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alicegunther
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The Easter Vigil, as you all know, is one of the most stirring and beautiful ceremonies of the Liturgical year. Before we had children, the Vigil was something I anticipated throughout Lent. I loved the surreal and quiet atmosphere of the darkened church and the exhilarating moment when the lights went on and the choir burst forth in joyous song. I attended with my parents and later my husband every year for as long as I could remember. Our first child was born just two short months before Easter of 1994. She was so tiny and adorable in her new bunny-and-carrot-sprigged Easter dress that I could not wait to show her off to the wonderful friends and neighbors from my parents' home parish. When we arrived, the lights were low, and the church was relatively quiet. Our new little bundle slept peacefully in my arms, and I prayed she would go on this way for the duration of the Mass. With the lights down low and the church unusually hushed, things seemed to be going well. Then it happened: first hundreds of candles and then every light in church snapped on. The choir raised its voice in song, and our little girl was wide awake and crying her eyes out. I was such a new mother that I did not figure out how to get her back to sleep until sometime around Communion. My husband and I spent the entire Mass pacing a chilly hall with one of my mother's friends poking her head out now and then to give advice!
Our family has not attended the Vigil since that night almost eleven years ago, only now we have six children, none of whom know anything firsthand about this wonderful event. This year, we have decided to return to the Vigil and bring our children with us. We want them to experience its majesty and witness the incomparable moment when a darkened church bursts forth with the Light of Christ. We want them to listen to the readings with understanding and share in the joy of our parish's catechumens as they receive the grace of the Sacrament of Baptism, not unlike the Catechumens in Rome in the days of the Emperor Constantine. We want them to understand what it means to participate in the glorious "Nightwatch" of the Lord's Resurrection.
For this reason, we hope to spend the forty days of Lent slowly preparing the girls to appreciate the majesty of the Vigil. The prayers and readings, ceremonies and symbolism are so deep that we will have ample material to keep us busy for weeks, and I hope our study will give my children memories to last a lifetime.
The Easter Vigil may be broken into four parts: (1) the Service of Light; (2) the Liturgy of the Word; (3) the Celebration of Baptism and Confirmation; and (4) the Liturgy of the Eucharist. As we learn about each of these parts, the girls will create notebooks full of artwork, prayers, pictures, narrations, music, and other items to assist their understanding. Now, when I say "notebook," what I really mean is a three-ringed binder with scrapbook-style layouts on each page. We have made traditional lapbooks, and they are beautiful, but for long term projects like this, I prefer binders because they make it convenient to add new pages each day.
Part 1 The Liturgy of Light
To prepare the girls to understand the symbolism of the darkened church, we will begin by reading the beautiful picture book, The Easter Story according to the Gospels of Matthew, Luke & John with paintings by Gennady Spirin. The text of this book is very old-fashioned and taken from the King James Bible, but I love it because of the incomparable artwork. We own many picture books on the Resurrection, but none that captures the darkness of the Crucifixion in quite the same way. We will read the book on Ash Wednesday morning (or perhaps the night before), but end at page 27 when Jesus is taken down from the cross and placed in the arms of his sorrowful mother. I will ask the older ones to narrate the story of the Crucifixion, and this, along with their original illustrations, will make up the first pages of our book.
Gennady Spirin's masterful illustrations will help me to begin a conversation with the children about the darkness of the world without Jesus. We will discuss the sorrow of the Crucifixion and the sadness of the apostles and Blessed Mother at that moment of darkness, along with the hope they had as faithful followers of Our Lord and believers in His promises. I will extend the conversation to include the meaning of Ash Wednesday, a time when Christians enter into a spirit of repentance and remember that we are dust, but that our hope is in Jesus.
We will discuss why the Easter Vigil has no introductory rites (because it is part of the three-day-long liturgy of the Paschal Triduum) and learn about the beautiful "Service of Light." I will tell them about my memories of Easter Vigils growing up (including one instance when the smoke alarms went off in church!) and read them the greeting and the "Blessing of the Fire." These prayers will make up the third page of our books.
Then we will discuss the "Preparation of the Paschal Candle,"its design, the uses of the Easter Candle, and the beautiful prayer said over the design:
"Christ yesterday and today,
The beginning and the end,
Alpha,
And Omega;
All time belongs to him
And all the ages:
To him be glory and power
Through every age for ever. Amen."
For the fourth page of their notebooks, they will copy the prayer, draw the design (please click here for a sample image of last year's Pashal Candle),and trace their finger over it while saying the prayer so they understand how the priest does it. Because our Jesse tree was only put away recently (I'm ashamed to say), even the younger ones are very familiar with Jesus as the "Alpha and Omega," and I think they will like seeing this symbolism used in a new context.
