Sunday morning’s church service will be a bit different than usual. In St. Albert on Easter Sunday, it doesn’t matter what church you attend, the first service of the day will take place at 7 a.m. outside in the fresh, crisp air.
The Easter Sunrise Service is a tradition in this city now going back four decades. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the gathering is important to Michael McElroy, the pastor at Grace Family Church on Liberton Drive.
“It’s a milestone for us. We’ve been doing this a long time,” he said.
The invitation to tomorrow's annual service is extended to all of the city's 20-plus churches and everyone else in between. Grace Family Church will be represented there by McElroy and his congregation of 40 parishioners who attend the church’s regular Sunday service. There are another few dozen who attend its Friday evening cowboy service and its special service for the Filipino community on Sunday afternoons.
Expect a crowd of hundreds to take part in the brisk outdoor ceremony with an expected temperature of a few degrees below 0 C. The crowd of brothers and sisters in Christ should help warm the spirits and hands of all.
“Obviously we’re celebrating the resurrection of our Lord but it’s one of those events in which we can do in unity. This historical event is what makes us and unifies us.”
The service started in the mid-1970s and was first held on the Perron Street bridge.
“It used to be that the Protestants would go down from the United Church side and the Catholics from St. Albert Parish and we’d meet in the centre. One group would cry out ‘He is risen’ and the other group would cry ‘He is risen indeed.” In a symbolic way, we would all come together.”
Over time, they realized it was more of a fire hazard because it blocked the road. That’s when they moved it to St. Albert Place and they haven’t changed a thing since. The walk might no longer part of the official proceedings but many people still take the opportunity to make their own walks to uphold that tradition.
The open service starts at 7 a.m. tomorrow morning on the plaza in front of St. Albert Place with McElroy conducting the homily. It should take 30 minutes and the congregation is invited to gather inside city hall for further fellowship afterward. There will be coffee and refreshments for that gathering.
“This is a chance to see church members. You’re often pleasantly surprised to find folks that you know and you didn’t realize that they came to church and were believers. It’s a nice thing to discover about people.”
