“Do not be afraid” is the invitation that resounds on Easter night. 

“I too, dear faithful, say to you tonight: do not be afraid!” Bishop Paolo Martinelli urged in his homily during the solemn Vigil Mass. “Here now is the announcement that Jesus has risen, Jesus has conquered. Death could not hold him back. We are invited to reread creation, the world, and history in the light of Christ, crucified and risen.”

The Vigil Mass is rich in symbolism, a visible sign of the passage from darkness to light, from death to life, from fear to trust, from sin to forgiveness and new creation.

The liturgy began with the blessing of the new fire outside St. Joseph’s Cathedral. The Bishop then lit the Paschal Candle—symbol of Christ—which advanced through the darkened church, piercing the darkness, and was raised three times as he proclaimed: “The Light of Christ.”

The bells rang during the singing of the “Gloria,” and the altar candles were lit. After the forty days of Lent, the “Alleluia” finally resounded in the Cathedral.

After the homily, Bishop Paolo blessed the water and baptized twelve catechumens, and also welcomed six others into full communion with the Catholic Church. These were moments marked by deep emotion and joy, as faces lit up with gratitude and hope at the beginning of a new life in Christ. 

In his homily, the Bishop stressed the profound connection between the Resurrection and Baptism.
“There is a sacrament that makes us participants in the death and resurrection of Christ and that allows us to live even now as risen ones: it is our baptism,” Bishop Paolo said, noting that it makes us “new creatures.”

At Easter, all the faithful renew their baptismal promises. “Baptism is not just a sacrament we received one day in the past. Baptism defines us today as children of God. With baptism, Christ has made us part of his risen life, now and not just in the future. No longer does fear define our lives, but the joy of the risen Christ, his presence among us.”

The Paschal greeting resounded at the end of the Mass: “Christ is risen; he is truly risen. Alleluia!”