Ever Attended an All Night Vigil?

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I just came from a First Friday all night vigil. I I only stayed for the mass, Stations of the Cross (my first!) and about half an hour of Eucharistic Adoration. The Vigil is from 6 PM to 5 AM.

The first thing I want to say is that I am in awe of how serious some Catholics are about praying and spending time in the presence of our Lord. I have never seen such devotion, honestly.

I wished I could have stayed all night. I wonder though, if I would have fallen asleep.

Has anyone here ever done an all night vigil?

What has been your experience?

How did your stomach treat you (were you starving)?

How did your eyes hold up (did you fall asleep)?

Do share. 🙂
 
I’d like if we had those kind of vigils in my city but I haunt found any.

Only at one church they just have the church open all night and they do rosaries and prayers and then Mass in the morning.

I went once and when it’s late everyone just lies down on the carpet and rests and some play the guitar softly and sing.

I used to attend Orthodox vigils where they start around 7 with compline then vespers and matins then Liturgy ending around 2am.
 
Paul_theApostle said:
I’d like if we had those kind of vigils in my city but I haunt found any.

Only at one church they just have the church open all night and they do rosaries and prayers and then Mass in the morning.

I went once and when it’s late everyone just lies down on the carpet and rests and some play the guitar softly and sing.

I used to attend Orthodox vigils where they start around 7 with compline then vespers and matins then Liturgy ending around 2am.
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This one was very conservative. I didn’t see any guitars, lol.

What I liked is that they gave out a bound program with all the responses and a schedule of the vigil. From what I can remember, it went something like this:
  • solemn mass 6PM
    – stations of the cross 7:15
    – silent eucharistic adoraton (8-9)
  • Liturgy of the ours 10
    – something with rosaries sometime after that
    – there were lots of litanies
    – something with vespers (I’m not even sure what vespers are)
    – and so on
This may be a regular First Friday’s thing, so I’m going to see if I can attend at least one.
 
I also saw that at would point they would say the Litany of Loretto which I have heard on EWTN and I find to be awesome.

Litany of Loreto

V. Lord, have mercy.
R. Christ have mercy.
V. Lord have mercy. Christ hear us.
R. Christ graciously hear us.
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Mother of God, pray for us.
Holy Virgin of Virgins, [etc.]
Mother of Christ,
Mother of divine grace,
Mother most pure,
Mother most chaste,
Mother inviolate,
Mother undefiled,
Mother most amiable,
Mother most admirable,
Mother of good Counsel,
Mother of our Creator,
Mother of our Savior,
Virgin most prudent,
Virgin most venerable,
Virgin most renowned,
Virgin most powerful,
Virgin most merciful,
Virgin most faithful,
Mirror of justice,
Seat of wisdom,
Cause of our joy,
Spiritual vessel,
Vessel of honor,
Singular vessel of devotion,
Mystical rose,
Tower of David,
Tower of ivory,
House of gold,
Ark of the covenant,
Gate of heaven,
Morning star,
Health of the sick,
Refuge of sinners,
Comforter of the afflicted,
Help of Christians,
Queen of Angels,
Queen of Patriarchs,
Queen of Prophets,
Queen of Apostles,
Queen of Martyrs,
Queen of Confessors,
Queen of Virgins,
Queen of all Saints,
Queen conceived without original sin,
Queen assumed into heaven,
Queen of the most holy Rosary,
Queen of families,
Queen of peace,

Isn’t that amazing that I find it awesome – Marian devotion protester that I am? Good Lord, am I coming around? 😉
 
It used to be the norm and required that every parish celebrate the 40 hours devotion with continuous vigil to worship the Blessed Sacrament, so yes, in my earlier years, and sometimes since on retreat where sacrament was reserved, but on my own, not as an organized devotion, as it should be.
 
In parishes, I’ve rarely been to a vigil past midnight. When I have, it wasn’t a constant thing that everyone would stay put for the whole time, so you can pop out to have a bite to eat, freshen up etc for a couple of minutes. you get tired but it’s really worth it, it’s such a powerful prayer experience. If you get the chance, I would definately take part in one.

I’ve organised ‘pray ins’ for young people where we stay up all night and pray, but we do it in bursts of different activities e.g. 15 minutes doing one type of prayer, 15 minute food break, 30 minutes doing another type of prayer, 15 minute relax etc. Also, we use a lot of variety in prayer types so we always intersperse more contemplative sitting-still type things with more active, moving about things so people don’t get the chance to nod off. Yes, we get tired, but again it’s always an amazing experience. We always finish with Adoration leading into morning Mass, that’s when people are most likely to fall asleep but a sharp jab in the ribs works wonders!
 
Batfink said:
In parishes, I’ve rarely been to a vigil past midnight. When I have, it wasn’t a constant thing that everyone would stay put for the whole time, so you can pop out to have a bite to eat, freshen up etc for a couple of minutes. you get tired but it’s really worth it, it’s such a powerful prayer experience. If you get the chance, I would definately take part in one.

I’ve organised ‘pray ins’ for young people where we stay up all night and pray, but we do it in bursts of different activities e.g. 15 minutes doing one type of prayer, 15 minute food break, 30 minutes doing another type of prayer, 15 minute relax etc. Also, we use a lot of variety in prayer types so we always intersperse more contemplative sitting-still type things with more active, moving about things so people don’t get the chance to nod off. Yes, we get tired, but again it’s always an amazing experience. We always finish with Adoration leading into morning Mass, that’s when people are most likely to fall asleep but a sharp jab in the ribs works wonders!
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That sounds like a great experience for young people!

I did notice a couple of one hour breaks in the schedule, first one beginning at 12AM.
 