Next they will learn about the five grains of incense placed in the candle and write corresponding prayer:
1. By his holy
2. and glorious wounds
3. may Christ our Lord
4. guard us
5. and keep us. Amen
I am hoping they will find creative ways to illustrate this beautiful prayer, and I may even find real grains of incense for them to keep in their books. We will say this prayer often throughout Lent so they will remember it always. This will make up the fifth page of the book.
Next comes the Procession, the part of the Mass when the celebrant enters the church with the Easter candle and sings the acclamation, "Christ our light," to which we all respond, "Thanks be to God" three times. After the second of these three acclamations, the people light their candles from the Easter candle. The page I envision for this is dark blue with an Easter candle on top. Below it are many unlit candles on flaps. When the flaps are opened, a flame is on the back of each flap with a candle beneath so that the open flaps look like a group of lit candles. I'm sorry it is difficult to describe my plan in print, but maybe I can post a scanned copy after these pages are created. By the way, I almost always use sheet protectors for notebook pages, and these will be no different. The girls will make them with open-able flaps, and I will cut out windows from the sheet protector to accommodate them. At the bottom, the girls will write "Christ our light. Thanks be to God," along with the treble clef and musical notes. I will ask them to sight read these simple notes and sing the tune. This will make up the sixth page of the book.
Next I will give them a copy of the beginning of the beautiful and ancient prayer, "The Exsultet" or "Easter Proclamation":
Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels!
Exult, all creation around God's throne!
Jesus Christ, our King, is risen!
Sound the trumpet of salvation!
Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor,
Radiant in the brightness of your King!
Christ has conquered! Glory fills you!
Darkness vanishes for ever!
Rejoice, O Mother Church! Exult in glory!
The risen Savior shines upon you!
Let this place resound with joy,
Echoing the mighty song of all God's people!
I plan to use a fancy font and let them decorate it in an "Illuminated Manuscript" style. I envision pictures of angels, trumpets, and light adorning the margins. This will make up the seventh page and take us one week to a week and a half into Lent. The beginning of the Exsultet would also make a perfect assignment for copywork, but I have opted to have them copy the remaining portions of the prayer instead (the portions following "The Lord be with you. And also with you" responses.)
The latter portion of the Exsultet is absolutely beautiful and contains many haunting truths about our faith. I am hoping, if the girls copy it slowly but completely, they will ponder these truths and internalize them. Some of the most poetic lines include:
O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam, which gained for us so great a Redeemer!"
"Night truly blessed when heaven is wedded to earth and man is reconciled with God!"
"May the Morning Star which never sets find this flame still burning."
These lines will inspire some creative illustrations, I hope, and I know they will lead to many fruitful discussions and prayers. If you are looking for a simplified version of the Easter Vigil project, it might be nice to copy and illustrate this prayer alone. To read the Exsultet in its entirety, please go to the website of the Dominican Friars.
That is the plan for the first part of this rather large project. I will write more during the next few days and post samples of the girls' books as they are created. We are also planning to create a Paschal candle for our home following directions found online. Luckily, I came across a perfect white candle while putting away some stray Christmas decorations this afternoon. (Yes, my nativity scene has been up all this time. At least the tree's been down for a month!)
To recap:
The Easter Vigil Notebook (In Brief):
Part 1. The Service of Light
1. Narration of the first 27 pages of The Easter Story by Gennady Spirin
2. Illustration(s) of the Narration
3. A printout of the words to the greeting to the assembly and Blessing of the Fire, decorated with bright tissue paper flames.
4. A page dedicated to the Preparation of the Paschal Candle, complete with the prayer of dedication (handwritten) and a drawing of the design inscribed on the candle.
5. A page dedicated to placement of the grains of incense into the candle, including the beautiful corresponding prayer.
6. A page showing the Easter Candle lighting all the candles in the church with the words "Christ our light. Thanks be to God" shown at the bottom, complete with musical notes.
7. A printout of the first part of the Exsultet (Easter Proclamation) decorated in "Illuminated Manuscript" style by the girls
8. Copywork of the continuation of the Exsultet, beginning with "It is truly right." (These lines are so beautiful I could not resist assigning them for copywork, although it will take a few weeks. I will encourage the children to illustrate these pages if they like.)
__________________
Love, Alice
mother of seven!
