It is chant which is the distinct musical language of our church, not hymns. But, we human beings have betrayed him so much, such an enumeration of our sins and forgetfulness would also be time consuming. Parts of the melody of the Exultet will be recognised as the same used for the preface of the Eucharistic prayer: this reduces the burden of learning something new. This is sung during the Easter Vigil with the Paschal Candle. The Exsultet - also known as the "Easter Proclamation" - is sung at the opening of the Easter Vigil, just after the entry and procession with the Paschal Candle and the threefold singing of "The Light of Christ" verse/response. Non-Clergy singing the Exultet on Easter Vigil. Each one of us is responsible for all of the things in Christ’s passion, so beautifully and poignantly illustrated in the poem. A central point of the Exultet, is the legitimate development of liturgical practices, which is similar to the development of doctrine, analyzed famously by John Henry Cardinal Newman in his An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine.13 Father Adrian Nocent, O.S.B., shows that the Easter vigil we have today, underwent a long development. Sorry. Read a commentary on the Exsultet by Father Michael J. Flynn.. Exult, let them exult, the hosts of heaven, exult, let Angel ministers of God exult, let the trumpet of salvation sound aloud our mighty King's triumph! glo - Responsorial Psalm Responsorial Psalm. I've hesitated to post anything until I could get better sources, but according to what I've looked up so far a non-clergy cantor was only to be used in case of inability by the Priest or Deacon(s) serving at the Vigil. It is sung by Deacons but the ordinary minister for singing the proclamation of the Exaltat is the Priest. It is an announcement of the evangelium, the good news: Rejoice, heavenly powers! Exult, let them exult, the hosts of heaven, exult, let Angel ministers of God exult, let the trumpet of . This attitude unconsciously identifies man with his soul alone, devaluing the value of the body in the whole plan of salvation. The Luckey family never forgot the real meaning of Christmas for a moment. Now his life and glo ry fill you! The Easter Vigil is not merely an evening Mass, like the vigil of a Sunday or holyday. Singing the “Exsultet” can be intimidating! The deacon singing the Exultet at Easter Vigil The Benedictine theologian of liturgy, Cyprian Vagaggini, points out that there are certain attitudes, surprisingly, within the church today, which have muddled the understanding of Easter. In the Exultet, there are three main events of salvation history compared with their antitypes. Indeed, it’s one of the Church’s richest treasure, indeed a type of a haggadah. But it is long and challenging, and needs to be proclaimed well if it is to be prayed well. Log in. Merely looking at the ceremony of the Pascal candle, tells one that the candle is a symbol of Christ. St. John emphasizes how: “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. Sing choirs of angels! The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. One church in this parish has traditionally received the Oils on Holy Thursday before the commencement of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. This explains the lessons, all of which revolve around the theme of newness of life. .” when the blood of the true Lamb saves the households of all believers; when the Israelites were led through the Red Sea; when the pillar of fire destroyed the darkness of sin (a clear symbol of the Paschal candle, and the pillar of fire which was the shekina or the glory of God accompanying the Israelites); when Christians are restored to grace; when Christ rose from the grave and broke the chains of death; when heaven is wedded to earth. If this is not possible, another cantor may sing the Exultet. I raised you to the height of majesty, but you raised me high on a cross. The early Didascalia Apostolorum shows that there was a vigil containing a fasting and prayer service, culminating in the Eucharist. I bore you up with manna in the desert, but you struck me down and scourged me. Jesus himself says: “I am the light of the world” (Jn 9:5). We took turns singing the phrases (skipping the priest/deacon parts) and then sang about the last two pages in … The "Exultet" is an ancient hymn of the church, an Easter proclamation which recounts the saving acts of God in the Old and New Testaments. The second aspect is that of an anaphora, because it is a “blessing and oblation of light.”9 The proclamation goes through the basics of salvation history, but shows types of events in the Old Testament in the anti-types of Easter: “This is the night. Privacy. Christmas—at least the Christmases of this author—was a wonderful time. The Exultet is a very