The final Mass for the day is 5pm, so the archbishop says Mass, and we process out to the street, which is a big boulevard, where the police have the street blocked. I don't remember ever having first communicants throwing rose petals, but I've seen it done other places.
The first altar is in the courtyard behind the archbishop's residence a block down the street. We actually have a reading and a litany at each. That altar is the Litany of Mary. This year, I hear we are going to have "shepherds" with speakers along the route, but normally, it's a sound system on a golf cart.
When we are finished at the first altar, we process down the middle of a cross street - again, blocked by our city police - turn the corner and go to the convent behind the church where the second altar is. We hear a prayer, sing a litany, and move to the third.
By this time, it's usually going on dusk, so the Easter Vigil candles are handed out as we go into the courtyard of the center behind the Cathedral and we do a reading and a litany.
Then the procession moves to the street and around to the front of the Cathedral where all the front doors are open. And now for my favorite part: while we were out, every last gold candelabra we have has been placed in the sanctuary and the candles are lit. The lights in the church are dimmed and we walk down the aisles with lit candles. It is so beautiful.
After that is benediction - and yes we sing all the traditional hymns listed except for the Pange Lingua. That's more for Holy Thursday.
The revival started under Archbishop Rigali and the first year, the organizers had no idea what to expect. The place was fairly full. Rigali said he was delighted to see so many people and you could tell he absolutely was. Since then, we've worked a lot of the kinks out and the choir walks in the procession robed. I was talking to a cousin today and she said that they used to do it at their parish when she was growing up and one year, there was an altar at their house. She was really excited that we still do it somewhere, at least.
I hope you all do get to do this next year. It's really a beautiful procession.
This sounds beautiful. I like the singing of the litanies and the different prayers at each station. Other than the Litany of Loretto, what other litanies do you do?
One this year (or next year) could certainly be a litany for priests — since the Year of the Priest is starting.