      
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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alicegunther
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Part 2. The Liturgy of the Word
A couple of weeks ago, I was gathering Lenten reading material when it occurred to me that the best possible readings had already been selected by Holy Mother Church! Throughout Lent, we will slowly go through each of the nine readings from the Easter Vigil, stopping along the way to discuss their meaning and relevance to our celebration of Christ's Resurrection. We will enjoy the timeless poetry of the Psalms and wonder at the words of the prophets. The girls will add narrations and illustrations to the notebooks, along with printouts of selected great works of art depicting the readings. Finally, when Easter is close at hand, we will read the Gospel passage and complete our reading of The Easter Story with paintings by Gennady Spirin.
The nine readings are as follows:
1. Old Testament
a. Genesis 1: 1-2: 2 (The story of Creation)
b. Genesis 22: 1-18 (Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his only son)
c. Exodus 14: 15-15:1 (The escape from Egypt and parting of the Red Sea)
d. Isaiah 54: 5-14 (God's mercy and goodness toward his people)
e. Isaiah 55:1-11 (God's renewal of His covenant with Israel)
f. Baruch 3: 9-15, 32-4:4 (Walk, by the light of Wisdom, toward God)
g. Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28 (God will cleanse the hearts of His people)
2. New Testament
a. Romans 6: 3-11 (Christ was raised from the dead and dies no more)
b. Matthew 28:1-10 (The Resurrection story)
We will discuss the reasons these specific passages are so important and spend time meditating on them and comparing the Old Testament passages to the New Testament. As we go along, I will try to include a bit of Art Appreciation (several great paintings came to mind as I read the readings--please see below) and listen to Handel's Messiah.
Examples of works of art to coincide with the readings include:
Scenes from the Life of Moses by Sandro Botticelli. Click on "B" for Botticelli, and look for the "Scenes from the Life of Moses" under "Frescoes in the Sistine Chapel.
Rembrandt's painting of Abraham and Isaac
Genesis Art Gallery. This art gallery contains both great and lesser works of art illustrating the book of Genesis, but I include it because many of the images are useful.
Triptych of the Resurrection
__________________
Love, Alice
mother of seven!
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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Willa
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Alice,
I was confirmed in the Easter Vigil of 1990. My daughter (first and only daughter, though 3rd child!) was just an infant. The boys stayed at home with a friend, I believe, but I couldn't leave the nursing little one at home. She stayed with us throughout; thank goodness, she slept almost the whole time and didn't fuss!
My husband has taken the older kids to the service down in town, more recently; it's an hour drive and too much at that time for our littlest ones. It IS beautiful. I think my confirmation one is the only one I've ever been to.
Thanks for the great notebook ideas.
__________________
AMDG
Willa
hsing boys ages 11, 14, almost 18 (+ 4 homeschool grads ages 20 to 27)
Take Up and Read
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Elizabeth
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Dear Alice,
I've just read carefully through your post (very carefully; I edited out all the weird coding from Word) and I am amazed at the beauty and the value of this project. What a really meaningful project.
I got a notice from Amazon this morning telling me that all the books I'd ordered to read with my children for Lent won't be here for another two weeks. And I admit this news threw me into a tailspin because I still haven't written plans.
I guess I was thinking I'd do a Lent Lapbook and then an Easter one (using your plans). Now I recognize that this is so much richer than anything I'd had in mind. You really turned my day around. And I think you just might have turned the next forty days in a very meaningful direction.
Thank you so much!
__________________
Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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TracyQ
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I am in awe of your plans! I think they're fantastic, and absolutely PERFECT for us at this time in our children's lives.
PLUS....(and this is making me literally jump up and down  ).....
Our three children and I are in my dh's choir at church, and so we will be PART of the Easter Vigil singing the liturgical music! So using these plans will help them to understand so much this special celebration!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!!
__________________
Blessings and Peace,
Tracy Q.
wife of Marty for 20 years, mom of 3 wonderful children (1 homeschool graduate, 1 12th grader, and a 9th grader),
 homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
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alicegunther
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Dear Willa, Elizabeth, and Tracy,
I have been away from the computer for several hours, and I was so happy to return to find your three messages. Your kind words have absolutely made my night.
Thank you so very much!
__________________
Love, Alice
mother of seven!
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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LMuse
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Alice,
I have a couple different kinds of Frankincense that I would be happy to mail to you for your children's notebooks if you would like. It has come directly from the Middle East where I lived as a teen. Before my parents retired from living there I asked them to bring me plenty so that I could share the gift the Magi had brought Christ, with those close to me.
