In communion with the Archbishop were the Military Ordinary in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Msgr. Miro Relota, OFM, and about 10 priests, led by the rector of the cathedral and canon Rev. Marko Zubak.

Procession with the Easter candle

At the beginning of the vigil, the Archbishop blessed the fire on the cathedral steps and then carved a cross into the Easter candle, as well as the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, which signify Christ. The Easter candle was then lit and carried in procession through the cathedral and placed on a candlestick in the sanctuary and incensed.

Then the rector of the cathedral, Rev. Zubak sang the Easter hymn, and after the consecrated persons and lay people read texts from the Old Testament, there followed the solemn singing of the Glory, the ringing of bells, and the playing of the organ, which resounded after the "silence" that had lasted since Holy Thursday, i.e. the Holy Mass of the Lord's Supper. After the reading of the New Testament text, the great news of Christ's resurrection was announced, after which those present sang Alleluia.

Transitions and Conversions

The homily on the occasion was delivered by Msgr. Vukšić, who first explained the meaning of the Vigil Mass, which was named because at that time Christian believers gather and symbolically wait for the most important reality in the history of salvation to come true: the resurrection of Jesus. He explained that the vigil is not the main content, nor the main message of the holy night, but rather a "transition", which was particularly reminded of by the biblical reading from the Old Testament that reports how God brought the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, i.e. from a state of humiliation, into the promised land and into freedom.

"This transition from one state to another, from worse to better, is not only read in a symbolic way in the liturgy but literally and symbolically indicates all subsequent transitions, collective and individual, in the history of salvation. The Chosen People, in their religious tradition, regularly marked this transition with a great feast, prayers and joint gatherings in gratitude to the Lord for this great gift. During those days of celebration, Jesus' transition from death to life also took place, and it is precisely this event that is the reason for our vigil tonight", said Archbishop Tomo, explaining that this concept symbolically begins the speech about every other transition in human life.

"It is necessary that in the life of each of us our transition, my and your transition from a worse state to a better one, takes place", the Archbishop of Vrhbosna stated, addressing the newly baptized who were sitting in the front rows. "God has blessed you first of all with the courage to embark on the path of conversion. He has blessed you that you have gathered the courage tonight to move from the state that has existed until today to the new state of the baptized of God," said Msgr. Vukšić, emphasizing that there is another transition that needs to take place: "the conversion of all of us, regardless of what stage of our following Christ the Lord we are at, is never so perfect that it cannot be even better."

Explaining that there may be stumbles on this path, he further explained the need to renounce these phenomena, i.e. to abandon the captivity of private, personal, psychological and moral "Egypt" and go out into the promised land of freedom of God's blessing and the children of God.

"I thank you once again for these brothers and sisters and their 'transition' and we pray for God's blessing so that each of us may experience a transition in the form of conversion", said the Archbishop at the end and after the sermon, in the baptismal service, he blessed the baptismal font and administered the sacrament of baptism to: Ena, Ana, Ida Laura, Jasna Elizabeta, Ajdin Kristijan and Marin.

The Holy Mass continued with the Eucharistic service at the end of which Archbishop Vukšić wished the faithful a happy and blessed Easter, and congratulated the catechumens on their baptism: "Dear brothers and sisters who have received the sacraments of initiation tonight, welcome to the Catholic Church!"

During the vigil Holy Mass, the ceremonies were conducted by Rev. Ivan Rako, and the liturgical singing was animated by the mixed cathedral choir Josip Stadler under the direction of Rev. Marko Stanušić.