The Night of churches

This year’s International Children’s Day will have a special flavour in Czech republic, Austria and Slovakia. On 1 June at 6 p.m., thousands of Christian churches will open their gates until midnight, with aim to show the beauty of Christian art and architectural works of the past, reach out to visitors through a positive experience in connection to the Church, and let them "explore" Christianity via spoken word, music and fine arts.Austria. History of the first "Long night of Churches" is associated with Austria. In 2005, the Vienna vicariate came up with a new kind of "missionary effort" by opening the local churches and offering special programs at their premises. According to the organizers, the purpose of the event was not necessarily "to preach the Gospel, but to celebrate the beauty found in religion though arts and music". Throughout eight years of its existence, the project has become a symbol of ecumenical zeal, with participation of all Christian churches represented in the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Austria and those with the status of observer. However, the event would be unimaginable without work of thousands of volunteers investing their time, skills and enthusiasm. "During the Night of churches, the Church speaks to people in a different way, showing variety of Christian life, Christian way of expression, and diverse approaches towards God", explains the archbishop of Vienna, cardinal Christoph Schönborn, wishing that the event would remain "an intense sign of life of Christian Churches in the middle of contemporary world". Last year’s edition saw participation of 715 churches from Arlberg to Neusiedlersee, offering 3,300 cultural events to more than 310,000 visitors, despite heavy rain. This year, about 600 churches have registered to open their gates and offer interesting program not only to adults but also to children, with intention to contribute to celebration of their international day. Details: www.langenachtderkirchen.at.Czech republic. Inspired by the example of Austria, its northern neighbour decided to open the gates of Christian Churches for the first time in 2009. Interest of visitors in Czech republic, often described as one of the most secularized countries of Europe, exceeded all expectations. Last year, the Night of churches took place in 939 temples of all dioceses, with 5,000 various events attracting more than 300,000 people. This year’s edition with around 1,200 registrated churches, will offer rich cultural program including concerts, guided tours, workshops, theater performances, explanations about history of churches, opportunities to play the organ, ring the bells, visit towers, ancient crypts and parts of churches not usually accessible for visitors, or just to experience liturgy and moments of prayer in a sacred space, explain the coordinators. Archbishop of Prague, cardinal Dominik Duka, expressed his conviction that God talks to the world not only through "the perfection that all organizers try to reach during preparation of their programs for the event", but also throught "the imperfection" that we openly confess: "This is one of the reasons why I like so much being a part of the community understanding the churches not only as museums of art and places for liturgy but also as open spiritual spaces, inviting all the people of good will". Details: www.nockostelu.cz.Slovakia. Celebration of the Night of churches in Slovakia launched its "pilot edition" in 2011. The pioneer of the event was the archdiocese of Trnava, headed by Mons. Robert Bezak. He appreciated that people "came, experienced beauty, peace and breath of the Holy Spirit", wishing that the Night of churches could be "a moment of birth of great things that would last even after the end of the project". Margita Vanovcanova, member of an organising team, praises "a spirit of community", mutual support and inspiration of all participating countries, affirming that the Night of Churces offers a new space for lay people and communities with possibility "to discover not only the beauty of Christian vocation but the great inner power to evangelize, to testify about Jesus Christ in contemporary society". She pointed to the importance of individual approach in this regard, emphasizing a strong effect of "personal evangelization". On 1 June, the Night of churches will run in about 180 Slovak churches of almost all dioceses, almost twice as many as the last year. The visitors are offered to participate at the contest entitled "The Night of churches through my eyes", by sending video or audio recordings, photos and essays related to the personal experience with the event. The deadline for sending the materials is on 15 June. Details: www.nockostolov.sk.A nascent Pan-European project. According to the archbishop of Trnava, the Night of churches aims to "illuminate whole Europe", to make people realize that they need light in their lives. As it seems, his wish starts to have a concrete frame. A delegation from the Catholic Church of Estonia will visit Vienna, Prague, Brno and Trnava in the following days, to absorb the atmosphere of the event, find inspiration and discuss ways of applying it in Estonia. Various programs have also been running in several towns of Germany, Netherlands and Hungary, giving hope that the idea of the Night of churches could gradually become a real Pan-European project.