If you're interested just send me a private message or an e-mail to laramuse@stjoelive.com and I will get some in the mail this week! If you're concerned about sharing your mailing address just ask Willa; I'm pretty sure she'll vouch for me that I'm not a stalker or anything .
Peace,
Lara
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alicegunther
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Dear Lara,
For some reason, I could not get through to this list yesterday (except for a short while in the morning), so I am sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you. I would absolutely love the frankincense. I just told the girls that the grains of incense will be coming from a friend in another state, and they raised a cheer! Thanks so much.
__________________
Love, Alice
mother of seven!
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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cathhomeschool
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Alice, I thoroughly enjoyed your post! I printed it out and started with your suggestions on Ash Wednesday. I love the Gennady Spirin book -- so beautiful! We will use your suggestions as our main focus during Lent, as well as continuing math and Spanish and finishing our arctic study. I would like to work through My Path to Heaven, listen to The Bronze Bow and do a unit on Ukrainian eggs (closer to Easter), using Rechenka's Eggs to tie in a study of icons. For icon study, we will revisit the books How to Pray with Icons, which has small icons for the children to cut out and paste on each page, and Brother Joseph, The Painter of Icons. To inspire the boys to illuminate their notebook pages, I've ordered Letters from Heaven: An Illuminated Alphabet. This book has been on my wish list for some time, so I hope that it will be all I envision it to be when it arrives!
Thanks again for inspiring our direction for the next month and a half!
__________________
Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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LMuse
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Alice,
I will get those out tomorrow if you'll send your mailing address to me Just e-mail to laramuse@stjoelive.com.
Blessings,
Lara
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alicegunther
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Thank you so much, Lara!
And many thanks, Janette, not only for your nice words, but also for the great ideas.
We recently read The Bronze Bow and loved it. It was such a moving story and great addition to our study of the time of Jesus.
My Path to Heaven is another excellent book. I spent a whole year going through it with our Catholic Girls group. The girls were very interested, especially because of the detailed and sobering illustrations.
I have not yet read the other books you mentioned, but they will be on the top of my list of "must haves."
__________________
Love, Alice
mother of seven!
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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alicegunther
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Part 3. The Celebration of Baptism and Confirmation
The first thing we hope to do to prepare for this part of the Vigil is to pray for the RCIA candidates and catechumens. Most parishes print their names, but, truthfully, I do not think I have ever given these names more than a passing glance. This year, we will pray for the candidates and catechumens by name every day during Lent. (The girls will snip the little notice out of the bulletin to keep in their notebooks and maybe even decorate it and write out the names if they are inclined.) We will pray specifically that their final days of preparation for the Sacraments are holy and grace-filled, that they joyfully receive the sacraments, and that many more people will be moved to join the Catholic Church.
By the way, it occurred to me as I prepared for this that I was not entirely sure what the difference is between "Catechumens" and "Candidates." I called my rectory and was told that Catechumens are those receiving all three sacraments at the Easter Vigil, but Candidates have already received the Sacrament of Baptism, perhaps in another church. The Baptism of Catechumens during the Easter Vigil goes back well over a thousand years to the very early church. Accounts remain of Easter Vigils during the time of the Emperor Constantine in which thousands were baptized. One particular night was said to have appeared almost as bright as day because of all the candles and torches blazing, not only in the churches, but also in all the homes. I love being able to refer to a distant time period in history and show the girls how consistent and beautiful our Faith is. Hopefully, they will begin to feel a part of "all the ages" and understand the words "all time belongs to Him" spoken over the Paschal Candle.
The Celebration of Baptism begins with a "Presentation of the Elect" in which the deacon or other minister calls the catechumens forward along with their godparents. How wonderful this moment will be for my children after they have spent weeks and weeks praying for them. This is followed by an Invitation to Prayer and a Litany of the Saints. We will print out the Litany of the Saints for their notebooks (along with the musical notes to go with the Litany for sight reading) and attempt to include a line about each saint and perhaps a picture (drawn or printed from the computer). We studied 1 AD to about 700 AD in history so far this year, and the litany is a virtual timeline of the saints we read about. I am looking forward to pointing this out to the girls and having a conversation with them about why they think these particular saints were chosen from so many others. It may also interest them to note that the saints are not listed at random. The Blessed Mother comes first, followed by the angels, John the Baptist, St. Joseph, the apostles and St. Mary Magdalene, the early Christian martyrs, early doctors of the Church, founders of orders, missionaries, and later doctors of the Church. I can see this leading to some interesting questions and observations. (For example, I may ask them if they know why John the Baptist precedes Saint Joseph.)
