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A monthly Holy Hour for the spiritual renewal of the archdiocese will be offered on First Fridays, beginning March 6, at St. John the Evangelist Church at the New York Catholic Center in Manhattan and other parish churches in the archdiocese.
Msgr. Joseph LaMorte, vicar general and moderator of the curia, will lead the first Holy Hour at St. John the Evangelist from 1 to 2 p.m. that day.
The Holy Hour will be open to parishioners of St. John the Evangelist-Our Lady of Peace as part of First Friday Adoration as well as to archdiocesan employees who work at the Catholic Center.
March 6 is the World Day of Prayer. The Holy Hours will continue every first Friday through the close of Lent 2021.
Msgr. LaMorte, speaking with Catholic New York last week, said archdiocesan employees and others who participate would likely come away with “a deeper appreciation of Eucharistic Adoration.”
The prayerful atmosphere before the Blessed Sacrament could also lead participants to consider important questions, such as: “What does the Real Presence mean? What is the power of an encounter with Jesus in that way in my life?” Msgr. LaMorte said.
Cardinal Dolan, in a Feb. 5 letter to his “brother priests,” proposed “for us as the Archdiocese of New York to unite in prayer, for an increase in the faith of the people of this archdiocese.”
The cardinal advised the priests to “use the prayers during Adoration as you normally would, with the intention being the renewal of the archdiocese.”
The cardinal also wrote to each of the auxiliary bishops of the archdiocese to ask them to consider leading Holy Hours at St. John the Evangelist in the coming months. Several of the bishops are already scheduled to do so.
The archdiocese’s Adult Faith Formation Office, under director Elizabeth Guevara de Gonzalez, has developed a program for “Holy Hours for Renewal of Our Prayer Life and an Increase in Our Faith,” which is being made available to parishes. Ms. de Gonzalez said a number of pastors had already contacted her to express interest in leading the Holy Hours in their parishes.
During Adoration, the Holy Hour includes a brief reflection on St. Patrick, the patron saint of the archdiocese.
The Prayer for a Renewal of Our Prayer Life begins with the words, “As we pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament, let us reflect on our Blessed Mother, whom God chose as the first tabernacle where our Lord took human nature.”
A litany of prayer for “an increase in our faith” cites Cardinal Dolan, the bishops, priests and deacons, religious, lay leaders, catechists, as well as all who serve in parishes, offices and schools of the archdiocese.
The season of Lent, in which Catholics observe the Church’s call to eat less, pray more and be more generous is an especially appropriate time for the first Holy Hour to take place, Msgr. LaMorte said.
He said participants could ask themselves if there was “some historical basis in a longtime ritual within the Church that would be a benefit to me.”
Ms. de Gonzalez said her initial idea was that the Holy Hour would provide an opportunity for “parishes in the archdiocese to gather to do something in unity.”
Acknowledging the pain brought about by the abuse crisis in recent years, she said, “Being in front of the Blessed Sacrament, really praying, that is going to make the difference.”
Ms. de Gonzalez said she hopes those who participate in the Holy Hour find that it encourages them to “take the next step in their faith journey,” whether that means going to Mass every Sunday, or for the first time in a while, or even starting a prayer group at their parish.
Information: adultfaithformation@archny.org or (646) 794-2581.
