Despite the 20 degree weather and the snow flurries, it feels like spring has arrived. It hit us yesterday that the ski season is really over for the year and we’ve agreed to get out on the slopes earlier next winter. The start of spring combined with my recent visit to Atlanta has given me the travel itch. I’ve started planning several upcoming weekend getaways ~ there’s lots to see within easy driving distance.
We had a wonderful Easter weekend surrounded by family. FM’s parents, sister, brother in-law, nieces & nephew came in for the weekend. With my mom also here, we had a full house. I especially enjoyed spending time with FM’s sister, J & family who we don’t get to see often since we, and they, have very busy work/school schedules.
Since there was going to be a lot of us attending Easter mass and thinking it would be less crowded, I innocently suggested we go to the Saturday mass. Even though I’ve been going to mass for all these many years, I’ve never been to the Easter Vigil. Oh, my…the mass was two and a half hours. No exaggeration. It started at 8 pm and, at about 9:30, my heart went out to the kids who were behaving so well but you could tell they were tired and bored. Much like I felt. A CCD student of mine was sitting a couple of rows in front of me and he was doing the head-bob, all the while trying to stay awake. It reminded me of those 8 am college classes when students would fall asleep in class and start to drool. 🙂 This mass had a little bit of everything including starting outside around a fire-pit (burr), having lit candles complete with dripping wax, a reading in Latin and a fully submerged baptism.
It was good to experience an Easter Candlelight Vigil once but, from now on, it’s back to Easter Sunday mass. 😉
Hope everyone had a Happy Easter!
I was sorry too but I could not manage to get a new connection.
Good Friday is a hollyday in Germany and V and I went to the Good Friday service at 3 pm (german time).
I will call again.
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I met a Citadel grad. I have some questions for your FM.
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When I was a kid and in Catholic school, I used to call the week before Easter, “Church week” because it felt like I was in church the entire week–literally! My favorite Easter memory was the year that my grandfather accidentally wore his slippers with his dress pants to church…I think I was about 6 and thought this was the funniest thing. Easter has always been my favorite holiday…lots of good memories–and the start of spring.
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Beth & tljess: Thanks for sharing your stories. LOL I thought arriving an hour early was too funny. And, I can so relate to the over-indulgence of incense smoke. Our priest in Guam went overboard with it and I was always choking on the smoke. I can see why R was traumatized.
Norbert: That’s a whole years worth of mass in that one week 😉 Sorry we got disconnected the other day ~ I enjoyed talking with you. FM tried to call the next day (Good Friday) but there was no answer.
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V wanted to join the Easter Virgil. Because he got a bad headache (and he already had one at saturday afternoon) we had to leave after half an hour. But it would have taken 2 hours. I usualy too prefere the sunday mass.
Since V first communion will be on 1. May we (had to) join the services on thursday, friday, saturday or sunday and monday.
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I joined the church during an Easter Vigil also! AND R and L were both baptised that night! It was a long night and L fell asleep. The purpose of R and L being ‘older’ for baptism was so that they would remember! aghhh – L not only fell asleep but slept through her baptism! R was traumatized by all the incense smoke – Memorable service for some of us – not so much for 1 – yep – I agree 1 was enough for me! 🙂
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I learned about Easter Vigil mass the hard way too. I got confirmed at that mass, and not only was it 2+ hrs long, but I had the time wrong and got there an hour early! Maybe God was testing me to see if I’d stick through it!
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