The ninth – and final – round of Nine Nights of Night Prayer concluded May 31 at nine parishes throughout the Diocese of Cleveland.
An ice cream social, featuring a special flavor called “Friendship,” took place at each host church after prayer concluded. The flavor once again was created by Country Parlour Ice Cream, with assistance from Father Damian Ference, diocesan vicar for evangelization.
“We called it ‘Friendship’ because Mary and Elizabeth were not only cousins, but also good friends. The main ingredients are strawberries and cream, which are nutritious and symbolic of the two women who are about to become mothers. The pink color symbolizes their femininity,” Father Ference said.
(See photo gallery above.)
Host churches for the final round of Night Prayer were Mother of Sorrows, 6034 Locust St., Peninsula; St. Agnes, 541 Spring St., Orville; St. Anthony of Padua, 83 Mosser Place, Akron; St. Anthony of Padua, 6750 State Road, Parma; St. Colette, 330 W. 130thSt., Brunswick; St. James, 17514 Detroit Ave., Lakewood; St. John the Evangelist, 1007 Superior Ave., Cleveland; St. Mary, 242 N. State St., Painesville (prayer in Spanish) and St. Vincent de Paul, 41295 North Ridge Road, Elyria.
The faithful were invited to visit one or more of the host churches for the ancient tradition of night prayer. People could pray at the same church each night or travel to multiple locations throughout the nine nights. Doors opened at 8 p.m., with prayer – which lasted about 15 minutes each night – at 8:15.
Although Nine Nights of Night Prayer has been a popular event and some have said they would like to see it continue, Father Ference said the ministry has run its course after 81 sessions at 81 churches across the eight-county diocese.
“It’s time to try something new,” he added.