Adoration under the stars

Overnight vigil ‘a perfect encounter with the love of God’


In the quiet of the night, beneath the open sky at the foot of Tepeyac, more than 600 hearts found what the world so urgently needs: peace in the presence of Christ.

“It was a true blessing,” said Norma Vasquez, who participated in The Night Vigil of Eucharistic Adoration for Peace, organized by the Office of Hispanic Ministry of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City through the National Society of Nocturnal Adoration and the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine.

For Vasquez, the vigil was a very special grace. 

“It was a perfect encounter with the love of God,” she said. “Adoring the Lord in that setting was an experience of peace, joy and above all, great love. The entire event nourished my faith and strengthened my relationship with God.”

The 12-hour nocturnal adoration, held in late July, began with confessions and a Mass celebrated by Father Mike Wheelahan, concelebrated by Father Cristobal De Loera, followed by a procession and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at the foot of Tepeyac Hill on the shrine grounds.

The procession, held at sunset, was accompanied by bilingual hymns and praise led by the Catholic Renewal Praise Ministry “Vessels of Clay.”

It was an evening filled with the faithful gathered in the presence of the living God.

The vigil was organized by a dedicated team led by Abel Gómez, Armando Alvarado, Gaby Alvarado and Victor Reyes, who, at its conclusion, expressed pride in what was accomplished and a renewed commitment to creating more opportunities for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

For many families gathered, it was their first time adoring the Blessed Sacrament outdoors, in the midst of nature and throughout the entire night.

Vazquez said that when the Lord is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament, there can be nothing but blessing. 

“I felt as if time stood still and it was just him and me; no one else,” she said.

Adoring the Lord in the midst of his own creation reminded Vasquez of passages from the Old Testament, when God spoke to the people of Israel from Mount Horeb.

“The message I received from this experience is that we need to stop, step away from the noise for a moment and remain in the presence of God. He manifested himself in a very powerful way in my heart,” she said.

Lanny Stewart was inspired by her 7- and 10-year-old daughters to spend the entire night in vigil under the stars, “with Jesus.”

Stewart began practicing Eucharistic Adoration after attending the prayer and life workshops, which led her to respond to God’s call to deepen her relationship with him through prayer.

Since 2023, she has spent many nights and many months with the Blessed Sacrament and her bond is so strong as a family that her daughters accompany her — they even love sleeping in the church because, as they say, Jesus “takes care of their sleep.”

When her hour of guard arrives, she prays the Liturgy of the Hours from the Official Manual of Nocturnal Adoration. But at night, she simply gazes upon him, imagining all the great deeds he accomplished with the Prophets and Kings, with Israel at the beginning of time.

“I have him in front of me so ‘quiet’ but at the same time so ‘active,’ because I know that while I contemplate him, he is performing a thousand spiritual surgeries,” she said.

Praying for peace in the world is a vital call that all people need to embrace, Stewart said.

“God the Father suffers when his children suffer, and he is greatly pleased when we make the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Christ our own.”

She brought many intentions to lay at the feet of the Lord: for the victims of the earthquake in Venezuela; and Father Nabil Mouannes asked her to pray for the Middle East, for Ukraine, for so many wars, she said.

The vigil was more than an event; it was confirmation that when the faithful gather to adore, to pray and to keep watch with the Lord, hope is renewed and community is strengthened.

Many attendees are already hoping the Adoration Vigil for Peace will be held again.

“I would tell people, if you have a battle to win, visit Jesus in the Eucharist, surrender your battle to him, and trust that he will be victorious,” she said

Bella Gutiérrez is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.
Photos Bella Gutiérrez/ Sooner Catholic.