Can prayer illuminate our lives and cities? The answer is yes. This was reflected in the first Nightfever event in held in the country of Chile. 

What is Nightfever? It is a night of evangelization where a church stays open late in the heart of the city, in this case the Rancagua Cathedral, and passers-by are approached by missionaries and invited to light a candle in front of the Eucharist, spending a moment in prayer. The missionaries were surprised by the response as more than 50 people accepted this invitation for Christ to be, for a moment, the center of their lives.

The evening of prayer was organized by Alonso Sánchez Piñero, an RC Mission Corps missionary, along with the students several high schools. He explains why they did it, “If you take God to the heart of the people, you change their lives and the hearts of the people around them.”

This was the first time that a Nightfever event was done in Chile. Alonso is originally from Spain and he is spending a year as an RC Mission Corps missionary in Chile. He had experienced Nightfever in Spain and thought it would be a great initiative in Chile as well.

Regnum Christi in Chile interviewed Alonso Sánchez Piñero about how the idea came about. Alonso explained: “I had experienced Nightfever in Valencia, Spain, as well as similar apostolates like A light in the night. I liked it a lot because it seemed an activity that is open to all kinds of people, and you have the chance to really go out to meet people where they are.  It’s also a direct experience of prayer with God. I was pleasantly surprised that in this country there is a great social commitment to help others, building houses, etc… however, sometimes the spiritual poverty is greater than material poverty, and that is why I thought that a more spiritual apostolate would be a nice alternative. We must not forget that it is God who touches the hearts of people, it is he who can change their lives and give it meaning. I shared the idea with the high school students of La Cruz School, and they received it well right from the start. They thought it was very beautiful, that it could change people’s lives, and that it could bring more people to Christ.”

Many of the missionaries showed up for the event not knowing how people would react when they approached them, however, from the first moment God touched the hearts of the people of Rancagua and many participated with joy in this evening of prayer.

Several of the students and passers-by also gave testimonies:

Juan: “I was going by and listening to music. The signs outside the cathedral caught my attention. I entered out of curiosity. I was excited to participate because I wondered, if I am not with God, who am I with? For me, it was a very good experience of meeting people and helping others.”

Barbara: “It has been a wonderful experience because I was able to pray and go to confession. The priest made me see that the Church accepts us, with our defects and virtues, that God always forgives us, and that we must give our lives to Him.”

Lucas: “It’s a very powerful experience, but at the same time it fills your heart. You feel very connected to God. I am currently living through some personal problems, but the priest opened my horizons and gave me solutions that are really possible, which I will seriously take into consideration.”

You can read the original on the Chilean Regnum Christi site.

Pinecrest Academy sophomore Kate O’Rourke has something special that she wants to share with the world, and she’s doing it in a big way. After growing up singing for her community at school, church and even the Atlanta Braves, the 16-year-old from Cumming, Georgia has just released her first album, I’m Good with Me, streaming on Spotify and all other streaming platforms.

The album of original songs is accompanied by a music video for her heartwarming pro-life track, Run, which features members of her family and teachers from Pinecrest Academy.

In an interview with patch.com, Kate shares, “My album release is the most exciting thing that is happening in my life at the moment, I started this process in December 2018, and my album is going to be released on October 20, 2019. I always knew I wanted to be a singer, ever since I was three. However, I never imagined that my dream would become a reality. This experience has helped me mature and realize the possibilities in life if you persevere and give one hundred percent in everything you do.”

In the same interview, Amy Little of United Music Studios talks about her experience working with Kate, “Working with an emerging young artist like Kate O’Rourke is a thrill for our team! Kate has an incredible natural gift as a vocalist, and she’s always willing to grow, stretch and collaborate. From the beginning, she had a clear focus in direction of style, topic, and vibe for her music. Kate’s debut EP is fun, sassy, personal, and powerful. We are so excited for the world to hear her voice and her message.”

Solidarity Catering is a new apostolic initiative in Spain that helps people get some work experience and on-the-job training so that they are then able to go to work full-time in the food services industry.

Solidarity Catering is part of Altius, a network of social service apostolates run by Regnum Christi in Spain. Last year alone, more than 800 people participated in Altius training courses and went on to find jobs in the hospitality sector: as waiters, kitchen helpers or bar assistants. In addition to the classroom training and real work environments provided by the program, the foundation has launched a project that allows them to gain experience under the supervision and support of their tutors. It’s called Altius Solidarity Catering.

This mix of apostolate and business offers top-level professional quality catering services for all kinds of events- including breakfast, lunch, and cocktails. As it is done in conjunction with job training, Solidarity is able to keep prices low. Because it helps those who were unemployed and profits are re-invested in helping others, it has a higher purpose as well. The hope is that after a period with Altius Solidarity Catering, those in the program can fully re-enter the job market.

The catering coordinators, who have extensive experience in their respective areas, teach courses such as waiting tables, managing catering, and other specialties.

Antonio Serrano, one of the coordinators who has worked as a maître d’ and is responsible for training courses and catering, noted: “For young men and women it is a fantastic learning opportunity, they take responsibility and get used to teamwork. It also allows people who cannot work because of their irregular situation to be able to get the experience that is fundamental with this type of training.”

Some of the first events catered by Altius Solidarity Catering were at the Francisco de Vitoria University, Los Fresnos Highlands School, and at several companies.  You can read the original on the Spanish Regnum Christi site, and contact them if you need catering near Madrid.