We usually study the Saints of the Passion* during Lent, but the Litany will help us to include many more. If you would like to print out the Litany, it appears as follows:
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.*
Saint Michael, pray for us.
Holy angels of God, pray for us.
Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Saint Peter and Saint Paul, pray for us.
Saint Andrew, pray for us.
Saint John, pray for us.*
Saint Mary Magdalene, pray for us.*
Saint Stephen, pray for us.
Saint Ignatius, pray for us.
Saint Lawrence, pray for us.
Saint Perpetua and Felicity, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, pray for us.
Saint Gregory, pray for us.
Saint Augustine, pray for us.
Saint Athanasius, pray for us.
Saint Basil, pray for us.
Saint Martin, pray for us.
Saint Benedict, pray for us.
Saint Francis and Saint Dominic, pray for us.
Saint Francis Xavier, pray for us.
Saint John Vianney, pray for us.
Saint Catherine, pray for us.
Saint Teresa, pray for us.
All holy men and women, pray for us.
* The asterisks note "Saints of the Passion." Other Saints of the Passion include St. Simon of Cyrene, St. Dismas, and St. Veronica. A nice website with pictures of many saints, including some mentioned in the Litany is http://www.jesus-passion.com/Saints.htm. It is also worth noting that several of the saints mentioned in the Litany have feasts occurring during Lent: Saint Peter (Chair of Peter-February 22), Saints Perpetua and Felicity (March 7), and Saint Joseph (March 19). We will try to observe these feasts in some special way.
After the Litany of Saints, the Baptism ceremony takes place using the following steps:
1. Blessing of the Water
2. Renunciation of Sin
3. Profession of Faith
4. Baptism
5. Anointing with Chrism
6. Clothing with a Baptismal Garment
7. Presentation of a Lighted Candle
We will go through these steps and create a page representing them. I visualize a page (or perhaps two facing pages) with symbols created by the girls:blessed water, sin being driven away, a cross representing Faith, a Baptismal Font, Chrism, the white garment, and a lit candle. The girls will enjoy being creative with this.
The next part of the ceremony is the Renewal of Baptismal Promises. This is an extremely important moment, particularly because a Plenary Indulgence is granted under normal conditions to the faithful who renew their baptismal promises at the Easter Vigil. This opportunity of receiving complete remission of the temporal punishment due for our sins is reason alone to attend the Vigil, and I want the children to understand the significance of it. I will print out the questions for them so that they will be ready to say "I do" when the time comes. It might even be a nice idea to type out the questions and allow the children to write "I do" after each one.
We will read about the next two parts of the ceremony, the "Reception into Full Communion" and "Celebration of Confirmation" and complete a page to represent both. I envision a page representing the sacraments being received: perhaps with a shell for Baptism, a Host and Chalice for the Eucharist, and a dove and flames for Confirmation. We will review these sacraments in the Catechism and go over the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. This will bring us to the final section of our notebooks, "The Liturgy of the Eucharist."
Part 3. The Celebration of Baptism and Confirmation (in brief):
1. A decorated page with the names of our parish's Candidates and Catechumems
2. A page or pages devoted to the Litany of the Saints, including illustrations or pictures printed from the internet or holy cards.
3. A two-page layout showing the parts of the sacrament of Baptism
4. A printout of the Renewal of Baptismal Promises with a handwritten "I do" after each promise.
5. A page representing the Reception into Full Communion and the Celebration of Confirmation.
__________________
Love, Alice
mother of seven!
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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JennGM
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Alice,
Your plans are just beautiful. What a wonderful gift you are giving to your children, and thanks for sharing this with us! I can't implement this now, but I'm definitely taking notes for the future! The Easter Vigil is the best kept secret and the most sacred treasure of the Church's liturgy, and is such a wonderful subject to study. It's the source of all Liturgy, and the root of our sacraments and other mysteries of our faith…so this notebook study is a gem.
The Easter Vigil evokes all sorts of family memories. My mother has 7 children, 15 years apart. For many few years only the older children and either Mom or Dad would attend the Easter Vigil. It was a disappointment to not attend as a family, but my parents believed the riches of the Vigil shouldn't be missed...and looking back, I'm glad they did it this way. I have such wonderful memories of attending those late Vigils. We would go to bed early for a "nap"-- all bathed and ready, except the good clothes, with the girls sleeping in their slips. Mom would wake us up and after the flurry of activity, we would go to the Vigil. The times I either missed the Vigil or attending a second Mass on Easter Sunday, I remember thinking to myself that maybe some people here don't know how the Paschal candle and baptismal water all got here and how lighting candles during the Easter Sunday Mass isn't as exciting as seeing the light enter the darkness.
