But why Forty Hours?

The Forty Hours Devotion is 40 hours of prayer before the exposed Blessed Sacrament, where we come face-to-face with Our Lord. This devotion is also widely known as Forty Hours Prayer and Forty Hours Adoration. The selection of 40 as the number of hours the faithful pray and the Blessed Sacrament is exposed outside the tabernacle is likely because that was the number of hours Jesus spent in the tomb between His death and resurrection. The number 40 is found repeatedly throughout the Old and New Testaments, including: the number of days Jesus fasted and was tempted in the wilderness, the days of rain causing the great flood during Noah’s time, and the years of journey the Israelites wandered in the desert.

For over 500 years one of the most beautiful of all Catholic devotions has been the one known as Quarant Ore, or Forty Hours. The Blessed Sacrament is solemnly exposed for 40 hours outside the tabernacle and continuously adored by the faithful.

Starting on Sunday 3rd May after 11am Mass, the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed upon the altar until 10pm at night, with a Holy Hour being held at 4pm

On Monday 4th May, Mass will be celebrated at 10.00am, followed by exposition until 10.00pm, with a Holy Hour being held at 6.30pm

On Tuesday 5th May, Mass will be celebrated at 10.00am, followed by exposition until 10.00pm, with a Holy Hour being held at 6.00pm

On Wednesday 6th May, Mass will be celebrated at 9.30am, followed by exposition with a Holy Hour concluding the event at 7.00pm

All are welcome to attend this wonderful time of Grace being held in St Joseph’s Catholic Church, Bonnybridge.