The lights are turned on in the cathedral basilica after the Easter Proclamation. (Screenshot)
By Anna Weaver
Hawaii Catholic Herald
A bright smile showed on Bishop Larry Silva’s face as the cathedral bells rang out, the altar candles were lit up and the “Gloria” was sung during the Easter Vigil at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu on April 11.
The moment where Lent transitions into Easter gladness was a much-needed burst of joy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The coronavirus led Bishop Silva to hold the Easter Vigil and all Holy Week services in private, with a small number of clergy and lay ministers in attendance. The liturgies have been broadcast live at hictv.com and on the cathedral’s Facebook page for the many who could not be present. The cathedral basilica has also livestreamed its Sunday 9 a.m. Masses celebrated by the bishop since the Hawaii state shelter-in-place order have also been livestreamed.
The Easter Vigil at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace on April 11 (Screenshot)
COVID-19 meant that no members of the elect received the Rites of Initiation at Easter Vigils across the state this year. Their initiations are on hold until the pandemic is under control. (Initially, the Diocese of Honolulu had said that the cathedral basilica’s two members of the elect would receive their rites at the April 11 Easter Vigil.)
“We, of course, are with our elect who couldn’t be with us here tonight from our many parishes,” Bishop Silva said towards the end of Mass. “But we pray with them that your journey towards the Easter sacraments will continue and will culminate very soon.”
The normal bonfire outside the historic church on Fort Street Mall did not take place this year. The new Paschal candle was instead marked and lit inside the cathedral basilica. And what is normally a well-attended Mass was instead a liturgy held in an almost empty church.
The bonfire outside the cathedral basilica did not take place this year. (Screenshot)
Aside from those changes, the 2-hour-plus Mass continued as normal, with its seven additional scripture readings and added prayers and songs.
The length of the service and anticipation of watching Easter Masses the next day were perhaps why viewing numbers were lower for the Easter Vigil than the previous day’s Good Friday service. At its peak, almost 580 people watched the hictv.com livestream of the April 11 Mass. Another 245 tuned into the Facebook livestream at its highest viewing point.
In his Easter Vigil homily, Bishop Silva focused on how Satan has pursued humans since the beginning of time. But he said renewing baptismal promises together as the body of Christ means our vows renouncing Satan “have a power that we cannot imagine.”
“We know for certain that Jesus has broken the bonds of everlasting death forever, that he is here not just in spirit but truly in his risen body,” the bishop said.
It is the word “Alleluia” “we sing together that will always stop this ancient enemy in his tracks.”
At the end of the Mass, Bishop Silva again read aloud the Diocese of Honolulu’s Prayer for the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and thanked all who were watching and said, “We hope we can be together again very soon, physically.”
“And we wish all of you a very happy Easter season!”
Recordings of the Easter Vigil and other Holy Week services are available to watch online, and an Order of Worship was also posted.
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