MISSION STATEMENT OF THE ST. THERESE MARIAN VIGIL SOCIETY

The purpose of this Apostolate is to start Powerhouse MONTHLY ALL-NIGHT EUCHARISTIC FIRST-FRIDAY VIGILS NATIONWIDE to pray for LIFE, MARRIAGE, FAMILY, AND PRIESTS/RELIGIOUS; THE ESSENCE OF CIVILIZATION AND FRUITFULNESS.    

What exactly is a Powerhouse Eucharistic all-night Vigil of Love?

It is a vigil whereby we avail ourselves of all the spiritual weapons available to us to combat the forces of evil that assail us in our day, especially, those attacks against LIFE, MARRIAGE, FAMILY, and Priests/Religious – these four pillars.  LOVE is our greatest weapon of all.  So even though we pray for these four key pillars, it’s really that we are praying  to be LOVE to others.  LOVE is our motive for participating in these Vigils.  It’s not about Life, Marriage, Family, Priests per se; it’s actually about LOVE for it is in Loving others that lives will be preserved, marriages saved, families and priests will be holy.  At these Vigils of Love, we also incorporate other powerful weapons such as the sacraments of Holy Mass and Reconciliation, the power of the four mysteries of the Rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and 3am, the Stations of the Cross, and other prayers all while we adore Jesus in the most Blessed Sacrament with enough quiet time to Listen to the Holy Spirit, all at the sacrificial time of the wee hours of the morning.  These Vigils are powerful.

THE RESTORATION OF THE FOUR ROOT PILLARS, THAT BEING, LIFE, MARRIAGE, FAMILY, AND PRIESTS/RELIGIOUS, ARE ESSENTIAL TO THE PROMOTION OF A CULTURE OF LIFE AND THE RENEWAL OF CHURCH AND SOCIETY.  In specific, this Apostolate is oriented towards gathering groups of people to pray once a month on late Friday evening to Saturday morning for the restoration of these four root pillars.

1. Respect for LIFE from conception until natural death.    Life is sacred at all ages and stages.  We pray for an end to all actions against life:  abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, embryonic stem cell research and even in Vitro Fertilization procedures.   That is, any attack on the very essence of life from the instant of its conception, whereby the soul is immediately imbedded into the 1-cell zygote, until natural death.  This includes the manipulation of embryos in laboratories regardless if the means of doing so seems noble.
2. The sanctity of MARRIAGE as a permanent covenant between one man and one woman committed to each other for life, that is chaste, open to life and lived according to God's plans.
3. To promote the building up of strong, loving and holy FAMILIES and to preserve the family unit as the basic cell of Church and society from being redefined in ways contrary to the divine law. This in turn will create the wholesome environment needed for the development of fruitful vocations of life and service to both Church and society and the establishment of other loving and holy families.
4. To pray for the renewal of vocations of PRIESTS AND RELIGIOUS, so that they may be faithful to their vows and the teachings of the Catholic Church, and for the increase of holy vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

"Our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.  Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground."  (Ephesians 6:12-13)

Jesus taught us that some demons can only be driven out by prayer and fasting  (Mk 9:28-29).  At the Vigils, we pray and fast on sleep.

"I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse.  Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live."  (Deuteronomy 30:19)

HISTORY

This Apostolate was founded by a concerned mother of 5, in response to a feeling that something must be done to combat the attacks on the very essence of our Church and society; namely, attacks on LIFE, MARRIAGE, FAMILY and PRIESTS/RELIGIOUS. It is rooted in the observable fact supported by Church teaching that an increase in holiness of our shepherds -- bishops, priests and religious -- leads directly to an increase of holiness among the laity they guide; just as growth in holiness of parents leads to an increase in holiness of children. In addition, to the degree that life and the Church are placed in danger, so is American society at large in danger. To secure the outpouring of divine grace for the strengthening of these four essentials and so help save America from suffering further moral decay, the concerned mother started a Vicariate/Diocese-wide all-night Vigil. The first Vigil began on February 6, 2004, with permission from her pastor in Mundelein, Illinois, and has been endorsed by the local vicariate bishop. Her hope, vision and prayer is to spread more vigils like this based on these for key pillars of LIFE, MARRIAGE, FAMILY, and PRIESTS/RELIGIOUS.

