He is Risen! He is risen indeed!
A Happy Easter to everyone!
Upon returning from the blogging hiatus, here’s the rest of my Triddum report:
–Good Friday: I got there early, around 1:20, and I thought I would be early. But the church was pretty full, I would say almost halfway, with people doing the Stations, praying their rosaries, etc. That was great to see. I said my rosary, and then settled in with the rest of the choir for the service (Good Friday is not a Mass, since there are no hosts consecreated. It is also called the Mass of the Pre-Sanctified, since we use hosts consecrated on Holy Thursday. But, technically, no Masses are celebrated on Good Friday.) The Mass was really full, not entirely full but a good-sized crowd for a Good Friday (our Mass is at 2:00 so people usually have to work).
The service itself went well; from a choral standpoint this is our ‘easiest’ one because there’s very little singing. It seemed shorter than usual, somehow, but that could’ve been just me.
–Holy Saturday–The Vigil: I love the Vigil, and last night was no exception. Nice sized crowd (it’s never totally full, probably because of 1) the time and 2) the length!), and I was there really early. I was there before the priest! So I had plenty of time to sit in church, say my rosary and check out all the Easter lilies and tulips that decorated the sanctuary. Kudos to the Church Decorating Committee! Fr. Dan and John (our Choir director) were getting things ready–I thought it was very amusing to see the water for the baptisms being poured into the lovely crystal bowl from a rubbermaid bucket but that’s just me. It was blessed later so I guess it was OK. But it still made me laugh.
The rest of the choir and the K of C guys (who usher and distribute the candles for this Mass–they do the same thing for Midnight Mass at Christmas) started arriving around 7:10, and the RCIA folks started arriving then, too, as well as the people for Mass. So it was starting to get busy. And I am never still before a big performance; I have to pace, or move, or something. I was probably driving everyone crazy. 
If I had my way I would’ve been stalking the vestibule like a lion at the zoo. But nooo. And it was cold out so I couldn’t even go outside and pace. Oh well.
The Mass began at 8:30 with the Service of Light, which was optional this year for the choir since it was cold. Usually we go out with the RCIA kids and any congregational members who want to, and we process in. Not this year. I stayed inside, but I was amazed at how many people braved snow and wind. Thankfully Fr. Dan really moved that part so the poor people wouldn’t freeze.
Once everyone was back in, the candles were lit and the Easter Proclamation chanted by one of our deacons. We only do three readings (plus the Epistle) at my church (1, 3, and 5), so that helps. We had about 30 people in the RCIA class and a lot of baptisms, which is always nice to see. Some of the little girls had amazing dresses. I mean, really amazing. Lace and frills and one even had a bustle!
Singing the Gloria again was also great; we use the Celtic Mass (which I love) for Christmas and Easter. Lights, incense, good music–it was great. This Mass has lots of singing, so we were busy, getting our pieces ready and making sure we were on top. Whew.
The highlights, for me, was the Easter Communion (always great), and our singing of “Worthy is the Lamb” from the Messiah. Even though we do the “Hallelujah!” chorus every year, “Worthy” is a lot harder and, therefore, more satisfying when done right. And we did an awesome job, thank you. But it was exhausting…and we were all very warm when it was over. If you don’t think singing is an activity that requires energy, you are so wrong. The concentration, the timing, the sheer attention you have to pay is exhausting. But we were very happy with it. And, of course, the “Hallelujah” went off splendidly, even if people were leaving and taking pictures and doing all sorts of things while we were singing. GRRRR. It’s a four minute piece, people. You can wait until we’re done. Not that hard. I’m sorry, but I just think that’s rude.
Overall, it was probably the best Vigil I’ve attended. Very reverent atmosphere and everyone involved did their parts beautifully. We also had a very responsive congregation, which is always nice.
Today we don’t have to sing (yay!), so I m going to Easter dinner with my family. I hope you all have a great Easter!
