For the second night of our Forty Hours devotion, we had a Missa Cantata (the Mass for Peace) at the Lady altar. It was a little cramped so we only had the MC, thurfier, two acolytes and two torchbearers. I was proud that all the servers were under 15 years old. My sermon drew largely from Pope Benedict's writing on truth and conscience since I am reading his little book on conscience at the moment.Tonight the Youth Group are staying all night. After Mass they got in some fish and chips and we watched the film about St Thérèse (Amazon link below) which came out a couple of years ago. It was perhaps a little slow for some of the younger ones but the second half of the film is quite moving, and rewarded those who persevered. During this time, there was a good number of people watching in the Church and, after the film, the youngsters went in to take a turn.
I have been very pleased that the devotion has gone so well. Putting on the Forty Hours is daunting in a one man parish, but my parishioners have really responded generously, making me enthusiastic about holding this every year. I would go so far as to say that it is one of the best things that I have done in 25 years of priesthood. It is a great blessing for the parish and would recommend any parish priest to consider trying it. A spin-off for the priest is that you get to say all your office, meditation and rosary before the Blessed Sacrament exposed. I enjoyed the thought earlier tonight that I was saying Matins and Lauds at the same time as the Carthusians; not that I took as long as them, mind you!
As it is usually done now, the Forty Hours starts with evening Mass, carries on over two nights and one full day, then finishes with a morning Mass. We have used the older form of Mass (in addition to a newer form Mass this morning); that is not essential, of course (though it is rather special.) In any event, it is good to celebrate the Masses with some solemnity, the use of incense and torches and so on.
I am taking notes during this year's devotion so that we can make it even better next year. One thing to watch is the care of the candles. Today, during the day, I was a little bit late on one occasion and had to do quite a bit of scraping wax out of candle holders when some of the candles had burnt down too far. On a less pedestrian note, it occurred to me that it might also be a good idea to sing Compline some time after the evening Masses. There was a good number of confessions after Mass this evening so that is something to put in the schedule too. My good friend Fr Stephen Boyle currently has the Forty Hours at his parish of the Good Shepherd in New Addington. The other day he told me ruefully on the phone that his runs over Saturday night: the clocks go back on Saturday so they have an extra hour of watching during the night.
One of my enthusiastic older servers pointed out that Fortescue says that ideally there should be a priest in choir dress and stole present in the sanctuary for the whole time. I'm not sure I could manage that on my own (though whenever I have been watching, I have put on a cotta and stole and taken a place in the sanctuary.) I'll get a few hours sleep now before joining the early birds first thing and then singing the Mass of Reposition later in the morning. I have never said Mass before the Blessed Sacrament exposed so I am going to have a quick look at Fortescue first...
The above photo is from Mulier Fortis. She has some more pictures from last night and I expect more will be forthcoming from tonight and tomorrow morning.
14 comments:
Fair play to you, Fr! You are an inspiration...
Compline is lovely to have with exposition. My parish does it every year, and as that is my favorite office, it is always a grace-filled time for me.
May many blessing from this for you all.
Adoremus in aeternum Sanctissimum Sacramentum.
Fr.
What ought to be done in a parish that has been renovated to meet post conciliar standards with only one altar? Would you suggest that such a devotion be carried out in a parish in which we have adoration 5 days a week? Would Fortescue be the appropriate source for the directives/rubrics for such a devotion in an totally o.f. parish?
...making me enthusiastic about holding this every year.
Yes please.
Dear Father Finigan
Before the devotion concludes with Missa Cantata on Saturday at 10.30am with Litany and Procession, I would like to defend the attack on Pope Benedict, our "Unity in the Community Pope", that is reported in The Times Saturday 24 October2009.
George Carey was born in the East End of London in England. He attended Bonham Road Primary School in Dagenham, then he failed his eleven plus. He then attended Bifrons Secondary Modern School in Barking, before leaving at the age of 15.
I was born in Deptford and I attended Tidemill Primary School, I passed my 11 plus and progressed to Addey & Stanhope Grammar school. I came top of my A Deo et Rege class in 1968, which gave me the youthful belief that I possessed God given natural intelligence to match anyones.