lengthy, yet beautiful proclamation of the resurrection of Christ, resembling Haggadah, the great proclamation in the Jewish Pascal supper. I fed you with manna from heaven and brought you to a land of plenty; but you led our [sic] Savior to the cross. Now, through the resurrection, there are formed the people of God’s Son. Member of the congregation had a difficult time trying to understand the meaning of the symbols such as the work of the mother bees. I gave you water from the rock, but you gave me gall and vinegar to drink. The Exultet is a very lengthy, yet beautiful proclamation of the importance of the resurrection of Christ. But this does not exclude the fact that the deacon or priest may also sing the proper parts. The Exultet (also known as the Exsultet or sometimes the Easter Proclamation) is the traditional Western Rite hymn of praise intoned by the deacon during the Easter Vigil.In the absence of a deacon, it may be intoned by the priest, or by the cantor.It is intoned after the procession with the Paschal Candle before the beginning of the Liturgy of the Word. Zechariah’s prophecy speaks of the “day [which] shall dawn upon us from on high to give light to those sit in darkness and in the shadow of death…” (Lk 1:78-79). Christ is Risen, Indeed, He is Risen. When we confess our sins, it is as if they were never committed; in the Exultet, things our disloyalty did to the Savior are forgotten. to keep HPR reaching clergy around the world. The Exultet does not appear on the scene until the fourth century, while the formulary for the blessing of the new fire does not appear until the twelfth century.14 The unmistakable fact is that the developed Easter vigil, with its beautiful and instructive Exultet, is a great advance over the earlier celebration. This is sung during the Easter Vigil … Since 1900. The music for the Easter Proclamation (Exsultet), in both its short and long form, can be downloaded from the ICEL musical settings website. […] The Exultet: Liturgical Treasure of the Easter Vigil – Dr. Wil. Carlos our dean would say, I elected to sing the Exultet (Easter Proclamation). Going to the ambo, the deacon then sings the Exultet. It resembles the Haggadah, which was the great proclamation in the Jewish Pascal supper; part of the “Great Hallel” (Hallell from Hallelulia), which was the singing of Psalms 113-118 and 136. He has been married for 45 years, and has four grown children, and 22 grandchildren. When I was in college I and another music student sang the Exsultet. A child’s first introduction to his Savior is usually to the baby Jesus, in the arms of his mother. In the reproaches, there are many more: I led you out of Egypt from slavery to freedom, but you led your savior to the cross. Communion Song. One fascinating aspect of this great proclamation is the section on original sin. The first is the form of a Gospel. Also, in the Exult, there were some member of the congregation who were of the Jewish faith as one of the elect for Baptism was of the Jewish faith. America's foremost pastoral publication. . Start the New Year Right with a Spectacular Alleluia, “Homily — Feast of the Holy Family, Year B” • Father Valentine Young, OFM, Chasing the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, PDF Download • “Midnight Mass Musical Plan” (2020). There is the all too prevalent attitude— seen in the Church of this author’s childhood, and among many more “traditionalist” Catholics—of an abstract and disembodied spiritualism. The resurrection, one gets the feeling from the way the Exultet is worded and sung, was so great, it overcame all the past. For, I will take you away from among the nations, gather you from all the foreign lands, and bring you back to your own land. Then, the prayer offers the candle to God: “Accept this Easter candle, a flame divided but undimmed, a pillar of fire that glows to the honor of God.” The candle should, the prayer continues, mix with the lights of heaven, to dispel the darkness of this night, and may the true morning star, the resurrected Christ, find the candle always burning. Make this new fire holy and inflame us with new hope . And then the deacon or priest or a cantor chants the great Easter Proclamation. It freed men from the slavery to sin, which, if not compensated for, and then repented of, would lead to a slavery that would last forever.3, In line with this Israelite tradition, the Easter vigil used to be a separate liturgical action, lasting all night, ending with Mass at dawn. One of the most spectacular rites of the Easter Vigil is the singing, traditionally by the deacon, of one very long prose called the Exultet before the Paschal Candle. For forty years I led you safely through the desert. Sing, choirs of angels! Thou hast delivered up thy Son to redeem a slave. But in a way, it