DAYTONA BEACH — With two bloody wars raging on the world stage in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip and the prospect of another divisive presidential campaign looming at home, hope can be an elusive thing, even on Easter Sunday.
Yet the Easter message tied to Christ’s death and resurrection is more meaningful than ever against that backdrop of turbulent events, said Father Phil Egitto of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. On Sunday, Egitto will offer words of hope at annual beachside sunrise services that have been a tradition for roughly five decades at the historic Daytona Beach Bandshell.
“The meaning of the holiday is that Christ conquers death and Christ conquers evil,” said Egitto, who will be conducting his 29th Easter sunrise service this year at the World’s Most Famous Beach. “As the body of Christ, we’re called to do the same.”
The theme of this year’s message?
“Be bold or die,” Egitto said. “Easter calls us to boldly live our faith with action.”
Egitto: On Easter, focus on change that can happen locally
While it might seem impossible to have an impact on wars being waged far from home, Egitto offers the prospect that change can start locally that also is important.
“Perhaps we can’t control anything going on in our world,” he said. “We certainly must control what we can in our community. In our community, for instance, we are faced with unaffordable housing, so we must unite together and work on a strategy to increase affordable housing.
“This is what it means to live Easter. It means we give people hope and promise of a decent life.”
On Sunday, two Easter services will unfold at the Bandshell, behind the Ocean Walk Shoppes.
At 7:30 a.m., there will be a sunrise gathering along the sands just east of and behind the Bandshell. It will be followed by a 9:30 a.m. service at the Bandshell itself.
Worshippers can bring their own chairs and blankets for the early service, Egitto said. Chairs will be provided for the Bandshell service. Music for both services will be provided by the church’s praise band and singers.
For the church, the annual event represents a “huge investment” that includes expenses for rental of the Bandshell and staff required to operate it, permitting and insurance, Egitto said.
It also relies on a cast of roughly 50 church members, who arrive on the beach by 5:30 a.m. on Sunday to set the stage for the long-running tradition.
A look back:Hundreds gather on the beach in Daytona for Easter Sunday worship
While it might be technically correct to call the church members toiling to present the sunrise service volunteers, Egitto said that term doesn’t encompass the church’s mission of “loving the God we cannot see by loving the neighbors we can.”
“In our community, we do not have volunteers, because the word volunteer sounds optional,” he said. “We are called to serve.”
Planning the beach services is a process that starts with initial brainstorming nearly a year in advance, well before preparations shift into high gear in early March.
From the cross to be placed in the sand to the altar, candles, communion items and portable sound system, there are plenty of tasks to be completed on Easter Sunday.
For the Bandshell service, the church again will display an enormous print of the famed “Word of Life” mural, a landmark on the campus of Notre Dame University, where it's also known by its nickname “Touchdown Jesus.”
One wild card that is harder to control is the weather and the tides, Egitto said, but the outlook is optimistic this year on that front.
Sunny skies and temperatures in the high 70s are predicted for Easter Sunday by the National Weather Service in Melbourne. Likewise, low tide on Easter morning is expected at 6:51 a.m., according to the Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue Volusia Beaches mobile app.
Egitto is equally optimistic about the potential of the Daytona Beach community to be a force for good.
“Our community is very much alive, flourishing and thriving,” he said. “We continue to build the kingdom of God in Daytona Beach. If Easter is to be made real, it must be made real in us by the way we care for each other in our communities.”
If you go
WHAT: Easter At the Beach, community sunrise services presented by Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church
WHEN: 7:30 a.m. Sunday on the sand behind Daytona Beach Bandshell; 9:30 a.m. Sunday at the Bandshell, behind Ocean Walk Shoppes on North Atlantic Avenue
ONLINE: Visit ourladyoflourdesdaytona.com for details
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