The Easter Vigil ruined

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I’ve seen all different ways of doing the Easter Vigil. Usually the fire is outside the church because it’s a fire hazard to have it inside.

You say you have other options for Catholic churches nearby. Probably time for you to just pick another one instead of constantly complaining about how things are done where you’re at.
 
Xanthippe_Voorhees said:
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phil19034:
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Xanthippe_Voorhees:
The issue with the Weber, I’d say, is that people get the idea that it’s safe to use indoors. Liturgically, there’s no issue at all.
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Using a BBQ Grill is pretty JV though.

Purchasing a small fire pit would not be expensive - any parish should be able to afford one.
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Perhaps they moved it indoors at the last minute. Not many parishes have the resources to have someone go running out…time, more than money, can be a prohibitive factor.

The fact that it’s not classy isn’t really an implication on its licitness. A chalice not made of a precious metal…that’s not licit. Albs so cheap that they can’t really be considered their proper color. That can affect licitness.

Lack of a classy place for the Easter fire—not so much.
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I don’t disagree with you. I’m simply saying a very cheap, reusable fire pit can be purchased for under $100

This one here is $59.99 with free shipping Fire Sense 22-Inch Folding Wood-Burning Fire Pit - Black - 60873 : BBQGuys!!!g!293946777986!&ef_id=WrfcjQAABdLHZLkH:20180325172949:s

God Bless
 
The local parish where I’m at right now gets the Boy Scout troop affiliated with their Catholic school to make and tend the fire outside the church, which is a nice use of their skills.

Aside from the risk of burning down the church, I always worry about carbon monoxide fumes when somebody wants to do fire stuff inside a structure.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
The local parish where I’m at right now gets the Boy Scout troop affiliated with their Catholic school to make and tend the fire outside the church, which is a nice use of their skills.
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I like that! A fire can be safe inside though and produce little carbon monoxide. We have it well orchestrated. The smoke is minimum because wood is not used. While any smoke might be an irritant to some, it is minimum compared to what is produced by the incense that day.
 
We always use wood, in a charcoal grill. 90% of the time it’s outside but it’s not really rare to see a blizzard on that day so it has been lit in the narthex a couple of times, with the outside doors wide open.
 
I love hearing about regional customs.

For Holy Thursday
From the Cathedral We take the Blessed Sacrament out to the Hall and participate in Adoration there with our Bishop and clergy. Everyone processes out of the Cathedral, following choir members singing a psalm.

It’s a very Holy night watch, or Vigil. It represents waiting and praying with Jesus that night in the Garden. We sing Compline at the end of the Watch/Vigil. Then the Bishop takes the Blessed Sacrament.

Travelling to different churches sounds nice, not practical here because of distance and things like Kangaroos on rural roads.

Stay tuned for what we do on The Holy Saturday Mass.

Our fire is outside, no idea what it’s in. we light candles and all come back inside. Lots of incense.

Occasionally the fire brigade turn up. We need a permit to light a fire outside at this time of year. Fire restrictions apply due to the bushfire risk. On St Patrick’s day about 80 homes were lost in 2 different states, to bushfires.
If the day was declared a total fire ban, there is s no fire at all outside.
We are subject to the Laws of the state.
 
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Our parish usually has the Altar of Repose in a separate room but due to the weight of the snow on the roof this year there was a break in a truss so the room we used before is too dangerous to use right now.

The Altar of Repose will be set up in the nave this year. We’ll spend time in adoration until midnight, or until Fr. judges nobody else will show up. Last year I went for a cup of tea with the intention of coming back by 10:30 p.m. to spend the last 90 minutes in adoration. When I got back they were locking up as they didn’t think anyone was coming back.

I wish we did liturgy of the hours during the Triduum, at least Compline on Holy Thursday. It would be such a good way to end Adoration. It’s normally how I end my day so I wonder mention it to Father if he’d consider it.

Good Friday is the traditional service at 3 p.m. with the Stations of the Cross at 7 p.m.

Our Vigil this year is at 9 p.m. which guarantees that a minimal number of parishioners will be there. Even old stalwarts are going to be giving it a pass this year as the operative word here is “old”. It saddens me every year to see the numbers diminish but folks are getting older and young people are not replacing them, particularly at this liturgy. I’m sure the person scheduling will have me down for a reading tonight if I’m not down for Good Friday.
 
