Nine Nights of Night Prayer returns Aug. 7-15

Nine Nights of Night Prayer, an opportunity for the faithful to visit churches throughout the Diocese of Cleveland and pray the Night Prayer of the Church, begins its fourth session on Aug. 7.

As in the previous prayer sessions, a cohort of nine different churches will open their doors at 8 p.m. each night Aug. 7-15 and welcome people for prayer. Night prayer will begin at 8:15 and it lasts about 15 minutes.

Churches participating this session are:

• St. Anthony of Padua Parish, 316 5th St., Fairport Harbor
• SS. Robert and William Parish, 367 E. 260th St., Euclid
• St. Matthew Parish, 2603 Benton Ave., Akron
• Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, 1905 Portage Trail, Cuyahoga Falls
• Our Lady of Angels Parish, 3644 Rocky River Drive, in Cleveland’s West Park neighborhood
• Sacred Heart Chapel (Spanish prayer), 4301 Pearl Ave., Lorain
• St. Emeric Parish, 1860 W 22nd St, Cleveland
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish (West), 6928 Detroit Ave., Cleveland
• St Mary Parish, 320 Middle Avenue, Elyria

Father Damian Ference, vicar for evangelization and director of diocesan Parish Life and Special Ministries , launched the night prayer sessions last August. There are three sessions per year and each session ends on a Marian feast day: Annunciation (March 25), Assumption (Aug. 15) and Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8).

“‘Nine Nights of Night Prayer’ is a unique opportunity to open up nine of our beautiful churches in the evenings for an experience of beauty, community, Scripture and tradition,” Father Ference said, noting that Pope Francis reminds us that prayer “appeases anger, sustains love, multiplies joy and instills the strength to forgive.”

For more information about the Liturgy of the Hours, the daily prayer of the Church, and Night Prayer, click here.