Archbishop Tomo was joined by the Apostolic Nuncio in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Archbishop Francis Assisi Chullikat, and about 10 priests.

Service of Light

At the beginning of the vigil, Archbishop Vukšić blessed the fire on the cathedral steps. Then he carved a cross into the Easter candle and the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet - alpha and omega, which denote Christ. Then he placed five grains of incense on the arms and in the middle of the cross, which denote the five wounds of the crucified Christ. The Easter candle was then lit and carried in procession through the cathedral, placed on a candlestick in the sanctuary, and incensed.

Then the deacon Rev. Marin Petrović sang the Easter Hymn, and after the reading and the appropriate psalms, there was the solemn singing of the Glory, the ringing of bells, and the playing of the organ, which resounded after the "silence" of Holy Thursday, that is, 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.

Transition from death to life

Monsignor Vukšić then delivered the homily on the occasion, speaking about Passover, or the transition - from bad to good and from good to better. "Jesus is our Passover in a new way. He passed from death to life this night, from time to eternity. With this new transition, he actually liberated not only one chosen people, but gave birth to freedom for all peoples and every person. To pass from a state of captivity to a state of freedom, from a state of sin to a state of holiness, from time to eternity.

His resurrection is actually a transition, that is, an event in his life that is also a call for us, because by his departure from this world to the other side, he forever opened the doors of Heaven, established a bridge between earth and Heaven, through which all good people are destined to pass from this world to the other. Jesus' Passover, his transition, is actually in the service of our Passover, our transition, our liberation from the state of death and the transition to the state of life, our liberation while we are in this life and the transition from the state of sin to the state of holiness, or at least, to embark on the path of conversion", the Archbishop of Vrhbosna reminded, encouraging those present to make their own transition, blessed by the grace of God.

He then called on everyone to reflect on the effort they are putting into their Passover, into their transition from captivity to liberation, that is, their departure from sinful tendencies that distance them from the noble, the good, and God Himself.

"It is necessary that, based on Jesus' transition, his resurrection, we work on our moral transition, on our moral exit from captivity to evil and sin and transition to a better state. This is the night when, believing in Jesus' transition, in Jesus' victory over death, each of us is called to make the transition from bad to good, or if we are in good, to make the transition from good to even better", said Msgr. Vukšić.

He then referred to the six baptized persons who will receive baptism on this Easter night, saying that the purpose of this sacrament is to put off the old man and put on the new, "so that we may walk in newness of life."

"While we rejoice in your baptism, we also remember our own baptisms, our promises to move on to something better. And again, we ask God's mercy to forgive us and, on the other hand, we ask God's blessing to support us in all those steps that were in the service of this and such a transition", urged Archbishop Tomo, concluding that "the purpose of Jesus' resurrection is the happiness of people already here on earth, so that happy and joyful people here would deserve to enter through the gates of paradise where, God willing, they will rejoice together with him."

Newly baptized

After the sermon, in the baptismal service, the Archbishop blessed the baptismal font and administered the sacrament of baptism to: Ivana Koh, Minela Julija Karaman, Angela Emanuela Miheljić, Daniela Beglerović, Mija Petrović and Vita Lea Popara.

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.

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.

The Eucharistic celebration was broadcast live on BHT1.