24 Hours for the Lord

Faithful can benefit spiritually by attending 24 Hours for the Lord during Lent, say pastors of parishes around the Diocese.

 “24 Hours for the Lord is important because it gives people an opportunity to encounter Jesus in Confession and Adoration,” said Father Jeffrey Kegley, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Middletown. “In participating in 24 Hours for the Lord, a person will encounter the love and mercy of Jesus Christ as their sins are forgiven. After Confession, people again have another opportunity to encounter Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration. Both Confession and Adoration provide an amazing opportunity for healing of souls.”

St. Mary Parish is currently one of five parishes that will carry on what has become a Lenten tradition in the Diocese. The parishes will open their doors for 24 hours, during which time visitors can pray before the Blessed Sacrament in Eucharistic Adoration, seek the Sacrament of Reconciliation, join in healing services or spend time in prayer.

In the Diocese, 24 Hours for the Lord began in 2018 when Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., asked parishes to join with Catholics throughout the world in the initiative that was established by Pope Francis. As a way of establishing consistent timing, the Pope selected the days ahead of the Fourth Sunday of Lent as proper time for the 24 hours to be offered.

In a 2020 communication to priests of the Diocese, Bishop O’Connell noted that several parishes had observed the request of Pope Francis and the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization for the past two years and that many parishes had reported positive results.

“I would like to continue that tradition again this year,” Bishop O’Connell said.

To read more about 24 Hours for the Lord, click HERE.
 

Participating Parish Schedules

The parishes that will host 24 Hours for the Lord and their schedules are as follows:

Burlington County

• Mary, Mother of the Church Parish – St. Mary Church worship site, 45 Crosswicks Street, Bordentown. Adoration begins at 4:45 p.m. March 20 and continues until 4:45 p.m. March 21. Confessions will be heard from 7 to 10 p.m. March 20 and from 1:45 to 4:45 p.m. March 21.

Monmouth County

• Holy Cross Parish, 30 Ward Ave., Rumson. Adoration begins at 9:30 a.m. March 20 and continues through 8:30 a.m. March 21. Confessions will be heard March 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the chapel and from 7:30 to 10 p.m. in the church. On March 21, Confessions will be heard at 9:30 a.m. in the church. Stations of the Cross will be prayed at 7 p.m. March 20 in the church. From March 16-18, Eucharistic Adoration and Confessions will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. in the church and on March 19, Eucharistic Adoration and Confessions will be held from 6 to 8 p.m.

• Nativity Parish, 180 Ridge Road, Fair Haven. Eucharistic Adoration will begin at noon March 20 and will continue until noon March 21. The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated from noon to 9 p.m. March 20, with the exception of 7 to 8 p.m., when the outdoor Stations of the Cross will be prayed in the prayer garden. On Saturday, Confessions will be heard from 6 a.m. to noon with the exception of 8 to 8:45 a.m., when daily Mass will be celebrated.

• St. Mary Parish, 19 Cherry Tree Farm Road, Middletown. 24 Hours for the Lord will be held from 3 p.m. March 20 to 3 p.m. March 21.

• St. Michael Parish, 800 Ocean Ave., West End. 24 Hours for the Lord will begin at 8 a.m. Friday morning and will conclude with the Rosary immediately following the 9 a.m. Mass on Saturday. Adoration on Friday will be held from 8:30 a.m. to noon; 12:45 to 5:15 p.m.; 6:15 to 7:15 p.m.; 8:15 to 11:45 p.m. On Saturday, Adoration will be held from 1:30 to 8: 45 a.m. Confessions will be heard on Friday, 7:30 to 7:55 a.m.; 9 a.m. to noon; 1 to 5 p.m. and from 8:15 to 11:40 p.m. On Saturday, Confessions will be heard from 6 to 8:45 a.m. The parish will follow its usual Lenten Friday Mass schedule with Masses being celebrated on Friday at 8 a.m., 12:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. On Saturday, Mass will be celebrated at midnight, (followed by hospitality, fellowship and light breakfast in the church hall until Adoration resumes around 1:30 p.m.). Mass will also be celebrated on Saturday at 9 a.m.