By Kathy-Ann Gobin
BROOKFIELD—More than 100 lit luminaries lined the front of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Church in Brookfield as the faithful gathered for the annual Easter Vigil Mass.
“This is the greatest night in the Church,” said Father Shawn W. Jordan, St. Marguerite’s pastor. “On this Easter night, we celebrate this great light in our life.”
As each person entered the Candlewood Lake Road church, they received a white candle. The Mass began in darkness and after the Easter Paschal Candle was lit, Father Jordan proceeded to light a parishioner’s candle and each parishioner turned and lit the candle of the person next to them until the entire church was awash in candlelight, signifying the light of Christ being shared with everyone and the hope and renewal of Easter and Christ’s resurrection from the dead.
Several Old Testament readings were read by candlelight. Following the Gospel reading, the lights of the church were turned on and candles extinguished, indicating that Christ is Risen.
“We are not made to live in darkness,” said Father Jordan during his homily. “Our eyes naturally went to the light not the darkness, our lives naturally gravitate to him.”
“People live with a great sense of darkness in our life today,” said Father Jordan, referencing the prayer requests that were hand-written on the paper luminaries lining the outside of the church.
The luminaries were available in the narthex of the church for anyone to write their prayer intentions. Father Jordan said many of the luminaries, which were lit with battery-operated votive candles, had requests for prayers for family members to come back to church, for family relationships in complete breakdown to be repaired, for marriages to be better and for addictions to be broken.
Following the homily, the candles held by the faithful, were once again lit before the renewal of baptismal promises. Father Jordan then blessed those gathered by walking throughout the church and sprinkling Holy Water on the congregation. Bottles of Holy Water were available for everyone to take home.
“I like the candlelight ceremony and the symbolism of being in the dark and coming into the light,” said Jennifer Maas, who was attending the Mass with her family.
Parishioner and choir member Phyllis Babulini agreed.
“It’s very emotional,” she said. “It just means so much.”
Father Jordan said it is important to follow what the angels instructed the women at the tomb of Christ to do; to spread the Good News that Christ is Risen from the dead.
“Now like the angels told the women, may we go and do it.”