The Exultet has a special place in our family. One year my mother was the parish choir director. She was informed that the Deacon could not sing the Exultet, so could she find a replacement. My father gladly volunteered. He has a beautiful voice, and although he can't read music, he can memorize tunes very well. So my mother recorded the Exultet on a cassette tape so he could learn the melody. He practiced it over and over, and as we had 7 kids and a small house, we could all hear him practicing, even when he went to the garage. He had difficulty with the first "so-und" of "sound the trumpet of our salvation" which is a 5th in musical terms. So we would hear the tape being rewound, Mom's voice singing "so-und", Dad trying to sing it, rewind, Mom again, Dad failing. This went on for a while, but he finally got it down. Then the big blow, the deacon said he WAS going to do it, so my father never got his debut. The first few years, the different family members were all looking at each other and giggling when that first "sound" is sung. Now if any of the siblings are attending together, we all look at each other and smile.
When our family moved to Northern Virginia from Louisiana, we discovered the Dominican House of Studies. These Dominicans open their monastery to the public for the Easter Vigil, and their service is just unforgettable. The liturgy, music, the imagery, the decorations – everything is done to the hilt. One of their traditions is to start the fire in the courtyard, and the entire congregation joins the beginning. A flame is sent down from the upper window (on an invisible wire) to start the new fire. The whole service stirs even the most tired, smallest child. I have been attending for years, making the hour long drive, leaving early to get a good seat, returning home at 3 am just because it's just so worth it! If you have an opportunity of attending a Vigil in a monastery nearby, do so at least one time. I'm sad that this year we won't attend the Vigil unless we can find one close and at a reasonable hour. Last year our son was 6 months, and I thought he would sleep through the service. He was awake the entire time, didn't want to miss a thing!
I've done my own unit studies on the the Easter Vigil, particularly the Exsultet. I was compiling some links and documents for an article I'm writing. Most of my information would be more for the parents to read, and to pass on to the children. For me it's fascinating reading the development of liturgy, studying the roots of the liturgy, comparing different rites and doing side-by-side comparisons of the Tridentine and Novus Ordo. I enjoy reading works by the writers of the "Liturgical Movement" – these writers were instrumental in bringing changes to our liturgy, such as restoring the Easter Vigil to the evening, updating the calendar and many other practical changes we've seen, even before Vatican II. I love finding ways to incorporate the liturgy in the Domestic Church. It's been a crazy interest of mine over the years, specially considering that I've only been married five years and have only 1 small child. But I now finally have a change to start practicing in my own family!
I was just going to add a few thoughts to your wonderful project…. You probably have thought of it all already.
1. Historical Notes: Our Easter Vigil has only been restored since 1951-1955. In 1951 Pius XII restored it on a trial basis, then it was mandated for the universal Church by 1955. There were some changes, such as the number of readings going from 12 to 4 to 12 to the current 9, with only 4 being actually required (2 Old Testament readings), but most of it is still intact today. There was an Easter Vigil, but it was held on Holy Saturday morning!! From the late 1500s, there were regulations that no Mass could take place after noon, so the Vigil had to start in the morning. But then the fasting regulations didn't let up until noon, so even after celebrating the Vigil, the faithful had to go home and wait for the fast to be over to celebrate! Few lay people attended the Vigil…it was more for religious. It's strange to think of the Vigil not be celebrated at night. Bishop Jenny describes "the Paschal Vigil is by its very nature nocturnal. The Mystery of the Passover, of the 'passage,' needs to be expressed vividly by the movement of the Liturgy, leading the community from darkness to light." It seems so logical even to the smallest child that this celebration needs to be done at night!
2. Exsultet – also spelled Exultet is actually the Paschal (or Easter) Proclamation, or paschal praeconium -- it's just been referred to by the first word in Latin. No one knows for sure who wrote it, but it's one of the very ancient parts of our liturgy that has come down almost intact from the 4th century.
I recommend listening and familiarizing with the melody, maybe sight-reading along with the recording, if music is part of your studies. I get chills every time I hear the Exsultet, but especially at the Easter Vigil. There's just something so stirring to see the large Paschal Candle and the other little candles with their flames dispelling the darkness and hearing the solitary male voice singing the haunting melody through the still night.
