Bathed in candle light, the Rev. Robert Rizzo leads the Easter Vigil Saturday at St. Hubert Church in Hoffman Estates.
Ernest J. Schweit/Special to the Daily Herald
The telltale signs - lilies, brightly colored eggs, bunnies and brunches - are everywhere, but Christians most purposefully gather this weekend to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Sunday marks not only the end of Holy Week, but the conclusion of Lent, a season of reflection, penance and self-denial.
Area churches mark the occasion with Easter vigils and Sunday masses, but the day is only the beginning of a 50-day Easter season. It concludes with Pentecost Sunday, which celebrates the coming of the third part of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.
Easter's date changes each year: It falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox for Catholics and Protestants. The Greek Orthodox Church, meanwhile, follows a different liturgical calendar and will celebrate Easter on May 1.
The Rev. Robert Rizzo, left, and Deacon Richard Lawson begin the Easter Vigil Saturday at St. Hubert Church in Hoffman Estates
Ernest J. Schweit/Special to the Daily Herald
Deacon Richard Lawson prepares the candle to start the Easter Vigil Saturday at St. Hubert Church in Hoffman Estates.
Ernest J. Schweit/Special to the Daily Herald
In the darkness of the sanctuary, Lynn Howard of Hoffman Estates prays during the Easter Vigil Saturday at St. Hubert Church in Hoffman Estates.
Ernest J. Schweit/Special to the Daily Herald
Flowers adorn the pulpit as Charlene Howard offers a reading Saturday during the Easter Vigil at St. Hubert Church in Hoffman Estates.
Ernest J. Schweit/Special to the Daily Herald
Molly Curtis, 13, of Streamwood prays during the Easter Vigil Saturday at St. Hubert Church in Hoffman Estates.
Ernest J. Schweit/Special to the Daily Herald