OCIA
How to Prepare for the Easter Vigil
Becoming Catholic (OCIA) · 8 steps
The night of initiation for the elect: the Holy Saturday preparation rites, fasting and rest, what to bring and wear, the service of light, the Liturgy of the Word, Baptism, Confirmation and first Communion, and the beginning of mystagogy.
8 steps · About 20 minutes
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
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 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.
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.