The moving of the Easter Vigil

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Domnall

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Hi everyone! I thought I’d ask you all to put your collective intelligences together and help me answer a couple questions about the Vigil.
  1. When was the Easter Vigil established on Holy Saturday morning? Was it always like this, or was there a point in Church history when it was first moved?
  2. Why did anyone think that it was a good idea? It just baffles my mind!
Thanks all. 🙂
 
The shift of the Easter Vigil to Holy Saturday morning was a gradual move that occurred throughout the Middle Ages. It went from Saturday night to afternoon to morning. This occurred because of the length of the ceremonies, which took twice as long as it does now, and the growth of other devotional customs that sprang up in various parts of Europe. As these attached themselves to the observances of the day, the lengthy liturgy gradually shifted back.
 
Saturday morning? Really?
Before I came home to the Catholic Church I found it strange to begin the Easter celebration on the Saturday when we should be meditating more on Jesus in the tomb.
When I became Catholic it was at an FSSP parish. They did it correctly there: none of this dusk business. As per the instructions in the Missal, the ceremony was to begin around 11:00pm so that Mass itself would not be celebrated until after midnight – Easter morning. I found out later that the Jewish way of identifying days was different than what we use now. Sunset to sunset?
 
The Easter Vigil was celebrated on Saturday morning until 1951, at which time it moved to Saturday night on an experimental basis. (Catholics of a certain age recall that Lent was reckoned to end at noon on Holy Saturday, and that is why.) The directions in 1951, and again in 1955, when the time change was made permanent, were that the Vigil Liturgy would begin around 10:30PM or so, so that the first Mass of Easter would begin at or shortly after mdinight. Permission was given for the Vigil to begin earlier in the evening, so long as it was dark, if there was a serious reason to do so. When the misal of Paul VI began to be used in 1970, serious reasons were no longer needed and the Vigil Liturgy could begin any time after dark.

In many places, it has been a recurring problem that the Vigil was beginning before dark, especially when Daylight Saving Time came into play, and Vigil Liturgies have been reported on this forum beginning as early as 4PM. The Holy See has repeatedly directed this to stop, using surprisingly strong language, including clling this a “grave abuse.” So it is not really that surprising that the Liturgy had worked its way back to Saturday morning at one point in history.
 
The Easter vigil at the church I used to go to (we moved recently) would start at 8:30 on Sat night, and still not finish until well past midnight. We always have a VERY large RCIA class coming in at that time, so the baptisms and confirmations can take almost an hour some years. I’m not quite sure what time it is when the liturgy of the Eucharist starts as I don’t wear a watch much, but even as early as we start I’m sure it’s pretty close to midnight. 🙂
 
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