OBJECTIVES OF THE VIGIL

1. To pray for LIFE, MARRIAGE, FAMILY, and PRIESTS/RELIGIOUS.
2. To pray for reparation against sins committed against LIFE, MARRIAGE, FAMILY and the CHURCH, with Love as our motive.
3. To give Jesus truly and really present in the Holy Eucharist praise and honor because He wants us to be devoted to Him, and because Eucharistic prayer, both in Mass and adoration, become the means par excellence for obtaining grace.  With Love as our motive, these Vigils become Vigils of Love for Love, that one Perfect Love, which is Jesus.
4. To seek personal and communal holiness, a goal to which not just a few but all are called.

The term "vigil" comes from the word, "to keep awake." It is rooted in the early tradition of the Church whereby Christians stayed awake from sundown to sunrise on the eves of Easter and Christmas. While most people were turning out the lights to go to sleep, Christians turned on the lights to pray. In this passage of the night the symbolism for darkness was seen as evil and light as good. The vigil also symbolizes the constant need of Christ's disciples to live in a state of preparedness for Christ's return: "Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day our Lord will come." (Mathew 13:42) So in a similar manner we make the sacrifice of keeping Vigil to be awake spiritually, to intercede for the needs of the Church and world, and to live in a state of constant openness to Christ's abiding presence with us now and to his future coming. We pledge to do this even while evil surrounds us.

OBJECTIVE ONE
To Pray For Life, Marriage, Family, Priests/Religious.

LIFE

From conception until natural death, life is sacred. We pray for an end to all actions against life: abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, embryonic stem cell research, and even IVF procedures. The civil law had legalized abortion, but it is still against Divine Law and the teachings of the Church. When Divine Law is no longer important to society it runs the danger of seeing all morality as relative. With relativism there is no truth or falsehood, no good or bad, only different opinions. Under such conditions, good and evil are determined, not by God's Law, not by what is good for people, but by public opinion, which can change from year to year. Ultimately, relativism puts all we hold dear in danger of destruction by changes in public opinion. It is morality determined by a poll.

We have seen the dangers of relativism in the past thirty years with the Supreme Court decisions that legalized all abortions. With these decisions came the acceptance of abortion in American life as a mere medical procedure. For thirty years the life of unborn children has been robbed of value, leaving abortion as a governmentally sanctioned destruction of human life. The power of public opinion is seen in the number of Catholics who are no longer shocked by the fact that abortion is legal in America, or that a million human lives are destroyed not only with the approval of our government, but oftentimes even funded by the government.

We pray in our vigil for the protection of human life, as we look to God to change human hearts, calloused by public opinion, and to awaken in all people the burning desire to protect all human beings from conception to natural death, particularly the most vulnerable, the unborn child.

MARRIAGE

"Marriage is not just any relationship between human beings. It was established by the Creator with its own nature, essential properties and purpose. No ideology can erase from the human spirit the certainty that marriage exists solely between a man and a woman, who by mutual, personal gift, proper and exclusive to themselves, tend toward the communion of their persons. In this way, they mutually perfect each other in order to cooperate with God in the procreation and upbringing of new human lives."  (The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith)

Marriage is a mutual commitment between two people for life, not just until someone better comes along. A true marriage is open to life and nurtures love. In our society today, there has been a divorcing of marriage from commitment, and a divorcing of sexuality from marriage. Having sex has become, in come circles, a form of private entertainment. When sexuality is separated from openness to life, there is the undermining of sexuality as an expression of love. When sex is separated from commitment, sexuality is demeaned, and is robbed of its profound human expression, to become a private sports event. God uses the act of lovemaking to bring an eternal soul into the world. This act cries out for permanence. The Church allows Natural Family Planning as a way to responsibly plan our families without hindering the gift of life and the gift of love, which God has ordained.

We pray in our vigil that marriages remain between one man and one woman and as a commitment to love and life in accordance to the truth of scriptures and the teachings of the Church.

