The Easter Vigil begins as we kindle the new fire at dusk, concluding Holy Saturday and beginning Easter Day. It is a limninal moment where we stand on the threshold between Lent and Easter, the cross and the empty tomb.

I have sometimes referred to the Easter Vigil as the “Super Bowl” of the church year. While it may lack catchy commercials, the Vigil never ceases to mesmerize me with its stunning beauty.  Parishioners are encouraged to bring a bell, wrapped in a cloth, until the Great Noise when we proclaim Christ’s resurrection, and begin the First Eucharist of Easter.