Easter Vigil Writeup

The following article about the Easter Vigil has been submitted to Church Acts by the Cathedral.

It has become a 20s/30s tradition to host the Easter Vigil Champagne Reception at the Cathedral, and this year was another great success. Meeting on Good Friday morning at 7:00 am for some very plain oatmeal, the 20s/30s had their simple breakfast before fasting for the rest of the day—fasting while they started cooking! For all of Friday and all of Saturday, the group spent their time cooking in the Cathedral kitchen, while others set up the decorations in the Walker Room.

Almost everyone took Good Friday off from work to help, and when the Cathedral was short of ushers for the noonday Good Friday service, they even took a break from their efforts to fill in that gap! It was a real marathon, for from Maundy Thursday through to Easter Sunday, it was as if the 20s/30s Group had a Holy Week clergy schedule.

However, the hard work was rewarded. The Easter Vigil reception was a great success, with many people smiling as they tasted the vast array of delectable food. Grilled asparagus and prosciutto, gorgonzola and honey glazed apricots, raspberry and brie en croute, and portobella, red peppers, and fontina in filo were just a few of the items enjoyed by the crowd. The decorations were beautiful too—many colorful origami brightened the displays of willow branches throughout the Walker Room, magnified by mirrors placed throughout the buffet tables. Lots of hard work led to much Easter joy.

The 20s/30s Group at St. Paul’s gathers for a variety of activities throughout the year, but the Easter Vigil reception is their major event. More than anything, the group knows how to have fun, even when they are fasting on Good Friday. Other past events have included watching the Sabres at local pubs, field trips to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Haunted Allentown tours, Lenten book studies, and summer barbeques.