I was alerted to this event in New York City at one of my usual haunts. This comes from a friend:
For all of you planning to be in (or near) New York City this weekend, you won’t want to miss a new All-Night First Friday Vigil at the Church of the Holy Innocents! If you have never participated in an All-Night Vigil, what better time to start than the First Friday in Lent right before Laetare Sunday?!
The Agnus Dei Knights of Columbus Council (#12361) announced today that the All-Night First Friday Vigil it has sponsored for many years has moved to the Church of the Holy Innocents in Manhattan.
According to Richard Janiello, spokesman for the Knights, the Vigil will now begin and conclude with Mass in the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite. The Vigil begins at 6 PM with a Solemn Votive Mass of the Sacred Heart (Missale Romanum 1962) and concludes with a Sung Votive Mass of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Missale Romanum 1962) at 5 AM.
Before Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, there will be Stations of the Cross. Solemn Votive Vespers & Compline of the Sacred Heart (Brevarium Romanum 1962) are celebrated Coram Sanctissimo (in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament). In the course of the evening, the congregation prays the mysteries of the Rosary as well as all six of the Litanies approved by the Church for public use. There are also two hours set aside for silent adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Before concluding with the Mass for First Saturday, there is a Procession with the Blessed Sacrament in the Church followed by Benediction. Refreshments are served at the two breaks during the night.
There are two opportunities for confession: after the 9 PM Vespers/Compline and before the 5 AM Mass.
All are welcome.
Great minds think alike. I am organizing such a vigil (Mass in the OF, though) at Holy Name Church, Columbus, OH precisely the same night (but until 8AM).
\\ Solemn Votive Vespers & Compline of the Sacred Heart \\
As much as I would like to attend these exercises–they sound beautiful–I have a question.
I thought Votive Offices (and the Breviary used to contain several of them) were suppressed by the promulgation of the Roman Breviary of 1911.
I love it!
Obtained First Friday all night adoration at a former parish that started and ended with holy Mass. But then the new pastor came and we lost it all.
Now have proposed this at my new parish. Please pray my pastor will implement it!
Fr. Basil, according to the old Catholic Encyclopedia, even after the abolition of the Votive Offices, the law continued in force “that in mere parish churches, where there is no obligation of public recitation of the Divine Office, but where Vespers are sung for the devotion of the people, the Vespers may be taken from any Office, such as that of the Most Blessed Sacrament or of the Blessed Virgin, provided that the sacred ministers privately recite the Vespers proper to the day.” The same volume of the Catholic Encyclopdia notes the abolition of the Votive Offices properly so called. Hope you can join us for some of the event!
If you have never attended an all night vigil, you must! When I lived in the N.J. I attended all night vigils at St John the Baptist Church,NYC, a few blocks from Holy Innocents Church. Father Armand Dasserville OFM Cap ( who is now deceased) was the celebrant. Those nights spent in reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary were the most incredible, grace filled joyful evenings I spent in my life. If you think you will not be able to survive a night without sleep or fear a night with constant prayer may be boring and monotonous… think again. If the facilitator of the Vigil coordinates the night correctly you will find yourself alert and constantly being spiritually challenged. I now reside in the South and we have nothing which evenly remotely resembles a night of prayer. I miss the vigils tremendously. If you live in the vicinity of Holy Innocents Church I urge you to attend. You will never regret a moment of being in the presence of the Lord and his mother. He who is never outdone in generosity will reward you abundantly. You will full the Heart of the Lord and his Mother with much joy and you will convert many souls.
As I reflect on those nights of prayer and reperation I cannot help but remember a priest so in love with Jesus and Mary. A priest so filled with knowledge of the good these vigils produce in souls and in, I can only hope other would follow his example and begin these nights of prayer in their own parishes. Fr.Armand never missed a vigil in 26 years. He was a priest who understood the importance of sacrifice and prayer.He lived it so well and taught other to live and love it as well!
Rest in Peace Father Armand I know you are in heaven with the Lord , Our Lady and your friend Padre Pio. Pray for us!
I will remember this vigil in my prayers
According to a friend of mine, there is a difference between VOTIVE OFFICES and Votive Canonical Hours. In 1911, the Votive Offices were done away with, but these Votive Offices had specific rules to be followed and specific days on which to be said — and in some cases, they were obligatory. Additionally, these Votive Offices contained ALL of the (NewAdvent.com has some clear examples of these Votive OFFICES).
What is done at this All Night Vigil is NOT the Votive OFFICE of the Most Sacred Heart, but Votive Vespers and Compline (two canonical hours) because it is the First Friday of the month, a day on which, according to Rubrics) the Votive Mass of the Most Sacred Heart may be said with the rank of a 3rd.
Additionally, the Rubrics in the Roman Missal (n. 157) clearly mentions “Votive Vespers” as a possibility in the Latin Rite and specifically says that those bound to say the Divine Office fulfill the obligation for that Canonical Hour at Votive Vespers of an external solemnity.
Thanks, Samuel. A tip of the Skoufia to you!
I wish I could come, but I live in the Southwest.
Maybe something like this will be held here someday.
I meant to say: “Additionally, these Votive Offices contained ALL of the Canonical Hours.”
What Samuel J. Howard says is correct. There is a difference in 1962, however, and that is that those who say the Votive Vespers of some other Office do not have to recite the regular one privately as part of their obligation anymore.
Holy Innocents had their first all night vigil last month, and I was blessed enough to be there and I loved it! I’ve been going to all night vigils for about 3 years now, and after working all day, I would always struggle to stay awake. Not so with this one. I found it to be the most prayerful vigil I have attended. There is all night adoration, and no one goes into the Sanctuary where the Blessed Sacrament is except for Vespers and Compline, when the priest and the choir and servers pray at the altar. The rest of the night all prayers are led from a microphone placed at the altar rail with the person praying facing the Blessed Sacrament. The lights are kept low and paradoxically, instead of inducing sleep, that helped me stay awake and much more prayerful. If anyone is anywhere near NYC this Friday, please come for all or any part of it. I personally believe that these vigils are one of the main reasons NYC is still here.
That is totally awesome. It almost makes me wish I lived in NY, almost. :) Now we need something like this in OK.
I live in NY, but in Upstate! Sure wish there was something like this up here! Not gonna happen with the liberals in my home diocese….
Oh, if I could only sprout wings and fly like a bird to Holy Innocents in NYC!