it correctly, though.

There are more than a case or two of times when something happens in a liturgy and afterward, when one is asked “why’d we do that? we weren’t supposed to…” and the answer is only “oh. yeah…”

 

[PetraG]

The Kyrie is part of the Litany. And this year, we didn’t do the Litany due to all the modifications directed by the Pope and Bishop. Plus the Vigil is part of the Triduum which began on Thursday. Notice there was no introductory rite at all.

I thought when there is to be a renewal of baptismal vows, the Penitiential rite and Kyrie are omitted? For instance, it isn’t recited when the rite of sprinkling is done, instead? This happens every year throughout the Easter season.

 

[phil19034]

I watched the Liturgy of the Easter Vigil and they sang no Kyrie Eleison. Why is this? What does the Church say about this?

Also at the Easter Vigil we celebrate the Ressurection. So Jesus rose from the dead on the evening? He died on Good friday 3 PM and rose from the dead on the evening of Easter Sunday (which we nowadays Saturday evening)?

There is no Kyrie because (liturgically speaking) the Easter Vigil is still the same Liturgy started on Holy Thursday.

If you pay close enough attention, The Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday doesn’t actually end the typical way and East Vigil doesn’t start the typical way.

That’s because the Triduum is considered one Liturgy, in three parts. Not three distinct liturgies.

I pray this helps. God Bless & Happy Easter!

 

[TheLittleLady]

The Litany is sung when there are baptisms at the Vigil. As none of the Vigils had baptisms, there would not have been a litany.

 

[Gorgias]

I thought when there is to be a renewal of baptismal vows, the Penitiential rite and Kyrie are omitted? For instance, it isn’t recited when the rite of sprinkling is done, instead?

The sprinkling rite takes the place of the penitential act; it’s often found through the Easter season.

The renewal of baptismal promises stands in the place of the Creed.

 

[gotDoug]

gotDoug:

In prior years at my parish, we have sung the Litany without there being any baptisms.

Doesn’t mean that ya’ll did it correctly, though.

I am not a liturgical expert but my understanding of no. 42 from the Roman Missal on the Easter Vigil, which states, “If no one is to be baptized and the font is not to be blessed, the Litany is omitted, and the blessing of Water (no. 54) takes place at once,” is that if the font is blessed, even without Baptism, then Litany is sung.
I believe that’s the way my pastor, and previous pastor for that matter, has interpreted that sentence. Of course, as mentioned by other users, the rubrics were changed for this year. I pray that no pandemic will ever prevent us from attending Mass again. I am also grateful for the lesson in humility of not having Mass on demand, so to speak, in the consumerist culture. It has helped me to partially understand what communities that do not have Mass said for several months go through.

There are more than a case or two of times when something happens in a liturgy and afterward, when one is asked “why’d we do that? we weren’t supposed to…” and the answer is only “oh. yeah…”

Absolutely. Just this morning, I used the wrong psalmody for Midday Prayer. I read the psalmody from the Psalter for Sunday. I did not realize that the psalms for Midday Prayer were proper today until I turned to the reading.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I watched the St. Patrick’s Cathedral Easter Vigil again and it did have the Litany and the Kyrie, but upon watching it again it appeared the Cardinal might have been blessing a new baptismal font that was standing in the sanctuary. I haven’t been there in a while, but the font that was standing in the sanctuary does not look like the pictures of the previous baptismal font, and he did say some words of blessing before the cantor launched into the Kyrie and the Litany.