The ceremonies of holy saturday-morning may be arranged under three heads: 1st. the blessing of the fire and of the paschal candle: 2nd. the preparation for, and ceremonies of, baptism: 3rd. the litany and mass. All three allude, as we shall see, to the resurrection of Christ, which is the great object of our devotion on this day. In Rome two sanctuaries are the great centres of attraction in the morning, viz. S. John Lateran's on account of the baptism of adults, and the Sixtine chapel, where the service is always beautiful, and particularly on this day. We shall first give an account of the ceremonies observed in the latter, and shall then describe the additional interesting rites of S. John Lateran's. [Sidenote: Sixtine chapel: 1. Blessing of fire and incense.] 1. As the missal prescribes, the altar is covered at a convenient hour, and the candles of the altar are not lighted till the beginning of the mass. A light, from which the charcoal for the incense is enkindled, is struck from a flint in the sacristy; where also _M. Sagrista_ privately blesses water. The cardinals enter the Sixtine chapel vested in their purple _cappe_: the maces are reversed, as on friday. Meantime in the sacristy the Card. Celebrant wearing a purple cope and mitre, and assisted by the sacred ministers, blesses (as usually with holy water and incense) the fire and the five grains of incense, which are to be fixed in the paschal candle[111]. [Sidenote: Procession: Paschal candle.] The Cardinal afterwards changes his cope for a chasuble, which is purple as well as that of the subdeacon; but the deacon, as he is going to bless the Paschal candle[112], wears a white dalmatic. They then enter the Sixtine chapel; where, having put incense into the thurible, the Cardinal remains: but the deacon, the subdeacon who carries the cross, and the other ministers go to the Pauline chapel, whence a procession returns in the following order. After two mace bearers comes an acolythe with the five grains of incense, and another with the thurible; then the subdeacon carrying the cross; and the deacon with a reed, at the top of which are 3 candles united together. At his left hand is a Master of ceremonies with a small candle lighted from the blessed fire, and he is followed by two other acolythes. When the deacon arrives near the door of the _cancellata_, one of the three candles is lighted, and all genuflect, except the subdeacon: the deacon then sings, _Lumen Christi_, the light of Christ, and the choir answers, Thanks be to God. The other two candles are lighted in turn, as the Deacon approaches nearer to the altar; singing the same words each time, but gradually in a higher tone. He then gives the reed to an acolythe; and before he sings the _exultet_ or blessing of the Paschal candle, he receives the benediction of the Card. Celebrant, who once more puts incense into the thurible. [Sidenote: Deacon sings the _Exultet_:] [Sidenote: triple candle]