The World Apostolate of Fatima > Blue Army Chicago Division < hosts 3 all-nite Vigils of Reparation each month at three different locations. This is the agenda:
8:30 p.m. Confession followed by Holy Mass.
10:00 p.m. Exposition
10:00 p.m.Indoor Procession with the Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady of Fatima Statue
10:10 p.m.- 11:00 p.m. Holy Hour of Reparation >Red Book<, includes Rosary
11:00 p.m. - 4:00 A.m. Adoration
4:00 p.m. Benediction and Repose
4:05 a.m. Holy Mass
5:00 a.m Departure
 
thomas_jd said:
The World Apostolate of Fatima > Blue Army Chicago Division < hosts 3 all-nite Vigils of Reparation each month at three different locations. This is the agenda:
8:30 p.m. Confession followed by Holy Mass.
10:00 p.m. Exposition
10:00 p.m.Indoor Procession with the Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady of Fatima Statue
10:10 p.m.- 11:00 p.m. Holy Hour of Reparation >Red Book<, includes Rosary
11:00 p.m. - 4:00 A.m. Adoration
4:00 p.m. Benediction and Repose
4:05 a.m. Holy Mass
5:00 a.m Departure
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Oh my goodness. 11 PM - 4 AM adoration? I would surely fall asleep. 🙂
 
I just did this yesterday. It was quite an experience. It was beautiful to see the faithful praying, singing and yes, fighting sleep. It reminded me of Jesus in the garden praying while his disciples fell asleep.

Overall, a good experience.

However, I am all knocked out.
 
The parish I went to over this past year, had all day and all night Adoration on every first Friday of the month. There was also High Mass (TLM). It was really beautiful… I couldn’t stay all night though 😦 but I’m hoping to do that someday.
 
Monica4316 said:
The parish I went to over this past year, had all day and all night Adoration on every first Friday of the month. There was also High Mass (TLM). It was really beautiful… I couldn’t stay all night though 😦 but I’m hoping to do that someday.
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I don’t see myself doing this for another year.

My youngest daughter thought I was out at a club. When I told her I was at an all night prayer meeting, she said, “What? Who does that?”.

Furthermore, as I was coming home at 6 AM, my neighbor saw me and I felt like I was coming home early in the morning after leaving a gentleman’s home. :o
 
I did that a number of years ago. I asked the priest if I could stay in the church from 8pm until 8am. He was a little worried that I would have a “vision” do something strange like telling people without him have been told first. Eventually he Ok’d my request.

It was a real challenge trying to stay awake all night. I found out how the Apostles must have felt. In fact I must have fallen asleep about 3:00 am because I fell out of the pew and hit my noggin on the kneeler. Everything was Ok though. I bet I said 15 Rosaries, a couple Stations of the Cross. I sang almost every hymn in the book.

I was the only one in church. No one else came that night and No, I didn’t have a “vision”.
But it was a wonderful experience. There was no Mass or Hour of Adoration. Just me and the Eucharist.

I’ve been wanting to do it again but I’m a whole bunch older and at another parish. Not sure I can physically handle the long hours anymore.
 
TrueLight said:
I don’t see myself doing this for another year.

My youngest daughter thought I was out at a club. When I told her I was at an all night prayer meeting, she said, “What? Who does that?”.

Furthermore, as I was coming home at 6 AM, my neighbor saw me and I felt like I was coming home early in the morning after leaving a gentleman’s home. :o
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lol! 😛 :o

I remember during the year, I’d go to Mass on Friday evenings… but maybe my housemates thought I was “going out” lol.
 
Very probably there was some kind of schedule for adorers to commit to a certain time during the night to be there. Even with scheduled activites, not everyone will stay all night, but there has to be someone with our Lord at all times. We don’t have overnight adoration at my parish, but the nearby parish that does alwasy has a schedule. When they have special events, like what you described, many more people are there than usually, but at 4am it’s just a few – including a friend who will go the the evening Mass and then leave to sleep and come back at 4am. 👍
 
There is one parish that I know of in my diocese that does an overnight Adoration from First Friday about 7 PM to First Saturday each month and concludes with a Mass at 8 AM. I’ve ducked in there for awhile during the night a couple of times and there were a few other people in Adoration. I’m sure that there is at least one person there at all times, maybe there is a sign up sheet or something like that.
 
Monica4316 said:
The parish I went to over this past year, had all day and all night Adoration on every first Friday of the month. There was also High Mass (TLM). It was really beautiful… I couldn’t stay all night though 😦 but I’m hoping to do that someday.
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My parish has Exposition every Friday from 9AM to 9AM Saturday. Most people don’t stay all night, they sign up for times, but if you want to pray all night, you certainly can.

I am too old for this now–I simply would not be able stay awake, and it takes me days to recover from being up all night, but if I were young I’d give it a try.
 
I love all night vigils. At first there wasn’t any in my own parish, but I discovered them in the next town, every first Friday. I attended a few of those, then really requested God in prayer for our own parish to have them. We had our first for the Maundy Thursday towards Good Friday 2010, then we had them in Maundy Thursday 2011 and again in 2012, and they have been getting better and better with the years. I never sleep in them. During the fisrt one we were only eleven (including our Parish Priest), the latest we were about 150 people! What we do, usually it is not easy for one to sleep, there are a mixture of activities such that after prayer we would stand up and sing and dance. Towards midnight we would be more vibrant by choosing active songs, then we would again pray, etc. It is a moment for spiritual feast and I thank God for them. However, a few people dose off a bit, but they are grateful if you poke them on the rib.
 
There has been All-night Vigil of Eucharistic Adoration held in Ottawa for a few years. I believe it was first established in 1997-2000 and is a monthly event that has continued without intermission.

It is not a sign-up event, mostly people come for the whole night until 6:45 am.

It is a great to have this in our area.

God Bless
 
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