The Great Easter Vigil is like New Year’s Eve, for many Christians:
Just as we gather with friends and family just before midnight on December 31, so we gather with our family of faith at sunset of Easter Eve. Just as we remember the best moments of the past year, so on this night we re-tell the Big Story of God’s love for all the world, and our own steps in the complicated dance of the past. Just as, on December 31, we feast and celebrate the coming of a New Year, so we gather at the Table that God has set for all and share Bread and Wine as a sign that all things are becoming new.
This year St Mary's joins with other parishes at our mother church, Christ Church Cathedral. The choir sings 20th century Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodàly’s lush Missa Brevis. The Bishop presides over this service which will also include reaffirmations of our faith. Don’t forget to bring your bell or other noisemaker, which we ring throughout the singing of the Gloria!
Incense will be used.