Diocesan Easter Vigil

You are invited to a diocesan-wide Easter Vigil Service on Holy Saturday, April 4, at 8 pm.

In the darkness, fire is kindled, and we pray: 

Dear friends in Christ: On this most holy night, in which our
Lord Jesus passed over from death to life, the Church invites
her members, dispersed throughout the world, to gather in
vigil and prayer. For this is the Passover of the Lord, in which,
by hearing his Word and celebrating his Sacraments, we share
in his victory over death.

About the Easter Vigil:

The service begins in darkness, sometime between sunset on Holy Saturday and sunrise on Easter, and consists of four parts:

• The Service of Light (kindling of new fire, lighting the Paschal candle, and the Exsultet, which is the powerful proclamation of the Resurrection composed before the 7th Century);
• The Service of Lessons (readings from the Hebrew Scriptures interspersed with psalms, canticles, and prayers);
• Christian Initiation (Holy Baptism) or the Renewal of Baptismal Vows;
• The first Eucharist of Easter.

Through this liturgy, the BCP recovers an ancient practice of keeping the Easter feast. Believers would gather in the hours of darkness ending at dawn on Easter to hear scripture and offer prayer. This night-long service of prayerful watching anticipated the baptisms that would come at first light and the Easter Eucharist. Easter was the primary baptismal occasion, and this practice linked the meanings of Christ's dying and rising to the understanding of baptism. (information from An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church)

All are welcome to join this moving and joyous celebration, which will take place at All Saints' Anglican Cathedral, 10035 103 ST NW, Edmonton, and will be livestreamed on the Cathedral's YouTube channel.