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Maybe. One year we did have a singing of the Exodus story (horse and chariot fall into the sea!). It was very dramatic and exciting and we all sang along. Perhaps that’s where it had it’s genesis.
 
Was there something wrong with the liturgy pre-Vatican II? Just kidding, you don’t have to answer, because there was nothing wrong with the liturgy pre-Vatican II.
 
anon64350612 said:
Was there something wrong with the liturgy pre-Vatican II? Just kidding, you don’t have to answer, because there was nothing wrong with the liturgy pre-Vatican II.
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What’s wrong is that people know the rules of pre VII and assume that they are also part of the rules today. Many time they are not. So you have people who get their knickers in a twist thinking they are going to the mass from hell but really are going to completely a valid, licit Mass.
 
While I like to boast that the Easter Vigil is the one night we can really set something on fire, for the first 10 years I served the Vigil our Easter fire was a tiny kerosene lamp. But, we lit it at the beginning.

That’s the thing. We used to celebrate a pared down Vigil at my parish but it was still recognizable. I could watch the Vigil from Rome afterwards and feel intimately attached to the liturgy because it’s the same thing we had done at our dinky little parish.

I’m not sure what they’re doing now.
 
tad said:
The last year I served, we confirmed a six year old.
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tad said:
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.
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It certainly would be easier if we practiced the tradition that the Eastern Catholic rites have, where they administer Confirmation right after baptism, regardless of age.

You’d be surprised how much variety in terms of validity, licitness, and legitimate traditions there can be within Catholicism - you only need to look beyond generic diocesan euro-Catholicism to find it.
 
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Thanks for your replies, all. Mother’s in town and I’ll be serving Thursday and Friday at my parish so I won’t be around to respond to everyone. I know some people have been asking me for specifics, and graciously, much of it is fading away from memory.

Like I said, I’ll be serving Good Friday and Easter Sunday so I’ll see if I can score a script from the Easter Vigil to share with everyone. That’s the best way I can think to tell what’s happening since I have no idea what’s going on and it’s not written down anywhere else that I know of.
 
I understand that Eastern Catholics confirm infants, that’s why it initially didn’t raise too much of an eyebrow. We actually had discussed the age of confirmation quite a bit in one of my little faith groups so I was a bit surprised that they did it. That child was the only person we confirmed that year, and her family wasn’t really associated with the parish. IIRC, there were some sort of special circumstances involved.
 
Maximilian75 said:
Pastoral leeway in maybe the 1st and 2nd, but certainly not the 3rd
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Curious how you come to that conclusion since you are allowed to start the fire inside the church (the container is of no relevance).
 
Xanthippe_Voorhees said:
the container is of no relevance
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I’d say that’s the exact point of my problem (and I would think the OP’s as well).

Liturgical implements should be set apart for their purpose.

We don’t use paper plates for ciboria, or kiddie cups to hold the Precious Blood.

While the Easter fire is not the Blessed Sacrament, the container that holds it should be dignified and set apart for the purpose of liturgy.
 
Maximilian75 said:
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Xanthippe_Voorhees:
the container is of no relevance
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I’d say that’s the exact point of my problem (and I would think the OP’s as well).

Liturgical implements should be set apart for their purpose.

We don’t use paper plates for ciboria, or kiddie cups to hold the Precious Blood.

While the Easter fire is not the Blessed Sacrament, the container that holds it should be dignified and set apart for the purpose of liturgy.
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It not being a sacrament does change things quite a bit. The church is called to do the best with what it has. If the priest’s vestments get ruined and he has to cut up a bedsheet at the last minute that dosn’t affect the licitness of Mass.
 
Yes, but the addition of this grill is new.

If it had always been this way/ parish couldn’t afford a new brazier for the EV, then that’s understandable.

But, how the OP phrased it, it seems as though this liturgical grill is a new addition, and not out of necessity. I could be wrong, though.
 
Maximilian75 said:
Yes, but the addition of this grill is new.

If it had always been this way/ parish couldn’t afford a new brazier for the EV, then that’s understandable.

But, how the OP phrased it, it seems as though this liturgical grill is a new addition, and not out of necessity. I could be wrong, though.
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He didn’t say the Webber wasn’t new, either.

Point being, there is nothing in Church documents that demands the braiser be anything but a place to hold fire, whereas things like the chalice are clearly defined. When the church cares about something, it lets you know.
 
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