After a powerful turnout last year left collaborative hearts renewed, St. Basil's Parish and the University of St. Michael's College Campus Ministry are bringing back 24 Hours for the Lord this Lent, giving Toronto's faithful another unique chance to unite in continuous adoration as a community. 

Under this year’s new theme, which focuses on encounter, the church on the St. Mike's campus and its campus ministry team will begin the perpetual praise and worship event on March 6. From that evening on, students, families and the broader Catholic community are invited to stay in God’s presence at St. Basil’s, which will remain open 24 hours for continuous Eucharistic Adoration until the evening of March 7.

For JoAnn Lopez, the lay  pastoral associate at St. Basil's Parish, 24 Hours for the Lord returns after its debut in 2025, which saw success in both participation and individual impact, using the method laid out by Pope Francis back in 2014. 

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“We wanted to  dedicate ourselves to our relationship with God in a more profound way, and  we had a great turnout with about 80 people registered across the whole weekend. It filled me with a great sense of awe and wonder to see so many people who are interested in and committed to spending time with Jesus. We wanted to offer it again for our parish, as people continue to be hungry and thirsty for encountering God,” she said. 

Lopez, along with the campus ministry team are hoping for another seamless, all-night journey of prayer and community, with the parish’s staple evening vesper prayers beginning just after 5 p.m, followed immediately by Stations of the Cross and a simple supper and introductory talk on encountering God in the parish basement hall. By 7:30 p.m., a Reconciliation service is offered in the church along with multiple confession stations, concluding with the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and the start of continuous Eucharistic Adoration. 

Nicole Annushton, the campus ministry coordinator, pointed out that it is around the time of perpetual Eucharistic Adoration that the event begins to take shape as its own unique offering, as adoration continues through the night with structured prayer.

“The ministry team were taking shifts and taking turns sleeping, and I remember coming back early the next morning and expecting to find the church empty. I ended up coming into a church of around 20 people, some of whom had stayed all night,” she said. 

“ This is an invitation that Jesus has for us to stay awake with Him, which I think is such a beautiful and contemplative time of prayer.”  

Attendees can register for different time slots for when they wish to participate, with opportunities for an hour of adoration, all the way to the entire 24 hours open for commitment. 

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Throughout the night, different prayer opportunities arise at each of the hours, such as praise and worship from 10-11 p.m. led by the students from campus ministry and proclamation of the word at the top of each hour. Even as early as  4 a.m, the team will lead a Liturgy of the Hours reading before concluding overnight adoration with a morning prayer and Holy Mass at 9 a.m. 

Family-focused music and craft time follows, a recurring component unique to the St. Basil and St. Mike's offering, and one that provided some of the event's most fruitful moments last year. 

“We understand that not everybody can stay up overnight with the various needs and responsibilities of our attendees, so we wanted to offer something that is for everyone and bring our communities together in an intergenerational way,” Lopez said. 

“ We were able to have a group of our students lead those activities for the children of the parish and their families, which is something special and joyful, as many don't get any other opportunities to be with children as  role models,” Annushton added. 

While the event may conclude following Christian meditation that morning and a final 5 p.m. Mass, Lopez insists that 24 Hours for the Lord’s success will be measured not just by numbers and duration, but by the individual open hearts and prayerful encounters it can facilitate this Lenten season. 

More so perhaps than even the personal aspects is the event’s powerful emphasis on community, bringing together parishioners of St. Basil's Parish and students at the University of St. Michael's College. Toronto Cardinal Frank Leo's message for Lent spoke in depth about embarking on the Lenten journey together, with 24 Hours for the Lord providing both a closeness and an encounter with Christ personally and as a community walking together.

Annushton and Lopez hope those piqued by the event’s uncommon delivery will experience, beyond its novelty, the deeper chance to encounter Christ’s merciful love during this time of  prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

“ Come as you are and be open to encountering the Lord without putting expectations or pressures on yourself about what that has to look like,” Annushton said.

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“ Whether that’s for 15 minutes or the whole 24 hours, this Lent, let us experience a connection that leads us out into something greater than ourselves,” Lopez added. 

To register, see stbasiltoronto.org/24hours.