All-Night Eucharistic First Friday Vigils to Help Save America

By Nancy Martin
Catholic Online

In the wee hours of the morning, while most people are sleeping, a growing number of people are praying in a monthly powerhouse Eucharistic all-night Vigil every First Friday in the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo in Mundelein, Illinois. The Vigil, which is intended to draw worshippers from all over the Archdiocese of Chicago, begins Friday at 9 p.m. with Confessions and Mass at 10 p.m. After the Mass, the Blessed Sacrament is exposed and devotional prayers are prayed throughout the evening, but allowing enough quiet and reflection time, and concluding with Benediction shortly before 7 a.m. on the First Saturday.

The purpose of the Vigil is to pray for LIFE, MARRIAGE, FAMILY and for PRIESTS/RELIGIOUS, important elements which form the essence of civilization and fruitfulness. From conception until natural death, LIFE is sacred. Those who attend the Vigil pray for an end to all actions against life: abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, embryonic stem cell research, and even In-Vitro Fertilization procedures. They pray for the sanctity of MARRIAGE as a permanent covenant between one man and one woman committed to each other for life, which is chaste, open to life and lived according to God's plans. They pray to promote the building up of strong, loving, holy and heroic FAMILIES. They pray for the renewal of the vocation of PRIESTS AND RELIGIOUS, so that they may be faithful to their vows and the teachings of the Catholic Church, and for the increase of holy vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

Additionally, they pray in reparation against sins committed against LIFE, MARRIAGE, FAMILY and the PRIESTLY and CONSECRATED VOCATIONS. Also, they give Jesus truly and really present in the Holy Eucharist praise and honor because He wants it and deserves it. Finally, they seek the transformation of hearts so that society as a whole can be transformed.

This Vigil is part of the St. Therese Marian Vigil Society (STMVS), an emerging Catholic apostolate that helps get started and promotes all-night Eucharistic Vigils nationwide aimed at renewing society and the Church through the restoration of the four root pillars--life, marriage, family and priests/religious vocations. These elements are essential in the cultivating of a culture of life and the restoration of Church and society on various levels. The STMVS has developed a model to help others start their own Vigil, which can be found on the Website of the STMVS: www.vigilsociety.org. There is no need to re-invent the wheel since everything one would need to accomplish this, such as prayers, schedule and more, is on the Website.

The Mundelein Vigil and the St. Therese Marian Vigil Society Apostolate were both founded by a concerned young wife and mother of 5, in response to a feeling that something must be done to combat the attacks on the very essence of our Church and society. The Apostolate is named after St. Therese of Lisieux, the Patroness of the Foundress of the STMVS, and the Blessed Mother to whom the Foundress is consecrated and has a strong devotion. The STMVS is rooted in the observable fact, supported by Church teaching, that an increase in holiness of our shepherds--bishops, priests and religious--leads directly to an increase of holiness among the laity they guide, just as growth in holiness of parents leads to an increase in holiness of children. In addition, to the degree that life and the Church are placed in danger, so is American society at large in danger.

To secure the outpouring of divine grace for the strengthening of these four essentials and so help save America from suffering further moral decay, the concerned mother started the first Vicariate/Diocese-wide all-night Vigil and then Apostolate soon after. The first Vigil began on February 6, 2004, with permission from her pastor in Mundelein, Illinois. Both the Vigil and the Apostolate have been endorsed by the local vicariate bishop. The hope, vision and prayer of the Foundress are to spread more Vigils like this based on these four key pillars of LIFE, MARRIAGE, FAMILY, and PRIESTS/RELIGIOUS.

"The nighttime hours were chosen for good reason," says the Foundress. "Giving up sleep is hard, and the greatest sacrifice brings great graces. This is the time of the day when Jesus prayed at Gethsemane. It is also a time when most people are available to pray as the hours don't conflict with their schedules, just their sleep."

"Eucharistic adoration transforms hearts, no doubt about it," she says. "The more people that join us, the more hearts will be transformed. An entire culture can be transformed if only people will hear and respond to 'His voice' and not continue in the hardness of their hearts."

We are all called to be saints, and attending this Vigil is a good start towards that end! DON'T MISS THE OPPORTUNITY!

For more information to help you start your own Vigil in your area modeled after that of the STMVS, go to (www.vigilsociety.org).

You may also contact Nancy Martin at (847) 566-7711 or email her info@vigilsociety.org.

Contact

St. Therese Marian Vigil Society
https://www.catholic.org IL, US
Mrs. Nancy Martin - Foundress, 847 566-7711

Email

martin11@att.net

Keywords

Blessed Sacrament, First Fridays, Saturdays

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