Insert to the Parish Bulletin for Sunday, October 21, 2018
Forty Hours Devotions: A Special Time of Prayer
This year our parish will celebrate the annual Forty Hours Devotions on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, November 4-5-6. The Forty Hours Devotions are a special time of prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, solemnly exposed in the monstrance on the altar. All are encouraged to participate in this great time of grace at Saint Elizabeth!
This year’s preacher is Father Sean P. English, parochial vicar at Saint Christopher Church in Philadelphia, PA. Each evening, Father English will offer a series of three reflections on the overall theme: The Word Became Flesh - Our Human Dignity Rooted in Christ.
During Forty Hours Devotions, we will have Evening Prayer, a homiletic reflection by Father English and Benediction each evening at 7:00 PM in church. We will also have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament between 8:00 AM and 7:00 PM on Monday and Tuesday, to provide time for personal prayer and quiet reflection throughout the day.
On Tuesday evening we will have a closing Eucharistic Procession with our parish liturgical ministers (altar servers & readers; ushers, greeters & hospitality minsters; liturgical musicians & sound techs; sacristans & extraordinary minsters of Holy Communion). Please consider participating in this year’s Forty Hours Devotions with your loved ones.
Individuals, couples and families are invited to take advantage of this sacred time and spend a few minutes, a half-hour or more praying before Jesus really present in the Blessed Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist during the day and/or to attend the communal prayer services each evening. Those who would like to register for a period of adoration as public representatives of the parish community as a whole are asked to sign their names on the schedule posted on the bulletin board outside the daily Mass chapel.
The Forty Hours Devotions have a long history in the Church, beginning in 1530 in Milan, Italy. Each parish in the Archdiocese of Milan was assigned a specific three days for the Forty Hours Devotions, so that Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament continued throughout the entire year. In 1539, Pope Paul III issued a solemn pronouncement confirming the practice of the Archdiocese of Milan for the Church as a whole. By 1550, both Saint Peter Neri and Saint Ignatius Loyola had instituted this devotional practice in their religious communities.
Here in the United States, Saint John Neumann, fourth bishop of Philadelphia, was a strong advocate and promoter of the Forty Hours Devotions. In 1853, he developed the first systematic schedule for all the parishes of the diocese to conduct the Forty Hours Devotions. It has since been customary for many parishes to celebrate the Forty Hours Devotions on or near the feast day of their patron saint. Here in our parish, we celebrate each year around the traditional feast of Saint Elizabeth and her husband Zachary on November 5. What a fitting way to mark the anniversary of the dedication of our church (November 4, 2005) and to honor our patroness, Saint Elizabeth!
Saint Elizabeth Social Fellowship Committee invites you to
A Craft Beer Garden
(adults only)
Enjoy fun*, friendships (old and new) and good food catered by Montesano Brothers Trattoria.
Date: Saturday, November 3, 2018
Time: 7:30 – 10:30 PM
Place: Parish Social Hall
Cost: $25.00 per person includes Roast Beef, Brats ‘n Kraut, Salad, Rolls, Cole Slaw, Munchies, Craft Beers, Wine, Soda, Coffee, Dessert
*For your dancing pleasure, DJ Bert
Tickets on sale after all Masses the weekends of October 20-21; 27-28; in the parish office during the week and online at www.stelizabethparish.org.