Cathal BarryCathal Barry looks at Nightfever, a new mission initiative to Irish parishes
"Instead of being just a Church that welcomes and receives by keeping the doors open, let us try also to be a Church that finds new roads, that is able to step outside itself and go to those who do not attend Mass, to those who have quit or are indifferent. We need to proclaim the Gospel on every street corner.”
So said Pope Francis during his now infamous interview with La Civilta Cattolica, the Italian Jesuit journal.
One wonders if the Pontiff was aware at the time that he had just broadly outlined the mission statement of Nightfever, a street evangelisation outreach that has been making waves worldwide.
The initiative, which began at World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany in 2005, involves opening a church for the evening and inviting passers-by to come inside to light a candle in an atmosphere of live music and Eucharistic Adoration.
As Nightfever’s National Co-ordinator Ronan Wall puts it: “Nightfever is an encounter with the Lord. It’s simply an invitation to come and see,” he told The Irish Catholic.
Mass
Nightfever begins with Mass, after which there is Eucharistic Adoration until the end of the evening. Pairs of street missionaries wearing hi-vis vests then venture out on to the streets to gently invite those passing by, young and old, to come into the church for a few minutes to light a candle in front of the altar, to listen to the beautiful live music or to relax for a moment in the peaceful atmosphere inside. They engage with the passers-by in a friendly, non-confrontational way explaining that there is a free event in the church with music and candlelight.
“It’s simple, effective and very beautiful,” Ronan said. “You don’t have to explain yourself. There’s no apologetics. You don’t have to talk about the ins and outs of any controversial elements of Dogma. You are just invited to come and see.”
The invitation is usually very low key and can be even just to light a candle for a particular prayer intention. The street missionaries then accompany all who accept the invitation to the altar as they light the candle, inviting them to experience the evening however they wish: in silence, in song or in prayer.
“The public’s response has always been overwhelmingly positive. It comes down to the fact that the Irish are genuinely nice, good people,” Ronan said.
“It can be a very moving occasion for some people too. We’ve had plenty of tears,” he added.
Since the first Nightfever was held here at the Carmelite Church of St Teresa’s just off Grafton Street in Dublin last year, the initiative has spread successfully to other Irish cities including Galway and Cork. The hope now is to bring the initiative to other key cities such as Limerick and Belfast next year.
But organisers don’t want it to stop there. Conscious that the heart of Catholicism in Ireland lies within the local Church, parishes are next on the agenda for Nightfever’s movers and shakers here.
One success story in this regard has been a recent Nightfever held at the Church of the Assumption, Tullamore, Co Offaly – the first Irish parish to host an event of its kind. The initiative’s triumph in Tullamore was a light-bulb moment for Ronan and other Nightfever officials.
“It struck me,” Ronan recalled, “you don’t just have to stick to the original model. You can think outside the box.
“Evangelisation is essentially what local parishes are for – evangelising within your own geographical boundaries.
“The parish is a mission to that end, rather than just seeing who are in the pews today and what we can do for them,” he said.
Initiative
In addition to rolling out the initiative to the parishes over the coming year, Ronan hopes, with the agreement of everybody involved, to have a national Nightfever day in 2015.
He envisages parishes nationwide simultaneously hosting a Nightfever event.
“The dream,” according to Ronan, “would be to have a Nightfever event in every diocese in Ireland on that day”.
“We could reach thousands. That would be incredible,” he said.
Despite the initiative’s incredible achievements so far, it’s good to see enthusiasm on the part of organisers hasn’t diminished.
“We’re just doing our bit,” Ronan insists.
It’s that sense of service and humility at the heart of Nightfever that will undoubtedly ensure its new mission to parishes here is a resounding success.
Check-list for parishes who want to host a Nightfever event:
- A core group of organisers
- A church (preferably close to a thoroughfare)
- Committed volunteers
- Priest(s) to provide Confession
- Candles
- Furnishings
- Worshipful music
If a Nightfever evening is something you or your parish would like to run, please get in contact with Ronan at nightfever ireland@gmail.com or on 087-7372875 to find out more.