First Thursday Holy Hour
-
-
A Message from Father Gorka
I encourage everyone to take seriously the opportunity of the Holy Hour; especially during the Eucharistic Revival in
our country. Please consider in your heart to privately spend Holy Hour in our beautiful Chapel. My wish is that our parishioners and community will sign up to make sure that every hour, the Eucharistic Jesus will be praised.
If you have never been to a Holy Hour, come with a friend and follow along! It will all be familiar to you and I encourage you to experience it.
Our Adoration Chapel is located across the parking lot, next to the Rectory and is open from 7:30am - 7:30pm daily.
-
-
-
Tradition and HistoryThe Holy Hour tradition officially goes back to 1674 when Christ appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque multiple times over a 13 month period.
Christ’s appearances to this saint emphasized his human heart - how he loves as both human and divine. Christ instructed Alacoque to spend an hour every Thursday evening meditating on His sufferings in the Garden of Gethsemane.
A Holy Hour is a Roman Catholic devotional tradition of spending an hour in Eucharistic Adoration in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. It is a time of
prayer and meditation before the Holy Eucharist.
The term “Holy Hour” comes from the Latin phrase
“hora sancta” which refers to this practice.
You can make a Holy Hour anytime, anywhere.While traditionally Holy Hours have been made in Adoration, you don’t need to be in the presence of the
Eucharist to pray for a full hour. The most important part of making a Holy Hour is preparing yourself to spend the full hour with God. You might have to wake up early, stay up late, or you could even use your lunch break to make
a Holy Hour - whatever you choose, make sure you’re setting yourself up for a peaceful sixty minutes of meditation with God.
-
-
-
How to Pray: Holy Hour
There are many ways to pray a Holy Hour! You might read Scripture, listen to worship music, journal, or you might simply sit and talk with God, Or you can pray with a combination of all the above.
Below we’ve written out a guide for one way to use the Hour wisely.0-8 Minutes: Enter into Prayer
Get comfortable and begin your prayer. Begin with some deep breathing to settle our hearts and minds. Pray a short prayer here to collect ourselves with, such as “Come, Holy Spirit,” a Psalm, or the Lord’s Prayer.
8-18 minutes: Adoration
Next, spend ten minutes simply adoring God. If you’re praying before the Blessed Sacrament, gaze at Jesus and let Him gaze back at you. Rest in wonder at who God is and how He invites you to know Him.
18-25 minutes: Contrition
Spend a few minutes asking the Holy Spirit to reveal where you have fallen short and where you might need to ask for God’s mercy. Resolve to go to Confession as soon as you’re able.
25-45 minutes: Contemplation
This is the core of the Holy Hour – time spent in contemplation of God. In this part of your prayer, you can sit in silence. Other ways or prayer you’ll find people doing are meditating on the Rosary, praying with Scripture through Lectio Divina, the Stations of the Cross, or even meditating on the questions Jesus asks throughout the Gospels.
45-50 minutes: Thanksgiving
Spend some time thanking God for the gifts in your life. This might be something big, such as a new friendship or job, or it might be something small, like your coffee in the morning or the nice walk you took yesterday afternoon.
50-55 minutes: Petition
Turn to God with the cares and concerns of your heart, those close to you, and all the needs of people throughout the world. Entrust everything to God.
55-60: Closing
We keep these last few minutes open for you to say any last things to God and make a resolution that came out of your prayer: how is God calling you to act, think, change, pray? What can you take away from this time spent with Him? Then close your time in prayer with an Our Father or any prayer that is on your heart.
-
Try this at-home devotion Jesus gave
St. Margaret MaryAmong the beautiful ways to honor the Sacred Heart is making a Eucharistic Holy Hour, attending a formal Adoration, or just stopping by a quiet church to make a prayerful visit before the Tabernacle.
But there’s another kind of Holy Hour inspired by the Sacred Heart revelations that these days is largely forgotten … and it can bear beautiful fruit.
Imagine if you could take some of that peace you experience in the Adoration Chapel home with you. Well, you can!
-
