Question of the Day for Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Easter vigil

Q. A fellow Catholic told me that going to the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday would satisfy the obligation of Easter Sunday Mass. My opinion is that even if you attend the Vigil of Holy Saturday, you still have to go to Mass on Easter Sunday. Who is correct?

-T.M.B., Wheaton, Ill.

A. Here’s a reply from OSV columnist Msgr. M. Francis Mannion:

This is an easy one. Attendance at the Easter Vigil fulfills the obligation to attend Mass on Easter Sunday. The vigil, called traditionally “the mother of all vigils,” is the highlight of the celebration of Easter and indeed may be considered the principal liturgy of the church year. The whole liturgical year leads up to and draws its meaning from the Easter Vigil.