Originally published at National Catholic Register
On the night of March 12-13, 2013, just hours before Cardinal Jorge Bergolio would be elected pope, young adults were gathered in prayer before the Eucharist in a small church dedicated to youth just outside the Vatican.
Now in its 12th year, the Church’s “24 Hours for the Lord” Lenten initiative is believed to have been inspired by the Eucharistic devotion of a group of young Catholics in Rome.
On the night of March 12-13, 2013, just hours before Cardinal Jorge Bergolio would be elected pope, young adults were gathered in prayer before the Eucharist in a small church dedicated to youth just outside the Vatican.
It was not the first time. A few weeks prior, the group had also spent all night in adoration at a different church as Pope Benedict XVI was ending his papacy and preparing to leave the Vatican to fly by helicopter to the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy.
One day the following year, Pope Francis announced that the whole Church would spend “24 Hours for the Lord,” with a special Lenten penance liturgy at the
