Tuesday 19 May 2015

40 Hours Devotion - Quarant'Ore . . .

Our 40 Hours Devotion begins this evening. Opening Mass at 7.30pm. We look forward to welcoming Fr Seán Finnegan who will preside at the Mass of Exposition and preach.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament exposed on the altar will continue uninterrupted until Thursday morning. 
Our 40 Hours Devotion concludes with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at 9.10am. Weekday Mass follows at 9.30am.

Come and go as you wish; pop in on your way to work or to the shops; before or after the school run. Stay for however long you can - just a few minutes or even a few hours. Our Lord will be waiting for you.


All are very welcome of course. Do please try and come and spend some time with Our Lord during this special time. 

This is a photo taken at a previous 40 Hours Devotion here at St Ann's - just to whet your appetite!


For anyone who may not be familiar with the Forty Hours Devotion, here is a  very brief extract about the history of the devotion . . 

The precise origin of the Forty Hours' Devotion is obscure. St. Charles Borromeo speaks as if this practice of praying for forty hours was very ancient; and he refers it to the forty hours that Christ's Body remained in the tomb. The number 40 is also associated with the rain at the time of the flood of Noah lasting 40 days and nights, the Hebrews wandering in the desert for 40 years on the way to the Promised Land, and Jesus fasting for 40 days before beginning his public ministry.

If you would like to read more on the subject, you will find more information here and here



1 comment:

Anonymous said...

..and what a lovely Mass it was too. Very reverent, good homily and so prayerful.

The Sanctuary had been beautifully decorated with flowers and candles as befitting such a wonderful devotion.
As the hymn goes..'there is something holy here'.