Easter Vigil - Holy Saturday
Overview
Saturday, April 04, 2026 Holy Saturday Easter Vigil (Paschal Vigil)
Holy Mass 9 PM
Sacred Paschal Triduum
The Sacred Paschal Triduum, the time between Lent and Easter, is the three most solemn days of the liturgical year; Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil; and it's the holiest time of the year for Catholics, with some of the richest, most mysterious and sacramental celebrations of the year. These are the “high holy days” of the entire Church year.
Although celebrated Holy Saturday evening, it is the dramatic Easter vigil liturgy that marks the beginning of Easter. We are awaiting our master's return with our lamps full and burning, so that he will find us awake and seat us at his table (cf. Luke 12:35ff). All Catholics should try to attend this beautiful service. The vigil is divided into four parts:
- Service of Light,
- Liturgy of the Word,
- Liturgy of Baptism, and
- Liturgy of the Eucharist.
catholicculture.org/Easter Vigil
Easter Vigil is a most beautiful celebration that marks our holiest night, reveals the light of Christ, presents the new birth of Baptism, and transitions us into Easter joy. The rubrics of the Missale Romanum (The Roman Missal) remind us that this "mother of all vigils" is the "greatest and most noble of all solemnities".
More information on the blessing of the new fire and the Paschal candle below.
Sunday, April 05, 2026 Easter Sunday Masses - Holy Pascha (Easter) - Resurrection Sunday
The Solemnity of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ - Solemnity of Solemnities, Feast of Feasts (the Greatest Feast of the Church)
Holy Masses:
- Morning 9 AM & 11 AM
- Evening 7 PM
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Annunciation Catholic Church
9420 – 163 Street NW Edmonton, AB T5R 0A7
The Holy Saturday Liturgy begins with the Service of Light, which includes the blessing of the new fire and the Paschal candle which symbolizes Jesus, the Light of the World. The second part consists of the Liturgy of the Word with a series of Scripture readings. After the Liturgy of the Word, the Catechumens are presented to the parish community, who pray for them with the Litany of the Saints. Next, the priest blesses the water, placing the Easter or Paschal candle into the baptismal water. Those seeking Baptism then renounce sin and profess their faith after which they are baptized with the priest pronouncing the words, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
A fire burns, dispelling the night’s darkness, as the priest takes the Paschal Candle, carves a cross and other symbols into it, and lights the candle. With incense burning, the priest passes light from the candle to smaller candles held by everyone in attendance.
Holy Saturday
Holy Saturday (from Sabbatum Sanctum, its official liturgical name) is sacred as the day of the Lord's rest; it has been called the "Second Sabbath" after creation. The day is and should be the most calm and quiet day of the entire Church year, a day broken by no liturgical function. Christ lies in the grave, the Church sits near and mourns. After the great battle He is resting in peace, but upon Him we see the scars of intense suffering...The mortal wounds on His Body remain visible...Jesus' enemies are still furious, attempting to obliterate the very memory of the Lord by lies and slander.
There are no liturgies celebrated until the Easter Vigil. The entire celebration of the Easter Vigil must take place during the night, so that it begins after nightfall and ends before daybreak on the Sunday.
During the Easter Vigil, the Church awaits its "blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds" [Titus 2.13-14]. The Church's waiting is both historical and eschatological, both "then" and "future": with the holy women, we await the dawn of Resurrection and the announcement that the Lord is risen indeed; as the Church today, we await his return in glory, which will complete the drama of salvation history and inaugurate the Wedding Feast of the Lamb in its full splendour.
On this holy night, the Church keeps watch, celebrating the resurrection of Christ in the sacraments and awaiting his return in glory. It is the turning point of the Triduum, the Passover of the new covenant, which marks Christ's passage from death to life.
The Missale provides a solemn blessing to conclude the liturgy (EV, no. 68).
After Communion and the Prayer After Communion, the Mass concludes with the Solemn Blessing:
May almighty God bless you through today's Easter Solemnity and, in his compassion, defend you from every assault of sin.
R. Amen.And may he, who restores you to eternal life in the Resurrection of his Only Begotten, endow you with the prize of immortality.
R. Amen.Now that the days of the Lord's Passion have drawn to a close, may you who celebrate the gladness of the Paschal Feast come with Christ's help, and exulting in spirit, to those feasts that are celebrated in eternal joy.
R. Amen.And may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit, come down on you and remain with you for ever.
R. Amen.
and closes with the glorious sung dismissal:
V. Go forth, the Mass is ended, Alleluia, Alleluia. or Go in peace, Alleluia, Alleluia.
R. Thanks be to God, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Annunciation Catholic Church Liturgical Events
TBUpdated
Stations of the Cross every Lenten Friday (six Fridays) at 6:00 PM, Holy Mass at 6:30 PM.
Jubilee Year Eucharistic Processions Saturday, April 5, 2025 after the 5:00 PM Mass
Lenten Penitential Service Monday, April 7, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Palm Sunday of the Passion of Our Lord Sunday, April 13, 2025
- Saturday, April 12, 2025 - 5:00 PM Mass
- Sunday, April 13, 2025 Morning - 9 AM & 11 AM, Evening 7 PM Mass
Holy Thursday April 17, 2025 Holy Mass/Eucharist 7 PM
Good Friday & Stations of the Cross April 18, 2025 at 10 AM
Good Friday Service April 18, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Easter Vigil - Holy Saturday April 19, 2025 Holy Mass 9 PM
- April 25, 2025 - Friday @ 7:00 pm - 8:45 pm
- April 26, 2025 - Saturday @ 3:00 pm - 4:45 pm
- April 27, 2025 - Sunday @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Feast of Divine Mercy
Annunciation 65th Anniversary Fundraising Gala Dinner Friday, May 9, 2025 6:00 Ρ.Μ.
Holy Days of Obligation
On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are obliged to participate in the Holy Mass. - (Canon Law 1244-1253)
Holy days of obligation are feast days on which Catholics are required to attend Holy Mass and to avoid (to the extent that they are able) servile work. The faithful go to Mass on these days to rejoice. The Church invites the faithful to Mass on these holy days to recall that there is a reason to rejoice -
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life." (John 3: 16.)
From this perspective, holy days of obligation are a gift. The faithful take a step back from preoccupations to remember what is true, good, and beautiful.
Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy. For six days you shall labour and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son, or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore, the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.
Exodus 20: 8 - 11
Every Sunday, the Lord's Day, is recognized as a holy day of obligation and Catholics are bound to participate in Holy Mass on Sunday or at an anticipated Mass on Saturday in the late afternoon or evening.
There are 10 Holy Days of Obligation in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church:
- Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother Of God - January 1
- Epiphany - January 6
- Solemnity of St. Joseph - March 19
- Ascension of Our Lord
- Corpus Christi, the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ
- Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul - June 29
- Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Into Heaven - August 15
- All Saints Day - November 1
- Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary - December 8
- Christmas, the Nativity of Our Lord - December 25
Ref: Holy Days of Obligation, Liturgical Calendar, Most Important Solemnities & Feasts
Good to know
Highlights
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Location
Annunciation Catholic Church
9420 163 Street Northwest
Edmonton, AB T5R 0A7 Canada