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Belated Happy Easter to all!

I have been travelling and not able to watch the Sunday shows for a few weeks. Thanks to all for your input that kept me up to speed.

This thread seems to be the appropriate place to record my most amazing Easter Vigil experience. It took place at the Newman Center/parish church at Cal Berkeley.

The church was eccentric: stylized formwork grey concrete walls, carved dark grey stone altar, minimalist flower arrangements in a style reminiscent of Japanese Ikebana.

Fishtalk: the choir was fantastic; really first rate. What a huge amount of work!

The words to all of the sung components were projected on a huge (grey) screen off center of the front wall of the church. The choir and musicians were also under this screen in the front corner of the church.

The seven readings were as expected. The congregation did not have any written material in the pews, so participation was only by listening, by a standing room only crowd.

It got a bit confusing after the seventh reading when the words “Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia” went up on the screen. People stood to hear the Gospel, and - were told to be seated again. While someone read the gospel, (I do not think it was a priest), we had a Dance Ensemble demonstrate it - the three women going to the tomb, meeting a person dressed in white who told them that Christ was Risen. The person dressed in white, draped himself over the table that would become the altar a little later, and the three women gyrated around the altar. I felt like I was at a wiccan ceremony.

There was another dance later in the Mass with more women, now dressed in white, and another man dressed in white robes - I forget at which point this happened. The man in white used the incense censer extravagantly. The women’s dresses had long scarf-like extensions of their sleeves and these ‘ribbons’ were waved around like an Olympic competition of rhythmic gymnastics.

Two people were baptized - by full immersion! And about twelve people received Confirmation and First Communion.

Mass finally ended and the celebrant asked everyone to join the dancers in winding their way around the church in joyous celebration. My son and I did not get into what was essentially a conga line, but as we moved toward the exit all of the priests and deacons who had been on the altar passed us in this conga line.

I guess Berkeley folks enjoy drama.

I sure enjoyed your description.

Easter vigils are something new to me, this year being only my second and the first year I was in the choir for it.

At our vigil everyone starts outside around the fire pit. All church lights are out and the processional goes into the chuch. All attendees are given unlit candles.

After everyone gets to their seat, the candles are lit. The mass begins and goes on for almost an hour, all still in the dark and with the candles lit. Which is really cool if you are in the choir as we need FLASHLIGHTS to see the music plus we have this lit candle thing going on.

Our choir director got real creative and wrote his own responsorials so we had all these handouts which half of us did not have. The cantors are all from the choir, of course, plus there’s something called a family litany, a little band kind of thing.

Heh. Well it went off okay, one baptism, four confirmations, no communions...didn’t know they had them. Finally after an hour the lights come on and the guys come around to collect the candles. Only everyone was confused and thought it was a collection for money so the baskets got filled half with burnt candles and half with Easter offerings.

Heh.

Frankly your Easter vigil sounds much more breath-taking. That bit about putting the words on the wall is cool as jiggling candles and flashlights is a bit dangerous don’t you know.

There were also new stations of the cross things up and we didn’t know if they were temporary or what but they were colorful and lilies were affixed below them on the stained glass windows.

I went to a wedding once that had sacred dancers. They were in the same sort of outfits and did their dancing up on the stage area where the altar was (non-denominational Protestant Church).

They danced to recordings of the bride singing. Unfortunately, because of the stage being plywood covered with carpet, every time they leaped and landed there was a decided thud from the hollow plywood.

I do not care for sacred dance, even at weddings, so I kept my eyes focused on the floor and was patiently waiting for it to end. Every time I heard a thud I bit my lip to keep from giggling.

Then Mr. Marple leaned over and said "I feel like Coach at Kelly's wedding." I commenced giggling silently and had to pretend I was having a coughing attack.

The next day I was at a soccer game and a bunch of mothers (who had also been at the wedding) were there. "Wasn't that the most beautiful wedding?" No accounting for taste, I guess.

I think sacred dance is not supposed to be done in a mass, but as a convert I am not up on all of these things. I know for sure they aren't supposed to be draping themselves over the altar. I guess since it was at Berkley we should be glad there weren't giant puppets.