Scottish Catholic Observer

Fresh from catching the imagination of all at the St Andrew’s Conference, Nightfever returned to St Aloysius, Glasgow, earlier this month. A night of music and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, Nightfever aims to draw young people back to the Church. Helpers invite passers-by to come in to light a candle and spend time with God, regardless if they have their own faith beliefs or none.

A group from the university chaplaincy in Edinburgh joined the recent Glasgow Nightfever with a view to holding a similar event in their own chapel. Nightfever started in October 2005, shortly after the XX World Youth Day in Cologne, which one million young Christians from all around the world had attended. Throughout these days, the cities of Cologne, Bonn and Düsseldorf were filled with young people singing and praying day and night. And churches were still full even after midnight.

When things seemed to have ‘gone back to normal’ only a few weeks later—the young people were at home, not in Church—two students from Bonn realised: “This cannot be the end. This great vibe/spirit of the WYD has to go on in our daily lives…!” Nightfever was born of this.

The concept is based on the Evening of Joy of the Emmanuel Community, but the Nightfever events are not run by a particular group or community, but by students from various faculties, pupils, professionals, and different communities.

—     The next Nightfever Glasgow will take place at St Aloysius, Garnethill, on Saturday February 2, 2013, 5.45pm-11pm.

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