On this Easter Sunday, some traditions are just too important to miss, even if it means waking up before sunrise.

Sitting in lawn chairs and wrapped in blankets, about 500 people filled the field next to the Pompton Lakes Elks Lodge, overlooking Pompton Lake. For more than 25 years, St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church has hosted a sunrise service on Easter morning.

"It's so beautiful. You get to hear all the birds…that's what makes it extra special because we never do this except this time of year," said Erin Durot, of Wayne.

"…My dad and I originally started coming a few years back, and now it's grown to the whole family – getting up early and coming to sunrise Mass, and it's great," said Ryan Lombardi.

The outdoor Mass honors St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and nature.