It’s a regular Saturday night in Dublin City centre and churchgoers have gathered as usual for the 6pm evening Mass at the popular Carmelite Church of St. Teresa’s just off Grafton Street, the capital’s main shopping and nightlife district. The shops are about to close and thousands of young people are starting to frequent the bars, clubs and restaurants of the city to socialise with work colleagues and friends. Meanwhile inside in the Church a different group of young people are also preparing to hit the town, but this group of twenty-somethings have something else in mind. These young men and women have gathered from all over the city and further afield to take part in a unique street outreach event called ‘Nightfever’. The initiative which has been previously been run in 45 cities around the world has just come to Dublin, and the organisers & volunteers from various Church communities, movements and evangelisation groups are very excited at the prospect of what is about to happen.
Pre-event training and briefings are now all complete and the mission is about to begin. It’s the end of Mass and over 50 young people are invited forward to the altar to be given a special blessing as they prepare for a night like no other. This beautiful Church in the heart of the city is opening its doors until 11pm. It is time to bring Jesus to the people. Soft music is projected outside the main entrance foyer onto Grafton Street while inside candlelight and Eucharistic Adoration create an ambiance for reflective prayer and time with the Lord. Twenty teams of enthusiastic young missionaries are going out onto the nearby streets to share the joy of their faith in a non confrontational way. Sticking to the tried and tested Nightfever concept the youth offer a candle to passers-by with no conditions, inviting them to go into the church, light it and pray and experience the evening however they wish: in silence, in song, in prayer. They especially seek to reach out to other young people who have strayed away from the Church and try to draw them closer to the faith again.
Nightfever is essentially like a Church open night. For three hours the twenty teams of volunteers faithfully engage with the mission. Wearing hi-visibility clothing they quickly attract attention and simply ask people would they like to light a candle in the church and inform them of the free event that’s happening inside with music and candlelight. Almost immediately streams of people start to engage with the missionaries and there is an incessant flow of passers-by into the Church. Escorted by the missionaries the people on the streets are invited to light their candle at the altar and spend some time in the presence of the Lord. There is also an opportunity for them to reflect on a passage from Scripture or write a prayer and place it in the intentions box. Priests are discreetly available to chat to, or for confession. All during this time another team of young people are constantly praying for the mission in the Church while several others are engaged in the welcome, hospitality and music ministries.
As the night unfolded you began to realise that something special was happening. Amazing graces were being poured out for sure as hundreds of people gradually streamed into the church and encountered the unconditional love of Jesus. In the end almost 500 candles were lit at the altar – a true sign that the faith is still alive in our city. It was powerful to see people of all ages and nationalities, young and old, couples and families, those of all faiths and no faith; enter the oasis of the church to contemplate, pray and find inner peace before the Lord. Many remained around the altar for a long time while countless others experienced the love and mercy of the Father in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Nightfever is truly the work of the Lord. Jesus works miracles, the street missionaries are merely instruments of his profound love. As we reflect on the mission and the outreach at the heart of the city it is abundantly clear that ordinary people on the streets of Dublin are yearning for a positive message in their lives – a message of joy and peace, a message of light and hope. Without a doubt people are longing to hear about the unconditional love of Jesus Christ. Our faith is a wonderful gift. When we experience the joy of knowing Jesus we cannot hide it from others. In this Year of Faith Nightfever is a particular sign of hope for the future of the Church in Ireland. We can continue to be signs of that hope in our own lives by inviting the people in our families and communities back to the Church just like so many young people have done at this first Dublin Nightfever. Our witness can be powerful, we only need to invite people to ‘Come and See’!
