The Easter Vigil Mass is the highest (most holy) service in the Catholic Church--also in the Orthodox Church, they celebrate on a different day--and is also the longest in most churches. Most Protestant churches have Easter morning (or Sunrise Service) as their most holy time. Different stokes.... Easter is a bigger celebration in Catholicism and Orthodoxy since many of the adherents are celebrating the end of their Lenten Sacrifices as well as the Resurrection of the Savior. The older denominations celebrate on the "Eves" of both Christmas and Easter since they believe that both actually took place during the night. I think Lutherans, Anglicans, and many Methodist Churches have similar practices.
Here is the origin of the Kyrie. It is the only part of Roman Rite Catholicism that is still in Greek: It is simply Greek that has been written in Roman letters. The city of Rome was essentially bilingual from around the time of Caesar Augustus until at least the third or fourth century A.D.: the people spoke mostly vulgar Latin or common (Koine) Greek. Greek was the more common language among the poor, who formed the majority of the ranks of the Church at first. The Roman liturgy, therefore, was originally composed in Greek, and was only translated into Latin in the third century, as vulgar Latin gradually became the more common language. (The Wikipedia article on the pre-Tridentine liturgy has some good sources and information, actually.) In any case, the Kyrie is simply the transliteration in Roman letters of the Greek Κύριε (or Χρίστε), ἐλέησον, “Lord (or Christ), have mercy.” It is all that remains of the original Greek version of the Roman Rite.
This appears to either be an informal Easter Vigil or a Tenebrae liturgy. Has anyone attended a Tenebrae service?
Any plans for Easter Sunday this coming Sunday? For us, no egg coloring anymore or Easter Baskets and probably no candy. However, will have Easter Dinner at a local restaurant and come home and watch our movie Risen. Risen is a very uplifting movie about the resurrection of Jesus and a Roman Tribune (high ranking Roman soldier/officer).
My wife will be going to church every day until then, seeing as she is in charge of a lot of it. I will only be going to church on Easter Sunday. There will be an egg hunt and brunch after the service, then dinner here at our place with the three Alaska sons and their families.