may also apply to the postlapsarian advantages accruing to the children of Adam and Eve.”11 St. Paul wrote: “Law came in to increase the trespass; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 5: 20-21). While not liturgically correct, because Advent is a time of expectation and repentance, this prepares society for the feast. The Church tells us that belief and liturgy are tied up together: “The Church’s faith precedes the faith of the believer who is invited to adhere to it. Since we have no singing deacons as Fr. It humbles earthly pride: singing the Exultet By deacon greg kandra Last year, I had my first experience scaling the Everest of liturgical chant, the Exultet . Presentation of the Gifts. Some weeks back, I wrote about the challenge of singing the Exultet — and I’ve gone on record describing my own experience scaling that mountain for the first time. Second, there is the passage through the Red Sea. In the absence of a deacon, a priest or by a cantor may sing the Exsultet. It resembles the Haggadah , which was the great proclamation in the Jewish Pascal supper; part of the “Great Hallel” (Hallell from Hallelulia), which was the singing of Psalms 113-118 and 136. Can a cantor sing the Exultet at the Vigil, or is this reserved for the priest/deacon only? The text is divided into four sections, simply for ease of reference. Luckey, Hmltc & Pstrl Rev […]. Here is an opportunity to work closely with them. The delivery from Egypt is a type of delivery from the eternal death of sin. . Deacon singing Exultet. Why is the Catholic population decreasing in numbers? I led you from slavery to freedom and drowned your captors in the sea, but you handed me over to your high priests. I planted you as my fairest vine, but you yielded only bitterness: when I was thirsty you gave me vinegar to drink, and you pierced your Savior with a lance. There is something primordial and mystical about the experience. Meanwhile, let’s break it down and … However, in the new translation, it just didn’t seem to fit the musical annotations. Certainly, this recalls the famous prophecy of Ezekiel: I will prove the holiness of my great name, profaned among the nations, in whose midst you have profaned it. It demonstrates that the Holy Spirit constantly works in his Church to reveal more and more “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph 3:8). Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed. He is widely published in scholarly and popular forms. The most unique feature of the Easter Vigil is its emphasis on light. It appeared to be wordy and seem to lose it’s impact as some of my brother deacons as well as some priests who proclaimed the Exultet this past Holy Saturday evening at the Easter Vigil. When the Paschal Candle is placed in its prominent candle stand in the church, the church’s lights are turned back on, the candle is incensed, and the deacon (or a priest, or a lay cantor if need be) intones one of the most evocative and poetic hymns of praise in all liturgy: the Easter Proclamation – also known as the Exsultet, named after the first word of the Latin original. This is because it is a celebration of everything related to our salvation. again this year after a two year hiatus. I searched the web in vain for a recording to help me to practice. The Magis Center for Catholic Spirituality, All references to the ceremonies of the Easter Vigil are taken from. A thorough and compelling answer from Deacon Bill Ditewig: Recently, a good friend and a priest whom I respect very much, asked me just WHY the deacon The radio played Christmas hymns, way in advance. I was asked to sing the Exultet on one week's notice in 2005. At a higher pitch: Video (High Quality) • Video. You must have JavaScript enabled to fill out this form. The deacon singing the Exultet at Easter Vigil. Jesus Christ, our King is risen! . Essentially, if it were not for the resurrection, all the other things that Jesus did and said, including his birth, would not be efficacious for our salvation. As singing the Exsultet is the rightful role of the Deacon, it may also be sung by a priest or a cantor. It is called the Exsultet (or Exultet) for the first word of the prayer. After the incarnation, the resurrection is but a simple episode.”1. At the Great Vigil of Easter 2009 - St Thomas Episcopal Church, Bushwick - Brooklyn, NY The Exsultet (spelled in pre-1920 editions of the Roman Missal as Exultet) or Easter Proclamation, in Latin Praeconium Paschale, is a lengthy sung proclamation delivered before the paschal candle, ideally by a deacon, during the Easter Vigil in the Roman Rite of Mass. The people who were faithful to God, would be delivered from a much greater evil than Egyptian slavery, which came to an end in the death of the slave. I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, {a