Courtesy photo
The Rev. Kathy McAdams
Inspired by New Jersey Senator Cory Booker's record-setting 25-hour speech on the Senate floor March 31-April 1, the rector of St. John's Church in Franklin, the Rev. Kathy McAdams, is planning her own overnight "filibuster of prayer," as she describes it.
In an adaptation of the traditional vigil at the altar of repose, McAdams will be reading Scripture, praying, singing and speaking for the 24 hours between 8 p.m. on Maundy Thursday, April 17 through 7 p.m. on Good Friday, April 18.
She hopes others will drop in at the church at any time during the vigil, or join the livestream via Facebook at stjohnsfranklinma.
"I'm calling it 'Keep Awake with Me' because that's what Jesus asked his disciples to do, and I think it's really important at this time that we keep awake to what's going on in our country and in the world, and remember and trust that Jesus is concerned about vulnerable people. Keeping awake with him means that we too share that concern and try to do something about it," McAdams said in a Zoom interview.
One thing that struck her about Booker's feat, she said, was the way he summoned up "champions of justice, like John Lewis and Martin Luther King, and also just that he would do something so extreme to call attention to the moment that we're in right now."
Unlike Booker, she said, if she needs a bathroom break or a snack, she'll have one. "I might even sit down," she added. "Fortunately, I don't have to worry about Senate rules or anything like that. And maybe other people will come and want to get up and say something. I can yield the floor!"
"Maybe others would like to do something similar," she added. "It doesn't have to be on that night, and it doesn't have to be for 24 hours. It's about finding ways of holding space, being present, showing up."