It's good to read the entire original text, in a variety of translations. The version we hear is by the ICEL, and it's simple language, devoid of descriptive phrases. If you read the Latin version, the descriptive phrases are still there…it is the original text… just a little more "Puritan" version. So reading various translations can help fill in some visual imagery with the children. Even if you aren't studying Latin, try your hand at looking at the Latin text, seeing if there are words that are recognizable in an English form. Below are some versions of translations.
I have a friend who is a Dominican priest, and during his deaconate he was privileged to sing the Exsultet at Dominican House. He sang a version that was a bit different than I've heard, so he sent me the text. It's the approved Dominican version. I have that in a file, if you would like to see it.
3. Study of Bees, Wax and Candles: This point is related to above. One phrase that is omitted in our current translation is the praise of the bees: In the grace of this night, then, O Father, receive for an evening sacrifice this burning light, which holy Church renders unto Thee at the hand of her ministers in the solemn offering of this candle of wax, wrought by bees. Now we know the glory of this column which God's bright flame kindles. Though divided into parts, yet it suffers no loss from the light which it imparts. For it is fed from the melted wax which the mother bee wrought for the substance of this precious lamp. The Church has a great affinity for bees and wax. I've given a few links to see the discussion regarding this.
- Where are the Bees? by Carol Zaleski
- Old Manuscripts for the Exultet, with illustrations praising the bees.
- 1915 article, The Paschal Candle, by Joseph May. History of the use of the Paschal Candle. Interesting note about the symbolism of the wax:
The pure wax," says a standard liturgical writer, "symbolizes Our Lord's humanity, which was stainless and sinless; and the light, His divinity, which always shone forth and illumined His every action." Early in the sixth century, Ennodius, Bishop of Pavia, gave three reasons why a wax candle should be used for religious purposes. First, because the rush wick, having come out of pure water, was an emblem of purity; secondly, because the wax, being produced by virgin bees, typified chastity (both bees and fish were regarded as sexless); and, thirdly, because the flame suggested the love that descended from heaven. Durandus likens the wax to the body of Christ, the wick to His soul, the flame to His divine nature, and the actual burning of the candle to His lingering passion and death. - The Wax Candle in the Liturgy by Fr. John Bolen, history of the liturgical use of candles.
- Address on Bees by Pope Pius XII.
- Blessing of Bees on the Feast of St. Benedict
- Blessing of Candles on Candlemas
Following the wax trail, the Church has required candles in the liturgy to be at least 51% beeswax. If you get a little bit of money, get a wonderful beeswax candle, to be closest to what the Church has. Williams-Sonoma was offering some nice ones, but I'm sure any liturgical store has some Church candles. You could also try to make your own...Martha Stewart has a "Candles 101" Beeswax burns cleaner, and seems to last longer, also less drips on your beautiful artwork. I was also looking at some candle decorating supplies from Hearthsong -- candle decorating waxes and pens that I thought would work wonderfully on decorating my own Paschal candle.
4) Study of Symbols: The Easter Vigil is chock full of symbolism, so it gives great visual ideas for the notebooks. Linked together would be using symbols, wax, and extending it to the decoration of eggs. There is the very complicated Ukrainian style decoration, using wax and dyes and stylus to create a symbol of the Resurrection. We decorate hard-boiled eggs with wax crayons, covering the eggs with symbolism, and then dying in food coloring.
Our egg decorating has become a research haven. I have volumes of pamphlets and books that are filled with Catholic symbols. We pore over the books, filling our eggs with rich Resurrection symbols and stories. This paid off – one year, besides the lilies on the altar, the Dominican House had decorated the choir stalls with peacock feathers. It wasn't an odd sight to our family, as we knew right away that the peacock was a symbol of the resurrection.
I love your idea of an illuminated manuscript. I came across this quote from Preparing for Easter by Rev. Clifford Howell and thought it would be a lovely project to do: There was formerly a very interesting custom which did not die out until the middle ages; perhaps somebody might revive it some day! The words and music of the Exsultet were written out, not in a book with pages to be turned, but on a long parchment roll, beautifully illuminated with ornamental capital letters shining with gold and scintillating with bright colors. As the deacon sang from it, he had to unroll it; and the part which he had used then hung down from the front of his lectern in the sight of the people. And so there were drawn on it, upside down to the deacon so as to appear the right way up to the people, various pictures corresponding with the parts being sung.
For example, when he was singing, "let trumpets sound the triumph of the mighty King," the people could see a picture of the trumpeters; when he sang of the "candle wrought by the labor of bees," they could see a picture of a honeycomb with bees working on it to make the wax. It must have been rather exciting!
But even now, and without any pictures except those which we form in our minds, the Exsultet is exciting. The setting is perfect: the whole church ablaze with light while darkness reigns outside; all the people standing with lighted candles in their hands; the deacon arrayed in the most splendid white dalmatic which the parish can afford; in front of him, dominating the whole scene, the great paschal candle with its Sign of the Cross, Alpha, Omega, the date, the grains of incense, surmounted by its glowing flame.
There is a moment of expectant stillness; then he begins, to one of the loveliest tunes ever composed, an inspiring appeal that all heaven and earth should rejoice. Sorry to go on and on. As you can see, I love this subject! I can pass on a list of recommended reading, symbols books, or post some files of the chapters I scanned. I also can scan a few of the symbol graphics if anyone would like. There doesn't seem to be a place to post things, so I'll have to do it by email.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Family in Feast and Feria
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alicegunther
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>Sorry to go on and on. As you can see, I love this >subject! I can pass on a list of recommended reading, >symbols books, or post some files of the chapters I >scanned. I also can scan a few of the symbol graphics >if anyone would like. There doesn't seem to be a place >to post things, so I'll have to do it by email.
Dear Jenn,
No apology necessary!!! I loved your post and would be glad to read your other materials. I plan to post images from my daughters' notebooks right here in this forum, and I hope you will post your materials here as well. You can upload files and images by clicking the boxes above (the three squares under the word "colour").
Thanks so much for your great ideas and insight.
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
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Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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cathhomeschool
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alicegunther wrote:
| I hope you will post your materials here as well. You can upload files and images by clicking the boxes above (the three squares under the word "colour"). |
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Everyone can post internet links to files and pictures, but only moderators can UPLOAD files and pictures. Jenn will have to send the file to Alice and Alice will have to upload it to the forum.
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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Meredith
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Alice, Thank you so much for these beautiful Easter Vigil/Lenten plans. They are absolutely divine providence for my family right now as I have been fumbling for something more meaningful to engage my children in for this lent. We are expecting our 4th baby just shortly after Easter and I really wanted to spend our Lent not only preparing for our new little bundle, but rejoicing in new life as it relates to Jesus's life and death, etc. I'm saving the My Path to Heaven for my oldest dd (8 1/2) for next year as she will be in 4th grade, and it's a little too much for my two younger dss, so without rambling too much here, this is such a blessing and I'm thrilled to have stumbled across it through our CCM group. We love the lapbooking/scrapbooking/notebooking way of keeping our learning in a special place and this will be perfect.
Thanks again and many blessings to you and your family this lenten season. *JMJ*
PS: A note to the creators and moderators of this fabulous new format/site, it's truly remarkable and so inspiring for those of us who have to pick and choose how we spend our internet time. 
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Meredith
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alicegunther
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Thanks so much, Meredith. I will be praying for you and your new little one. This time last year, I was expecting a baby in March. It certainly is an exciting time.
We have been working on our notebooks, and I am very pleased with the way they are turning out so far. The girls will be adding their own baptismal and communion photos to the third section to remind them of the day they received those sacraments.
Interestingly, I'm beginning to think it would be great to bring the notebooks to the Vigil to use as personalized "missalettes," but I'm worried they would be too distracting.
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
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JennGM
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Alice,
Below are some church documents on the rules, rubrics, teachings of the Easter Vigil. IMHO these should be read, at least by the parents, so that one gets a grasp of the Liturgy and the teachings of the Church. There are also many of the Pope's sermons and letters that praise the Easter Vigil, that are very inspirational. None of these are hard to read, and are in fact good spiritual reading material!
But I want to ask how do you teach your children about this area of Church teachings? Of course it depends on the age, but those with older children, do you have them read the actual teachings, do you quote from it? I was thinking that I would have copies of the documents, showing the children that the Church provides certain regulations to make that everything is done correctly, enforcing the "universal" aspect of the Church. How does the Montessori Atrium present the Mass and such?
At what age do you start presenting or incorporating primary sources?
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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Alice,
You are so welcome and what a wonderful idea to take their special notebooks to the Vigil. I think it would make it SO real for them. I have my daughter bring her special prayer/mass book that she's been compiling for the past three years to Mass and it really makes it more personal for her. Besides everyone will want to know how they made those wonderful books! 
Brilliant plans once again, thank you for adding to our home schooling journey during this sacred and blessed time of year.
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Meredith
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I think the notebooks would be perfect. You're not putting in bunnies and other extraneous notions...it's a study of the Vigil. We have visual aids in church, so even more so these will help them, remind them to zone in on aspects of the Vigil.
I can't wait to view some pictures.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: Easter Vigil Notebooks
