Easter Vigil Service "Miss Olivia" Style

Dear Friends
It is one am Easter morning and I have just returned from the most glorious Easter Vigil Celebration I have ever attended!
There have been memorable ones in the past: Baptism’s when I as a young woman was godmother to baby Kevin Shoaf., son of my cousin Mary and her husband Dick., Confirmation, when I stood up for my friend Carolyne Jones when she converted to Catholicism some 15 years ago. There was the Easter Vigil Service when Fr. Paul decided one person was to read all the many scripture readings and that person was to be me! I still can’t read the scripture about the “chariots and charioteers” without getting the giggles. Lucky girl who read it tonight as “chariots and horsemen”, not anywhere the tongue twister that I had to repeat many times.. Somehow I managed thru it and since Fr. Paul filmed most of his Masses, I even have it on a tape somewhere should I forget-smile,
At any rate, there have been numerous happy, holy, unforgettable * Easter Vigil Masses, but none can top my first Easter in Uganda.
I was looking forward to tonight all day because I have been quite impressed with the genuine Lenten devotion. of the young woman and men (yes, I said men) who live here and attend the nursing school.. Each Friday we gathered outdoor for “The Stations of the Cross”. Remembering Christ’s Passion , death and yes Ressurection has never been so meaningful to me as this year has been..Only yesterday, Good Friday, many joined us for this ancient prayer and a photo is hopefully included in this blog..
So I rested this afternoon in preparation for the 10pm service, sent my first successful text messages ever and with flashlight in hand meandered the wooded path to the St. Francis Church, here on hospital grounds. I was early but I heard voices so I followed the sound behind the church, to find the nursing students had started a large bonfire,.ablaze against the night sky..
Certainly it is tradition for us all to enter a darkened church, with only the light of the Pascal candle which, having been lit by the bonfire,(or any form of fire) is carried by the Priest. So it was tonight; as we silently entered the Chapel groping our way to our seats.
. . That was when I noticed that Sr. Justine,(remember Sr.= nurse not nun) had a large protrusion on her back. Quickly I surmised this “growth” was her unbelievable adorable 17 mo old daughter Olivia, wrapped tightly on her back and sound asleep..
Well, I’ve been to church before with Olivia and it is always quite entertaining, as Olivia is a performer and after an hour of being passed from lap to lap, she decides it is time to roam----usually ending up on the altar with Fr. John (thank heavens girls are allowed on the altar these days). But tonight she was sound asleep and lovingly draped around her mothers back, nothing visible except the white beads that jingled from her braided hair..
Mass began with wonderful singing, many scripture readings ( yes the chariot and horsemen were among them). I was already relaxed and content as I listened to the melodious voices, and joined in when I could, when all the sudden Olivia woke, looked around and realized she was in church and had a large captive audience. At first we played the distraction game, but soon she heard the call of the wild, and was off and running. First to people she knew , she even found my lap a worthy one for twenty minutes, but then it was time for the true celebration , Olivia climbed onto the altar, decided to pick the flowers(only it was an arrangement.) and soon was the center of attention. All this time her mother, a quiet self possessed elegant woman, is getting more embarrassed by the millisecond
Following Holy Communion, the music is wonderfully rousing, but no where as rousing as Olivia when she starts to dance.-ha. This child is an old soul, a light, something unique----of that much I am sure! .
We were all enjoying her, except her mother who alternated between putting her hands over her eyes (if you don’t see Olivia dancing at the Consecration , is it not really happening, Justine?) and attempting to corral her offspring within her control., Neither attempt was successful , so Olivia danced as the drums played and Jesus took the form of bread and wine. Alleluhia!!!!!
Then Father announced ”It is Easter, He is Risen! It is time we took a lesson from this little one” So everyone was on their feet swaying and clapping and then dancing! Yep, dancing!! Many circled around the altar with arms swaying in a high Hawaiian movement, others seem to follow a set pattern of right, left, clap. All this time the drums continued to get faster and faster, then the dance moves followed suite and then it all STOPS-----almost as if in mid air. Wow, it was exhilarating.!!
Now it is time to leave and I am use to the Priest and servers leaving and our following them, but here we all parade out with the servers behind us, followed by the priest who is carrying the consecrated hosts across the road to the small chapel.. The celebration continues with more dancing, music and joyous clapping as all the people who were in the huge Church, now squish into a tiny Chapel, accompanying Fr. John as he places the hosts in the tabernacle and turns on a light. Then the Sisters (religious nuns this time) adorn the altar with new sparklingly white cloths and this is all done while they continue to dance and sing..
By this time the guys have gotten into the act and start to do an almost Zorba the Greek routine. It is very much their time and the woman, while still jubilant, stand back to let them have their moment..
Coming home, again flashlight in hand, was more of a skipping, as Olivia, our instigator was satiated and ready to sleep.
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Thank you Olivia for you gifts of joy and liberation. Thank you Fr. John for recognizing the gifts she brought and honoring them.
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HE IS, indeed RISEN !!!!!!!!! ALLELUIA

Wishing you, at least half, the Joyous Easter I have had
Marie

* Carolyne, Mary Jo, Heather: Remember Easter Vigil at the Daylesford Abbey, PA.-- , being on page 4 of some 13 pages? Who would have believed that Carolyne would later become a Roman Catholic?-smile


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