FAMILY

The family is being attacked on all fronts. Nevertheless, the family is the fundamental building block of all societies. When families are supported and nurtured, they are strong and stable. When families are demeaned and hindered, they are weakened. Healthy families bring about a healthy society, and the forces that undermine the family ultimately undermine society itself. We need families that are committed to the God and live by the Gospel. Such families bring about vocations to the priesthood, the consecrated life, and other good and loving families. Such families encourage the virtues, which lead people to self-sacrifice rather than self-interest. The old saying that the family that prays together stays together is no cliché. Quite the contrary, prayer brings healing and life to a family. There are much less divorces amongst families who pray together.

With the Holy Family as our example, we pray at our vigil that families will live in an atmosphere of mutual love and respect, and be guided by the God who is the Creator of family life. We promote the building up of strong, loving families, whereby, vocations and holy laity arise.

PRIESTS AND RELIGIOUS

An increase in holiness of our shepherds -- bishops, priests and religious -- leads directly to an increase of holiness among the laity they guide; just as growth in holiness of parents leads to an increase in holiness of children. In addition, to the degree that life and the Church are placed in danger, so is American society at large in danger. We pray to secure the outpouring of divine grace for the strengthening of these four essentials and so help save America from suffering further moral decay.

Priests and religious are desperately in need of our prayers. In our world today, priests and religious face challenges unknown a generation or two ago. With criticism coming to them from all sides, especially through the media, there is the temptation for priests and religious to go along with the trend, to give in to public opinion, and fail to hear the voice of God. Yet, the Catholic community, more than ever, needs them to be faithful to the Holy Father, the teachings of the Catholic Church, and the Gospel message. The Catholic Church needs more holy vocations if it is to fulfill its mission in the world. Priests and religious need to be courageous and speak out on controversial issues. The laity needs to hear the Truth, and to be challenged by the Gospel. Also, if our shepherds (the priests) are holy, they will lead their flocks (the laity) to holiness. If the Church is strong, so will be our country.

We pray at our vigil that priests and religious will be given the grace to be holy and true leaders of the faith by what they say and do and that there will be more people responding to God's call to the priesthood and religious life.

OBJECTIVE TWO
To Make Reparation Against Life, Marriage, Family and the Church.

REPARATION

Reparation means the repairing of what has been damaged. In American society today we see the damage that has been done to Life, Families, Marriage, and Priests/Religious because of sin. We know that when people repent and embrace God, there will be great blessings and peace. Love alone satisfies the human heart. The Gospel teaches this truth, pointing to the two great commandments: "Love God with all your heart and soul"; and, "Love your neighbor as yourself." In our vigil we pray for Life, Families, Marriage, and Priesthood, because these states and core essentials have especially been damaged by sin. Yet, we know that prayers, offered in love, will bring healing to what sin has damaged.

In the year 1917, Our Lady of Fatima requested prayer and penance for world peace and for the conversion of sinners. Pope Paul VI in 1965 reminded the world of her request at Fatima. We gather to answer that call at Fatima by praying for reparation and for peace and for the conversion of sinners.

We gather every First Friday to answer Our Lord's request to Saint Margaret Mary to receive Holy Communion on these Fridays for nine consecutive months for reparation of sins committed against the Sacred Heart of Jesus. To those that do this, many promises are granted by Our Lord, one of which is the grace of final penitence; "One shall not die without receiving the sacraments. His Divine Heart will be their safe refuge in this last moment."

We pray all night into the morning which usually falls on the First Saturday of the month. Here, we answer Our Lady's request at Fatima that to all those who attend mass, pray five decades of the rosary while meditating on its mysteries, go to confession eight days before or after, and spend 15 minutes keeping Our Lady company outside of the rosary and mass for five consecutive First Saturdays with the intent of making reparation of sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Our Lady has promised to assist them as the hour of death with all the graces necessary for their salvation.

We come before the Eucharistic Lord, who came into the world to save it from sin, so that our lives and our world will be healed. The Vigil is a time for us to come with hearts of love and make the sacrifice of time and prayer needed to secure this grace of reparation and renewal. It is also a time for us to unite our hearts with the God who alone can give us peace.  At our Vigil, we make reparation against life, marriage, family and the Church which equates to reparation against the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Because where we fail to love the weakest ones, the weakest of the weak regardless of age, we hurt the very hearts of Jesus and Mary.

