Q: When the pastor and I were discussing the Psalmody for the Easter Vigil, we discovered that we had different experiences of the Alleluia after the Epistle. In my past experience, the priest (or cantor) has intoned the Alleluia three times (raising pitch each time), with the Assembly’s repetition, BEFORE the cantor proclaims the verses of Psalm 118 (with Alleluia serving as the refrain between verses). He shared that his experience is that the Alleluia is not intoned three times in a row; rather, he has inserted a verse of Psalm 118 sung after each Alleluia, and then he raises the pitch on the next refrain / verse unit. To my reading, #34 and 35 of the Easter Vigil rubrics indicate that the Alleluia is to be intoned 3 times in a row before the Psalm begins. However, I know my own understanding and experience is limited. Thank you for the clarification on this point as the pastor and I and I synchronize our experiences into our plan for this year’s celebration.

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A: I read no. 34 the same way you do. The presider or cantor intones the alleluia three times, raising the pitch each time, without interruption, and then the psalm follows.

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