George Leonard Carey, Lord Carey of Clifton was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1991 to 2002. He was the first modern holder not to have attended Oxford or Cambridge University. His time as archbishop saw the Church of England allow the ordination of women priests and a rising debate over attitudes to homosexuality at the Lambeth Conference of 1998.
I qualified as A Chartered Surveyor in 1984. After discovering that the BNP leadership in South East London were being allowed to use Old Addeyans Football Clubhouse for their 'Planning for Real' meetings, I got into a fight that led to me being the defendent against a pro NF/BNP prosecution Regina v Hobson 1991 that CID Greenwich produced in support of Addey & Stanhope' s Chairman of Governors Cliff Hardcastle, and the Old Addeyans FC Treasurer Jim Pollard.
After two not guilty verdicts in my favour I gave the trial manuscript to George Carey's St Paul's in Deptford SE8 so that the Police and Addey & Stanhope's C of E establishment could comment. The trial manuscript was returned to me in the year 2000 with no comment, after I had suffered years of persecution,false charges of paranoia, associated appearances in Criminal Law Courts, Civil Law Courts and unemployment.
It was not until 2004 that the FA's Lucy Faulkner obtained a confession from Old Addeyans about the BNP using OAFC's clubhouse, and 5years later the case is with the IPCC for consideration.
Perhaps an apology from Lord Carey of Clifton would earn the Pope's respect.
Our lady of the Rosary pray for us!
Hayes and Finch will lend you the large candelabra that will hold candles that will burn continuously for the whole time.
24" candles should suffice.
Warmest congratulations on having the couragous faith to arrange the quarant ores. Imagine what the nation would be like if that happened in every Church in the diocese, or indeed in the nation!I remeber having to light nearly two hundred candles on the steps of the altar when I was a server. On one occasion we started from the bottom step and proceeded upwards. A fellow server..Paudge Fox ...caused a stir when his surplice caught fire from the back! Was that the light of faith?:-)
Dear Fr Tim. A magnificent 40 Hours devotion. Truly divine and a wonderful blessing for your Blackfen parish. It was my first experience of the 40 Hours devotion and one wonders how on Earth such a thing of beauty, solemnity and profundity was ever allowed to be thrown away these last few decades. The attendances at the devotion were a wonderful surprise and reinforced the long-held notion that Catholics will attend these ceremonies, providing they are available. Perhaps, next year, you will have to appoint a "Candle Master" to keep an eye on the beautiful candles on the altar !!! Thank you, Fr, for providing such an holy experience. May God continue to bless you and the parish in the years to come.
"I have never said Mass before the Blessed Sacrament exposed so I am going to have a quick look at Fortescue first..."
I had no idea that it was possible to say a Mass before the exposed Blessed Sacrament...
Fr. Tim,
When I was living in central London about 10 years ago I went to the Quarant' Ore being held at St. Etheldreda's, Ely Place. At one point I was alone in the silent crypt with the Blessed Sacrament late at night and it was one of the most powerful spiritual-experiences-in-miniature that I have ever had. I remember the then Rector of the parish, Fr. Kit Cunningham, mentioning later in a sermon that the Real Presence can almost become palpable during the silent adoration at a Quarant' Ore.
We too at St Benedict's Parish Ealing Abbey have just finished our Forty Hours devotion. Such a great blessing and grace for the whole parish. We decided last year to make it an annual tradition with a special intention each year-last year we focused our prayer on the forthcoming parish mission, this year on the Year of Priesthhod. Deo gratias.
Every Parish should have a Forty Hour exposition at least twice a year. It is so spiritually uplifting.
It is a shame our Churches now have to close at night and during the day due to safety reasons. I can think of nothing more wonderful then spending time in front of the Tabernacle praying, talking and listening to Our Blessed Lord, especially in times of worry. The thought of popping over to the Church at night when sleep is troubled must be such a blessing.
Sekman - I think that Fortescue would be a good place to start. I have just checked the book by Bishop Elliot "Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite" but he only briefly mentions the 40 hours and does not say anything Mass coram sanctissimo.
I think that if you have the second Mass at the High Altar, you could follow some of the older rubrics about genuflecting, and about incensing the Blessed Sacrament. But it may be rather uncharted territory.
(Others may have some further information on this.)
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