Parish of Llandudno in North Wales: Rector's letter

April 2011

There are times when I really wish I’d kept my mouth shut! Every year when planning the Easter Vigil Service, which we normally hold up at St Tudno's on Holy Saturday evening, I comment that the service really ought to be held very early in the morning on Easter Day itself, so that we celebrate the resurrection as the sun is rising. And whenever I make that comment Christine, one of our wardens, says ‘Well why don’t we then?’ My usual response is ‘because nobody will come’. This year, challenged once again to put my money where my mouth is, I have decided to give it a go! The Easter Vigil will start at 5.30 am on Easter Day! So far then there are two of us pledged to be there, will you join us?

The service we call the Easter Vigil, or more correctly the ‘Easter Liturgy’ goes back to the early centuries of the church and was really the most important service in the whole year. Originally it was a celebration of both the death and resurrection of Our Lord, known as the ‘Passover of the Lord’. Eventually, with the development of Holy Week, Good Friday became the day to commemorate the Lord’s death, and Easter his resurrection. The Easter Liturgy began the on the evening before Easter with a long series of vigil bible readings and prayers which continued throughout the night. These were followed by the baptism of new members of the church, and then by the Eucharist of Easter timed to begin as the sun rose on Easter morning with the joyful cry of ‘Christ is risen, He is risen indeed alleluia!'. The ceremony of blessing a large Easter Candle (the Pascal Candle) and carrying it through the church had also become an important part of the service.

Over the centuries the service was shortened and began, presumably for reasons of convenience, to be held on the previous day and although technically still the most important Easter service it ceased to be the one most people attended. When the Church of England broke with Rome Archbishop Cranmer abolished it altogether.

The twentieth century saw a revival of this service in the Anglican Church, many provinces including our own, having official liturgies for it. Most parishes which hold this service do so on Holy Saturday evening the main reason being that it is felt that few will want to get up very early on Easter Day to attend it. The service has to begin in the dark as the vigil element of the service followed by the dramatic lighting and the procession of the Easter Candle wouldn’t work if it was light. So it has to be either the evening before or very early in the morning!

When, as a theological student at the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield many years ago, I experienced this service done at the ‘proper time’ early in the morning. After the vigil reading and prayers we light the Easter Candle and then welcomed the risen Christ as the sun rose. It made a powerful impression on me hence my comments that it ought to be celebrated at that time. But I have never had the courage to do this, fearing that the loyal few who do attend each year simply wouldn’t be prepared to get up so early.

Now anyone who has been to this service will tell you how powerful and moving it is, if you’ve never been you simply don’t know what you are missing! My challenge to the parish is – prove me wrong! If you possibly can, get up on Easter morning and join us to celebrate the Lord’s resurrection as Easter Day dawns. If you are used to attending the service on Holy Saturday evening I do hope you will still come. If you’ve never been before try it this year. You will find the service explained in some detail in the article on the services of Holy Week and Easter elsewhere in this magazine. Come well wrapped up – it might be a little cool, but the candles will warm us up as they do at the Christmas carol services. And, if it’s any incentive, I’m told there will be suitable Easter morning refreshments to be provided after the service! Of course the usual Easter Day services will be held at Holy Trinity as usual for those who just can’t make St Tudno’s at 5.30 am.

Meanwhile may you all be blessed in your keeping of Holy Week and Easter.

Fr. John

Please use this link for details of services during Holy Week and Easter.

Note from the website co-ordinator: a number of the Friends of St. Tudno's Church are also pledged to attend the 5.30 am service and will be serving "bacon butties", tea and coffee after the service.

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