Wouldn't it be wonderfull if God could look down on earth, on the First Friday of the month and see the all the lights of Catholic parish Churches twinkling below, representing a steadfast, faithfull, group of souls, Adoring His Sacred Heart?
Does your parish hold a night Eucharistic Adoration vigil on the first Friday of the month?
If not, why not? It's a billion times easier than you think - and completely Covid friendly.
When the Sacred Heart is exposed in Adoration a superabundant portal of Divine Grace flows out across the whole world and all souls.
This Divine Grace can work unimaginable miracles of conversion, salvation and intercessory provisions, according to God's Will. How amazing would it be for you and your parish to be a part of the work of God's Kingdom, here on earth.
Wouldn't this be the perfect way your parish could participate in Pope Francis Evangelli Gaudium Sunday in September?
So what is the format of a Night Adoration Vigil?
Well, the answer to that is, whatever The Holy Spirit wants it to be. The format of a night Adoration vigils is super flexible. I have attended night Adoration vigils of just about every kind - and they are all wonderfull. The general rule of thumb is that the night Adoration vigil begins first with a Mass, on the first Thurs evening, after which The Eucharist is exposed in the Monstrance and the night Adoration vigil officially begins - concluding early the next morning with Benediction.
Types of Night Adoration Vigils:
1. Taking it in Turns:
Some parishes decide to split the night Adoration vigil into set time slots. I once stayed at a wee Italian mountain village where everyone, from the postman to the baker, took it in turns to sit in pairs, before the Blessed Sacrament for 2 hours at a time, throughout the night. You can adapt this to shorter or longer time slots, according to your parish.
2. Core Group plus Come and Goers:
A small group of 2 - 3 parishioners stay all night and many other parishioner come and go to join the core group, at times that fit in with their other commitments, e.g. child care and stay for as long or a short as they like.
3. Tabernacle Vigils:
If for whatever reason, if it's not possible to have the The Blessed Sacrament exposed during the parish vigil, then a night Tabernacle vigil is another wonderfull option. How happy would Jesus be for parishioners to sit with Him, before His Real Presence in His Tabernacle, like Mary Magdalene outside the Tomb. I think this would make God very happy indeed.
Individual and Group Prayer
The majority of the night Adoration Vigil is spent in personal contemplative prayer but there are options for group prayers. For example, the night vigil group could pray all 4 Rosaries at set times together. Equally, your vigil group may want to pray the Divine Mercy together at 3am. Again, The Holy Spirit will guide you in all this.
Music
Night Adorations can be totally silent or have periods of music suitable for inspiring contemplation. You don't need anything complicated - a wee portable cd player/smart phone etc. Gregorian chants, Taize, traditional or charismatic Hymns are all possible options. There may be some one on the parish with music skills who could play a suitable solo piece or lead others to sing along. The Holy Spirit will guide you.
Housekeeping
In all night Adoration vigils I've attended, the parish priest has made sure there is access to a wee space with a kettle/sink etc and toilet facilities, so parishioners can take regular breaks during the night. Often parishioners all bring a food contribution for a sort of buffet table for the vigil attendee's - nothing fancy, a packet of chocolate biscuits is perfect.
So what next...?
If you feel that The Holy Spirit is calling you set up a night Eucharistic Adoration Vigil in your parish, my advice is to talk to God about this in prayer, ideally before the Blessed sacrament in your parish or online. After that, contact your own parish Priest to talk to him about it all. Don't be discouraged if your own parish Priest is not interested, for whatever reason, that just means The Holy Spirit wants you to take this idea to another parish. You don't have to be a member of a parish to help set up or attend a night Eucharistic Adoration vigil.
My role is to pray for you all in this great work of Evangelli Gaudium!
God Bless the Holy Father, Pope Francis
Our Lady of Muswell, pray for us
PAX
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