Night Prayer

As a follow up to the shorter-than-planned article on Night prayer in the previous issue, Christis asked someone without experience of Night Prayer to go along and then share their views with us.

Heslington Night Prayer

I had always wondered what really happened at ten o’clock on Friday nights in Heslington Church. The evening is described as containing “Readings, prayers, silence and singing by candlelight to end the week” with cocoa afterwards.

But words cannot possibly describe the atmosphere of sanctuary and renewal surrounding this unique time of worship. The short time spent sitting in the small chapel consists of listening to readings, psalms and prayers; singing short Latin choruses, and lengths of silence for individual prayer and meditation. There is only word to describe what God gave me during that evening — Peace.

I realised that evening that I had found a part of God I never new existed, and i can only sum up my feelings with a quote from an Israeli Priest — “It’s good to meet with God in the deep silence …”

Mark Graves