“VESPERSss”… An Evening Prayer of Hope with Singing and Sharing

Kenyalang, Sarawak: An Advent & Christmas themed evening prayer and celebration has made the Holy Trinity Church lively on November 30, 2024. 

Inspired by the sacred and solemn tradition of the Church, having evening prayer called “vespers” (derived from the Latin word “vesperi” meaning evening) as part of the Liturgy of the Hours, imbued with the desire to spread “hope” (which is “spe” in Latin) through singing and sharing, and aligned with Psalm 89:1 “ I will sing the Lord’s great love forever. I will speak of His faithfulness to everyone” as the theme, young Catholics from different places met up and enjoyed the night with Jesus, the reason for the season. 

The evening began with the celebration of the sunset Holy Mass in the Holy Trinity Church. After a short break, Vespers was prayed with some reflections on Advent. Singing and sharing followed suit. There was a live acoustic performance by the St Peter’s College seminarians. St Stephen Bau Youth from Singai put more life to all though their ‘music game’. Interwoven between those musical segments were inspiring faith testimonies given by Aaron Wong, Eva Simrenjit Kaur and Brother Joseph Uvarajah. Their sharing highlighted Advent as a season of HOPE, with God’s love as its foundation. They also highlighted the role of Jesus as the assurance of eternal joy and peace and source of our hope. They invited everyone to be “home” to others for us to share hope. How? By providing love, comfort and light, especially to those in darkness, as embodiment of Christ’s presence. All the singing and sharing created an intimate atmosphere of community and connection. 

Young people from various youth groups as SEEKERS, Holy Trinity Church Youth, AKAYA and KCM, prepared food and drinks for all to enjoy. They offered Chicken Rice, Hot Dog, fries and pastries among others. They even offered Christmas Chocolate drinks to enhance the evening. There were also merchandise stalls run by KAYC and St Mark Church Youth which offered unique items such as 3D printed rosary cards and emotion treasure boxes filled with the scripture passages that give reassurance in times of need. 

The evening concluded with Fr Eugene, parish priest of Holy Trinity Church, giving a message and imparting to everyone God’s blessing. With smiles from everyone, the evening ended with the resounding message of the night – that faith and fellowship are powerful tools for inspiring hope. 

Written by Christine Cyrill