The Easter Vigil, kept on the night of Holy Saturday, is the mother of all vigils and the night on which the Church has baptized since the earliest centuries. For the elect it is the end of a long road and the beginning of everything: they are baptized, confirmed and receive the Eucharist in a single celebration that stretches from a fire in the dark to the first Communion of Easter. It is long, often two and a half to three hours, and it is unlike any liturgy they have yet attended. This guide, written for the elect and their godparents, tells them what will happen and how to be ready in body and soul.

What you need

• The time the Vigil begins at your parish (it must begin after nightfall, so it varies with the sunset)
• Clothes you can be baptized in: dark, modest, and if the parish baptizes by immersion, something that can get wet, with a towel and a change of clothes
• Your godparent, and the white garment and candle if the parish has asked you to bring them
• A rested body: Holy Saturday is for prayer and quiet, not errands

When to pray it

Holy Saturday night, after dark. The preparation rites are usually on Holy Saturday morning; the paschal fast is kept through the day.

Steps

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   Step 1: The Holy Saturday preparation rites

   On Holy Saturday morning the elect gather with their godparents, usually in the church, for the last rites before Baptism. You give back the Creed, reciting the Apostles' Creed▾ which was presented to you in Lent; the priest performs the ephphetha rite, touching your ears and lips with the words 'Ephphetha, that is, be opened', so that you may hear and profess the faith; and, where it is the custom, a baptismal name is chosen and you are anointed with the oil of catechumens. Most parishes also use this morning to rehearse the night's movements. Come, even if you are tired; the rites are short and they are yours.

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   Step 2: Fast and rest

   The Order asks the elect to refrain on Holy Saturday from their usual activities, to spend the day in prayer and reflection, and, as far as they can, to fast; the Church commends the same paschal fast to all the faithful. Eat lightly, keep away from screens and work, read the readings of the Vigil in advance, and pray the Our Father▾ slowly, since you will pray it for the first time with the faithful tonight. Sleep in the afternoon if you can; the Vigil is late and long, and you will want to be awake for all of it.

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   Step 3: What to bring and how to dress

   Wear something dark, modest and comfortable; the white garment, if the parish provides one, goes over it after Baptism. If your parish baptizes by immersion, wear clothes that can be soaked, and bring a towel and a full change of clothes, including shoes; there will be a place to change, and your godparent will help. Bring your candle if you were asked to, and nothing else you would mind getting wet. Arrive well before the start, since the elect usually sit together near the front with their godparents, and find the restrooms before the fire is lit.

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   Step 4: The service of light

   The Vigil begins outside, or at the church door, in darkness, with the blessing of a new fire. The Paschal candle is prepared and lit from it, and carried into the dark church while the deacon or priest sings three times 'The Light of Christ' and all answer 'Thanks be to God', lighting their small candles from the Paschal candle as it passes. Then the Exsultet, the Easter Proclamation, is sung before the candle: a long, ancient hymn to this night, on which Christ broke the chains of death. Stand with your candle lit and listen; the words 'O truly blessed night' are about the night you are being baptized.

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   Step 5: The Liturgy of the Word

   Candles out, the church still dim, the Church sits to hear the story of salvation: up to seven readings from the Old Testament, creation, the sacrifice of Isaac, the crossing of the Red Sea (which is never omitted), and the prophets, each with a psalm and a prayer. Then the lights come up, the Gloria is sung with bells for the first time since Holy Thursday, the Epistle from Romans tells you what is about to happen to you, 'we were buried with him by baptism into death', the Alleluia returns after forty days, and the Gospel of the Resurrection is proclaimed. The homily follows. Then you will be called.

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   Step 6: Baptism, Confirmation and first Communion

   The elect are called by name and come to the font with their godparents. The Litany of the Saints▾ is sung over you; the water is blessed with the Paschal candle plunged into it. Then each of you renounces sin ('Do you renounce Satan?' 'I do') and professes the faith in the three questions of the Apostles' Creed▾ ('Do you believe in God, the Father almighty?' 'I do'), and is baptized: 'N., I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit', with water poured three times or three immersions. You are clothed in the white garment, and your godparent lights your candle from the Paschal candle and gives it to you. Then the priest confirms you, anointing your forehead with chrism: 'N., be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.' 'Amen.' 'Peace be with you.' 'And with your spirit.' The whole assembly renews its baptismal promises and is sprinkled. At the Liturgy of the Eucharist you pray the Our Father▾ with the faithful for the first time and receive the Body and Blood of Christ, often under both kinds, at the front of the line.

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   Step 7: Give thanks

   After Communion, kneel and give thanks in whatever words come; if none come, the Te Deum▾, the Church's great hymn of thanksgiving, says everything. Saint Augustine, baptized at this Vigil in Milan in 387, wrote later that he wept at the singing of the Church that night. When the Mass ends, the parish will want to greet you; let it. Eat something, sleep, and come back on Easter morning or during the Octave wearing your white garment, as the newly baptized do, to Mass with the community that is now yours.

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   Step 8: Mystagogy begins

   You are now a neophyte, and the Easter season is your period of mystagogy: fifty days, from Easter to Pentecost, of entering more deeply into the mysteries you have received, by the Masses of Easter, by reflection on the sacraments with the parish's OCIA team, and by taking a share in the life and mission of the community. The parish is asked to keep gathering the neophytes for a year. Keep your baptismal candle to light on the anniversary of your Baptism, keep going to confession regularly now that you can, and keep praying the Our Father▾ as you did on Holy Saturday, slowly, since it is now yours.

Tips

• The unbaptized do not go to confession before Baptism; Baptism forgives every sin. Candidates already baptized do go to confession before their reception.
• Ask the parish exactly what it provides (garment, candle, towel) and what you bring; parishes differ.
• Do not schedule an Easter party for before the Vigil. Keep the day quiet and eat afterward.
• The parish will rehearse the movements with you, usually on Holy Saturday morning; if it does not, ask your godparent to walk you through where you will stand.