The Vigil consisted of meditations on and the reciting of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary and the singing of hymns. Each decade was preceded by a meditation and followed by a hymn.

Before the blessing, His Lordship the Bishop addressed those present thanking them for their attendance, as the vigil had been called at short notice, and among other things saying:

“We have come together in a spirit of fraternal harmony to pray for all of Gibraltar. Our Faith proclaims that God is our Creator and made us in His image and Likeness, and by this we mean from the beginning of our existence, that is that from conception we have the dignity of being children of God. Ours, therefore, is a Gospel of Love, of Reconciliation and of Life. As disciples of Christ, we are called to spread God’s love for all, even including those who are not yet born.

“We pray that we may give witness of this peace and message. May God, the source of all good, bless us, our family and our society.”

The Bishop asked the congregation to sing St Francis of Assisi's prayer "Make me a Channel of Your Peace" to remind us all that, as Christians, we can only truly proclaim the Gospel of Life if we do so in a spirit of fraternal harmony, always cultivating respect, harmony, peace and greater love.

The final hymn was William Gomez’s ‘Ave Maria’.

18-06-19 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR