What kind of people stay up until 5 AM on a Friday night? Not the kind I would want to associate with, or so I thought. But when a friend told me about St. Peregrine Shrine’s First Friday all night prayer, I was intrigued. All night seemed like pretty extreme devotion. Even though I am always looking for new ways to deepen my faith, 8 hours of prayer sounded like a bit much to forgo a good night of sleep.
My first thoughts were I wasn’t sure if this type of devotion was for me, or if I’d even be able to handle staying up all night. Later, as I read some of the material on prayer vigils, I learned that everyone comes up with a long list of excuses, as to why they feel they can’t attend. I guess I like a challenge because I soon found myself making plans to try it out. I explained to my kids and my husband that I’d be gone all night. Even they were surprised at the idea, though they know how passionate I can be about my interests and devotions.
I didn’t know what to expect and I had only a vague idea of how the evening would go. As explained by my friend, I knew there would be about a dozen people, and that the vigil is always managed by Deacon Ron.
On Friday night, we began gathering quietly in the Shrine at about 9:00 pm. At 10:00 PM our leader announced we would begin by reciting the rosary. She passed out special prayer books that offered a detailed account of each mystery, a book created specially for all night prayer. I loved the long descriptions which shed much insight and meaning on both a personal and spiritual level. We took turns reading, which helped to keep us awake and alert.
Listening to the rosary being recited in the Shrine was extra special, not just because we were in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, but also because the acoustics cause our voices to resonate in the most beautiful way. Our voices seemed to fill the whole chapel, into every corner, and all around us.
At midnight we walked over to the church Sacristan to have coffee and some shared snacks, as well as socialize for an hour. Although I was sleepy, having time to sit and eat with everyone was pleasant and invigorating. The hour went by quickly and we were back in the Shrine by 1 AM.
We sat in silent prayer for a little while, and then did more communal prayers from a specially provided folder. The prayers were similar to the rosary prayer but modified somewhat. Afterwards, we sat quietly again while anyone who so desired could go into the foyer of the Shrine and be prayed over with Deacon Ron. As another hour passed, we recited a few more prayers from the folder which again helped keep us awake by listening and participating.
Before I knew it, it was almost 5 AM. By then I felt really great. Although I was still sort of sleepy, I was feeling so elated despite having stayed up all night. I was on top of the world, in fact we all were. What a blessing to be able to be with the Lord, for an entire night, with other devoted people. It was a really amazing experience, one for which I am anxious to do again and again.
They say for every person that vigils with the Lord, 1000 souls will be saved. In my view, for that many people to be redeemed, missing out on one night of sleep was a small price. My only remorse is that I’ll have to wait another whole month.
