The Easter Vigil ruined

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In years past, Holy Week had a certain sweetness to it. I was blessed to be my pastor’s go-to altar server. We’d spend the liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil together. I really enjoyed it.

Then, five years ago, another priest took over those liturgies because of my pastor’s poor health. All three services were completely reconstructed. The Easter Vigil got the worst of it. The readings were rewritten and presented in an audience participation sort of way (kind of like a dinner theater). The reading from Romans was omitted and we didn’t light a fire outside the church at the beginning, but instead started a fire in a Weber inside the church at some point in the middle. I was so confused. Previously I thought my experience as an altar server would be useful to the parish, but actually they could have pulled anyone off the street and they would have known just as much as me. There were other oddities as well, but I don’t want to rehash them.

I persevered for three years like that, but last year I gave up and went to three different churches for Holy Week. I skipped the Easter Vigil. It kind of hurts since the Vigil is the best night of the year for me, but the liturgy at my church is so bad, I barely recognize it. I actually have had my doubts that’s a valid mass. It was very upset about. Currently I’m a tad jealous of everyone who gets to go to a well celebrated Vigil at their home parish.

So, my question is, do priests/liturgists have the right to rearrange the liturgies like that?
 
No, priests do not have the right to rearrange liturgies like that. What you described sounds like a travesty, and you are right to be upset.
 
It’s hard focus on Christ’s sacrifice when the liturgy has been reinvented. Even my family members who aren’t involved in the liturgy were a little bewildered by. I don’t think I’m asking for that much. Back in the day, after the Vigil, I’d go home and watch the same thing from the Vatican. I could recognize it as the same liturgy. Not so much anymore.

I did humble myself for three years and served faithfully. We are called servers, after all. But, I think we all have our limits.

I’m not alone. There’s been no small amount of grumbling from the parishioners and attendance is waning across the board.
 
I suggest you talk to your pastor about it. The priest is not free to ignore the rubrics of the Mass. If this priest is under your pastor’s jurisdiction, enlist your pastor’s help. If this priest is actually the new pastor, then talk to him and if it continues the next step would be to talk to someone in the chancery office of your diocese.
 
Maybe it’s just because the Passion Gospel is still ringing in my ears, but I find it hard to listen to how you “humbled” yourself to “serving” (I consider an honour to get to participate in any part of the Triduum liturgies) in these conditions.

We are there to recognize and remember how Jesus died for us.

Maybe if this really is such a big issue for you, you might find a way to calmly and constructively talk to Father and ask him about his choices rather than bristling because he’s clearly changed it.
 
The first year this happened it was a miserable experience. By agreeing to subject myself to it for two more years was humiliating. One of my church lady friends came up to me afterwards and said “She didn’t like what they were doing to her Tad”. I didn’t care for it either.

I’m blessed to live in a very Catholic community, I have lots of options for Holy Week. I don’t believe I’m under any obligation to subject myself to that again.
 
My pastor is retiring in June at age 88 and after 62 years of ministry. Our parish will be changing anyway, I don’t want to bother him with it.

The priest who says the Holy Week liturgies is a retired priest who is filling in for most of the sacramental duties. My feeling is that he’s going to do it his way no matter what.
 
tad said:
I’m blessed to live in a very Catholic community, I have lots of options for Holy Week. I don’t believe I’m under any obligation to subject myself to that again.
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You aren’t. Go somewhere else. But I also see no reason why you should come here and bemoan what a terrible state of affairs it is and ask everyone to commiserate with you on how awful you have it.
 
Thanks. It is pretty upsetting. My take is that it would be a lot easier on everybody if we just did things the same way every other Catholic church was doing things. It’s a lot harder trying to relearn a reinvented liturgy than the on we’ve all grown to know and love.
 
I pray your focus shift from what your Priest is or is not doing, and onto what Jesus was doing.

Today, Jesus was entering Jerusalem along a path of palm fronds.
 
We’ll skip the Vigil this year. I got a email from the parish earlier this week. They’re desperate for servers for Holy Week. I agreed to do Holy Thursday and Good Friday. They’ve been mixed up as well, but it’s not as distracting as the Vigil. On Easter Sunday, I signed on to serve mass with my parish priest. He’s retiring in June. This might be my last mass to serve with him.

What happened to the Vigil at my parish bothers me. There’s a lot of informed Catholics on this board, I appreciate their (name removed by moderator)ut and their support. These kind of people are harder to seek out at the parish level. That’s why the internet can be a blessing when it comes to these kind of things.
 
You know, when you throw your heart, mind and body into the liturgy, when the priest deviates, it becomes terribly distracting. As an altar server, it becomes even more so.
 
However, a priest does have some leeway. You need to let go of this. Mass is Mass, unless actual rubrics are not being followed and the priest is inserting his own stuff I got the liturgy, it’s all good. The style might not be what you want, so either find another parish and deal with the changes.
 
A priest does not have the leeway to do what was described. The faithful have a right to the liturgy…not to a priest’s playing games with the liturgy.
 
CilladeRoma said:
However, a priest does have some leeway. You need to let go of this. Mass is Mass, unless actual rubrics are not being followed and the priest is inserting his own stuff I got the liturgy, it’s all good. The style might not be what you want, so either find another parish and deal with the changes.
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Yes, there is some leeway, but the one thing that concerns me is the OP said the readings were re-written. A priest can’t do that
 
I agree that should not be done, but are we sure that is what actually happened. I am very leary of threads like this, as we only get one side. If the rubrics are not being followed, by all means, something should be done.
Best thing, either go somewhere else, or actually talk to the priest about your concerns.
 
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KMG said:
No, priests do not have the right to rearrange liturgies like that.
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For once we agree.

Do the red, say the black. It really is that simple. Better yet, do the red, chant the black 😉
 
I think I’ve seen you write that somewhere before and it seems so simple to me. Why can’t we just stick to that?
 
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tad said:
It’s hard focus on Christ’s sacrifice when the liturgy has been reinvented. Even my family members who aren’t involved in the liturgy were a little bewildered by. I don’t think I’m asking for that much. Back in the day, after the Vigil, I’d go home and watch the same thing from the Vatican. I could recognize it as the same liturgy. Not so much anymore.

I did humble myself for three years and served faithfully. We are called servers, after all. But, I think we all have our limits.

I’m not alone. There’s been no small amount of grumbling from the parishioners and attendance is waning across the board.
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Could you give examples how the liturgy
was reinvented?
 
We do everything for the glory of God, whether It be sweeping the church, cleaning, EMHC, liturgist, Little Old man who sits and helps celebrate the Mass.

Your response to
tad said:
One of my church lady friends came up to me afterwards and said “She didn’t like what they were doing to her Tad”. I didn’t care for it either.
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Should absolutely reflect that everything is done for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Word and to the glory of God.

You mention
tad said:
I gave up and went to three different churches for Holy Week.
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But then go on to say
tad said:
skipped the Easter Vigil. It kind of hurts since the Vigil is the best night of the year for me,
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So why not attend Holy Thursday Vigil at another of those 3 Churches? You are only punishing yourself by keeping away from your favourite night.

Your posts remind me so much of those of another poster who used to frequent this forum.
 
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