[Magdalen] Easter Vigil.

[Cantor03 at aol.com]

There is an article in the current periodical, "Worship," out of St.  John's
Abbey in Collegeville, MN.  The subject is the fascinating story
of the restoration of the "Mother of Liturgies," the Easter Vigil.
 
This Liturgy is really very ancient, but somehow it had gradually
traveled from its original evening time to Holy Saturday morning, and
its performance, perfunctory.
 
Pius XIII restored the Vigil to its original Holy Saturday time  in
1951, but the Liturgy seemed only to  gain general recognition
in the early 1960's.  I was in the MN Twin Cities by 1963, and  the
Saint Paul Cathedral implemented the full Easter Vigil Liturgy only
in 1962.
 
That was the year when I attended my first Vigil Liturgy at the
Nashotah Theological Seminary in Wisconsin on a whim.  
I think this was the first time for that seminary to implement the  full
Vigil Liturgy as well, and an impromptu group from UW-Madison
Saint Francis House drove over from Madison (about an hour away)
for the event.
 
I was positively stupefied.   Of course Nashotah had all the  somewhat
flamboyant flourishes that are necessary to pull off this greatest of
liturgical dramas, and I was really impressed.
 
I don't drive at night any more, so I will wait until Easter Sunday
morning to observe the feast, but my heart will still be with the
Vigil.
 
 
 
David S.