clear type of Baptism, which forgives all sins, original and actual, and which is performed during the Easter vigil}, and from all your idols, I will cleanse you. And, still: “God is light and in him is no darkness at all. It is such an important proclamation that the congregation stands for it, as for a gospel, and the deacon reads it dressed all in white, recalling the angel at the tomb: “His appearance was like lightening, and his clothing white as snow” (Mt 28:3).8 It has two particular aspects. Meanwhile, let’s break it down and … Blessing of New Easter Candle, Singing of the Exultet Responsorial Psalm. Having emphasized to him all his life how evil sin is, it is quite provocative to hear the deacon or priest sing in the Exultet: O happy fault {referring to original sin}, O necessary sin of Adam, Exsultet -- The Easter Proclamation. In addition, Dom Jerome Gassner, O.S.B., from his writing on the Exultet, states that there is a parallelism between the structure of the Exultet, and the reproaches of Good Friday, and was intended to be so.12 The reason for this, is that the Exultet is older than the Reproaches. . which gained for us so great a Redeemer! The Exultet is a very lengthy, yet beautiful proclamation of the importance of the resurrection of Christ. I led you on your way on a pillar of cloud {he Shekinah}, but you led me to Pilate’s court. What is this statement saying to us? 3. The author would like to thank Sr. Mary Timothy Prokes, FSE, Ph.D., for her guidance in composing this essay. There is also a “juridic mentality” placing the whole notion of resurrection in the realm of ransom, satisfaction and merit. In itself, it summarizes the mystery of our salvation to the extent we are able to know it. In the Reproaches, we can make the link between Israel’s unfaithfulness, and ungratefulness, and our own. For you I struck down the kings of Canaan, but you struck my head with a reed. g ra … So, the Exultet has an enlightening and instructional function, as well as a great praise to God. This resurrection is the true Paschal festival, at once final and forever. The first prayer of the priest reminds the faithful that “this” is the Passover of the Lord, and that “we shall share in his victory over death.” After blessing the fire, the priest says: “Father, we share in the light of your glory, through your Son, the light of the world. Singing the Exultet is a proper function of a deacon although the priest may also do so. First, there is a positivist-historicist mentality which kind of tricked us into seeing the resurrection of Christ separately from his passion, and, then, his passion and death separately from his resurrection, and, both of these, separate from the sacraments. . If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie, and do not live according to the truth; but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin (1 Jn 5-7). It has the letters Α and Ω, to which Our Lord refers to himself in Rev 1:8: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” There are five large grains of incense in the candle inserted by the celebrant with the words: “By his holy and glorious wounds may Christ our Lord guard us and keep us.” The deacon then brings the lit candle into the darkened church, stops three times, saying: “Christ, Our Light.”. A bit off topic (I apologize), but is it permissible for two cantors to sing the Exultet? . There seems to have been a significant effort here to inject a lyricism into the 2010 translation, a little strained perhaps at times Historically, the Exultet was sung only once each year at the beginning of the Paschal (Easter) Vigil Service. Christ gave everything he had, to the last drop of blood, to grant general salvation, of which each person has the right to take advantage. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Cor 15:16-17). First, there is Christ as the true lamb. MP3 Recordings: (lower pitch) • (higher pitch) An additional MP3 by Brad Barnhorst, courtesy CMAA.. Care should be taken to avoid singing a hymnised version of the Exultet in its place. Exult, all creation around God's throne! So, ultimately, this “happy fault” and “necessary sin” refer “to the fact that Christ’s redemptive, remedial coming is so much greater than the original moral illness afflicting humanity. God has done so much for each one of us, personally, that an attempt to enumerate his blessings would be a major investment of time. At a lower pitch: Video (High Quality) • Video. . The The Pascal Candle is lit from a fire and processed by the deacon into a dark church. And 22 grandchildren of men is it permissible for two cantors to sing Exultet! Is this reserved for the priest/deacon only I and another music student sang Exsultet. 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