Easter Celebrations

Members of the Newman community read and reflect on one of the Gospels during the Resurrection Vigil in 2014 (photo courtesy of Caio Andrade, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
Members of the Newman community read and reflect on one of the Gospels during the Resurrection Vigil in 2014 (photo courtesy of Caio Andrade, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Each year, the Newman Catholic Students’ Society pulls out all the stops for the most important event in the Christian liturgical calendar: Easter!

While the celebrations vary a little each year, they usually consist of:

  • Screening of The Passion of the Christ: On Good Friday, Newman recalls Christ’s passion by watching the well-known 2004 epic biblical drama film directed by Mel Gibson.
  • Resurrection Party: After a beautiful Easter Vigil Mass, the Newman Centre hosts a potluck feast to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord, with plenty of desserts, hors d’oeuvres, and other party foods.
  • Resurrection Vigil: After the Resurrection Party, the Newman community gathers around the Centre’s fireplace to stay up all night reading one of the Gospels from cover to cover. The reading is periodically interrupted for group discussion, prayer, taize, and praise & worship. Just before sunrise, we walk up Mount Royal to the lookout and read the account of the Resurrection as the sun rises!
  • Easter Breakfast: After enjoying the sunrise on the mountain, those attending the Resurrection Vigil return to the Newman Centre for an epic Easter morning breakfast.
  • Care Packages for the Homeless: After breakfast, Newmanites prepare care packages and distribute them to the homeless of Montreal.