The light will shine

“If I was told ten years ago that the Night of Churches would cross the border of Austria, I wouldn’t believe it. But the Holy Spirit blows wherever he wants and the Pentecost is not a matter of the past!”. These are the words of Mons. Karl Rühringer, dean of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna and one of the founders of the idea of the Night of Churches. On 24 May this year, thousands of churches in Austria, Czech republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Estonia and Latvia will open their gates to offer the most incredible experience to their visitors, with aim to continue in the immense success of the past editions of the event. This year, the main theme was inspired by the Book of Zechariah: “And there shall be continuous day, known to the Lord, not day and not night, for at evening time there shall be light”.www.langenachtderkirchen.at. Austria is the country with the longest tradition of the Night of Churches and the cooperation of 16 Churches associated in the Ecumenical Council of Churches shows a great example of ecumenism. Archbishop of Vienna, cardinal Christoph Schönborn, has written a message for this year’s edition of the Night of Churches expressing joy over the fact that so many Catholic parishes show interest in active participation, and appreciating that the project attracts not only attention of the faithful but also of those who are “distant” from the Church or faith. “We see that all those men and women, though not adhering to any religious tradition, looking for the truth, goodness and beauty, and this truth, goodness and beauty is God”, writes cardinal Schönborn using the words of pope Francis. “The way of Jesus is wide and there’s a lot of space. Night of Churches is an opportunity to undertake it”, continues the archbishop of Vienna, wishing the organizers and visitors of churches an “experience of courageous and trustworthy witness of Christian existence that brings light into the night”. www.nockostelu.cz. The Night of Churches in the Czech republic is organized by 11 Christian Churches, including all Catholic dioceses. The program full of concerts, theatre performances, special forms of guided tours and lectures on history of sacral buildings will be held in about 1300 churches all ove the country. Cardinal Dominik Duka, president of the Czech Bishops’ Conference, has issued a message in this regard. As he writes, the Old Testament often pictures the night as a symbol of darkness and evil, pointing to God who is the only one having power to win over it. “The New Testament goes even further: brings a new light into this perception of night. The first moment of God’s incarnation takes place at night, when the star of Betlehem announces the arrival of the One who would redeem a man from his sins and eternal death”, continues cardinal Duka, pointing to the mystery of Easter, “real victory of God over death, over any darkness of life”. “Let our Night of Churches become a similar victory, to show ourselves and the others that also today, when everything seems to be pesimistic and hopeless, God can bring out hope, light and joy of life in our hearts”, concludes the president of the Bishops’conference. “Through cooperation in organization of the event we can symbolically show openness of Christian Churches towards a dialogue with the world and willingness of all Christians to not just talk about unity but to show it in a practical way”, explains one of the coordinators Fr. Milos Szabo.www.nockostolov.sk. In Slovakia, where the Night of Churches will be held for the third time, the event doesn’t have a central coordination this year. Rector of St. Nicolaus Basilica in Trnava understands it as a “service for all people, not just for those who come to churches regularly”. In his opinion, the Night of Churches, due to take place in 48 churches of the country (mainly in Trnava archdiocese) represents an opportunity for “admireres of architecture and art who usually don’t step in sacral buildings because they are afraid they wouldn’t know how to behave at such places to change their mind”.www.kirikuteoo.ee. About Estonians it is said that they haven’used fight to get their freedom from communism but they have “sung it out”. Choirs with several thousand members are not rare in this country and for sure they will show their talent on 24 May in some of 13 churches opening their gates for the Night of Churches in Tartu. Apart from musical performances, the organizers have prepared an opportunity for the visitors to enter the spaces which are usually closed to public. The Night of Churches has been officially supported by bishop Philippe-Jean Charles Jourdan, head of the Catholic Church in Estonia which is considered one of the least religious countries in the world, with 75,7% inhabitants claiming to be of no religion. The organizers hope that the Night of Churches could help to improve this situation.