OBJECTIVE THREE
To Give Praise and Honor to Jesus

ADORATION

We adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament to profess our belief in the faith of the Church that Christ is truly present there, because He wants it and deserves it.  He wants your love and devotion of Him, for love's sake, not out of obligation.  Adoring Jesus becomes the means by which we receive from him the grace we need for ourselves, for the Church and world in need. Render to God what is due to God. You owe Him your life...after all, He not only gave YOU life but He also gave you HIS life when He died for you, and through your time before His Eucharistic presence He will continue to share this gift of life with you!  With Love as our motive, these Vigils become Vigils of Love for Love, that one Perfect Love, which is Jesus.

OBJECTIVE FOUR
Sanctification of Persons, Families, and Communities.

PERSONAL SANCTIFICATION

This Vigil aids us in our own sanctification and the transformation of our hearts and others.   While on pilgrimage in Italy in October 2003 for the beatification of Mother Teresa, the foundress of the Apostolate went there with basically only one intention in mind - to beseech our Lord to transform her heart into His image and likeness. But in the process, He expanded her desire to include not only a transformation of her heart but others as well. It was at the Holy House of Loreto where the conception of this vigil took place. Through the work of the Holy Spirit and Eucharistic Adoration, this vigil has the power to transform any heart of the person who desires it and asks for it, yes, FOR ANY HEART THAT DESIRES IT AND ASKS FOR IT! We need to be continually transformed in order to combat the forces of evil, which assail us. For it is the individual heart that must first be transformed so that our family can be transformed, our parish, our city, and even a whole country.

Eucharistic Adoration is like having Lasik surgery. You get the initial jolt of clarity of Truth and then the more often you go, the clearer the Truth becomes. The Holy Spirit reveals much through adoration.

Those that save the body from death are heroes; but those that save the soul from eternal death, these are super heroes.

CONCLUSION

Our prayer for you is that you will attend one of these Vigils, start one in your area, or at least frequent the Most Blessed Sacrament so that your heart will become transformed into Jesus' image and likeness. The more hearts that are transformed, the more our country will be transformed and Americans will then follow God's plan, NOT our plan, but God's plan for marriage, for the family, for life, and for ourselves.

WHY IS THE VIGIL SO LATE?

Some may ask why so late?  Mass at 10 pm, prayers at 3 am, Benediction at 6:45 am.   It’s in the mystery of the cross and sacrifice where the treasure and fruit lie which leads to one’s own sanctification and the transformation of our culture.  Jesus’ sacrifice and suffering on the cross brought about the redemption of mankind.  Our Lady of Fatima calls for penance, penance, penance.  Wouldn’t you say the staying up late is good penance?

We also pray at this time to imitate Jesus who prayed late into the night in the Garden of Gesthemine. 

Jesus spent the night in prayer before every important decision or endeavor.  Some examples:  when he was about to begin his public ministry; when he was about to select the twelve apostles who would later lead the Church; and the night before His Passion, he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemine.

The characteristics of the prayer of Jesus was typically frequent, at night, alone, intense, and lengthy.

Furthermore, it is a time when most people are available and do not have work or family obligations inhibiting them from attending. 

Call to mind, that 10 pm was not too late to be at a party, or 6 am too early to go get your morning Starbucks coffee. To sacrifice a bit of sleep for our Lord and these intentions is exactly the medicine that is needed to kill the maladies which infect our country. Doesn't Our Lord deserve a bit more attention than a fleeting party?

CONCLUSION

We need you and your prayers. Of course, one is not expected to come the whole time, but for only one hour. "Can you not spend one hour with Me," our Lord said to His Apostles in the garden of Olives that Holy Thursday night? And He says the same thing to you.

Let's walk with His Holiness over that "Threshold of Hope" into a culture of life, into the greatest period of light, evangelization, and peace that the world has ever known - that era of peace that Our Lady promised at Fatima.

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