I know it’s still a few weeks away from Lent, but this year, we are excited to host our first 40 Hours Devotion at St. Gerard Majella! This beautiful tradition offers our parish the opportunity to spend 40 continuous hours in adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, deepening our relationship with Christ as individuals, and emphasizing that Jesus is the center of the life of our parish.

The practice of 40 Hours Devotion dates to as early as 1527, introduced by St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria in Milan and Vicenza and continued to be spread by St. Ignatius of Loyola and the Jesuits. The number 40 is significant in the scriptures: the 40 years spent in the wilderness by the Israelites, the 40 days and nights that Noah spent in the ark, and appropriately at the beginning of Lent, the 40 days and nights of fasting and prayer spent by Jesus during his temptation in the desert. So in some ways, we could see our 40 hours of prayer as going out into the desert with Jesus at the beginning of the holy season.

Some of us may hear this invitation to sign up for an hour and find it intimidating or difficult, in part because we may not know what to do during that hour! I know when we first introduced the 40 Hours Devotion while I was in the seminary, it was a big challenge for me. I tried to make sure I was prepared by lining up plenty to do in that hour of adoration: my rosary, my breviary, a spiritual reading book, my journal, and so on. And while those things are all good, and the parish will try to provide you with some reflection guides for your prayer, I also encourage you simply to have a heart-to-heart conversation with the Lord in silence, sharing with him what’s on your heart, and receiving his peace and presence.

The 40 Hours Devotion is a powerful opportunity for each of us and our whole parish to grow in faith, to bring our prayers before the Lord, and to seek His guidance and peace. We will begin the devotion with Stations of the Cross at 7:00 pm on Friday, March 7, and will conclude with the Divine Mercy Chaplet and Benediction at 3:00 pm on Sunday, March 9. Throughout the weekend, there will also be opportunities to join in Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Night Prayer, as well as special times for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

I encourage all parishioners to join in this beautiful event, especially by trying to commit to an hour of prayer. Please sign up in advance to ensure that there will be continuous prayer and devotion during the entire 40 hours. We have an online signup.  With all that we do and all that we accomplish at our busy Kirkwood parish, St. Gerard Majella Parish still has One Focus: Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Let’s come together in this time of prayer, as we grow in faith and devotion to the Eucharist, the source of our strength, our hope, and our identity.