‘24 Hours for the Lord’

CLIFTON  In communion with Pope Francis, Bishop Serratelli invites the faithful of the Diocese to join with the universal Church around the world in observing “24 Hours for the Lord” — a way to encounter God and his mercy this Lent through Reconciliation and Eucharistic Adoration. Six parishes in the Diocese will host observances of “24 Hours for the Lord” this weekend on Friday, March 9 and Satur­day, March 10.

This year, the following parishes of the Diocese will welcome the faithful for “24 Hours for the Lord” — an initiative of Pope Francis: Our Lady of Mount Car­mel in Boonton, St. Simon the Apostle in Green Pond, St. Vincent Martyr in Madison, St. Peter the Apostle in Parsippany, St. Stephen in Pater­son and St. Francis de Sales in Vernon. On one day or both days, these parishes have scheduled observances that celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the context of Adoration; they also might include rosary or Stations of the Cross or remain open for Confessions and Adoration for the entire 24 hours. [See schedule of parish observances on page 6.]

“For the Holy Father, mercy and forgiveness are essential steps in the New Evangelization. The Sacrament of Penance is a way to bring people back home to the Church,” said Msgr. Geno Sylva, episcopal vicar for diocesan initiatives. “The universal Church is coming together to show the forgiving face of God and to remind people that God never tires of forgiving us,” the priest said.

This Friday, Pope Francis will open “24 Hours for the Lord” by presiding over a penitential celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica. After the service, several churches in Rome will remain open for 24 hours with confessors available and Adoration, which Msgr. Sylva noted, in past years, “has brought many people back to the Church.” Dioceses, parishes and communities around the world are invited to modify the initiative to their local situations. This year’s observance is inspired by the words of Psalm 130:4 — “With you is forgiveness.” In 2014, the Holy Father first designed “24 Hours for the Lord” to be celebrated on the Friday and Saturday preceding the Fourth Week of Lent, the priest said.

In January, Msgr. Sylva returned from his assignment at the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of New Evangelization at the Vatican. As an official with the Pontifical Council, he helped develop the initiative for the Holy Father. Also, he contributed to a pastoral guide that the Pontifical Council provided for the initiative, which he made available to local parishes this year. The Diocese had previously participated in “24 Hours for the Lord.”

“So many people, including young people, are returning to the Sacrament of Reconciliation; through this experience they are rediscovering a path back to the Lord, living a moment of intense prayer and finding meaning in their lives. Let us place the Sacrament of Reconciliation at the center once more in such a way that it will enable people to touch the grandeur of God’s mercy with their own hands. For every penitent, it will be a source of true interior peace,” Pope Francis has said about “24 Hours for the Lord.”

On both Friday and Saturday, St. Simon’s has planned observances for “24 Hours for the Lord.” Its pastor, Father Richard Bay, called the initiative “a fantastic way to reconcile to the Lord, to pray and to receive spiritual guidance.” He noted that Bishop Serratelli had invited parishes in the Diocese to participate.

Also joining in “24 Hours for the Lord” for both days will be St. Stephen’s. Its pastor, Father Dariusz Kaminski, said, “It will be a privilege for us to be a place for this penance initiative — a place for Adoration, prayer and expressing God’s mercy.”

St. Francis plans to observe “24 Hours for the Lord” this Friday. Its pastor, Father Brian Quinn, wrote recently in the bulletin, “The whole world will be spiritually united to the Holy Father to offer everyone the opportunity to experience God's mercy” as part of the initiative.

“Today, people live such busy lives. It’s good to have another opportunity for Confession, Adoration and Stations of the Cross,” Father Quinn said.

The Pontifical Council’s pastoral guide offers parishes suggestions in preparing for their observances of “24 Hours for the Lord,” including the rationale for going to Confession and sample services and prayers. Also, it emphasizes that Confession is an act “of entrusting oneself, beyond sin, to the mercy that forgives,” quoting “Reconciliation and Penance,” an apostolic exhortation that St. Pope John Paul II delivered at St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 2, 1984. Yet ultimately, Confession is the encounter of a person with the person of Jesus Christ — “the risen one,” the guide states.

After that, Confession should lead us to making “a radical choice for good, of a lifestyle that is not exclusively based on individual good gestures but that represents a total reversal of his former way of life, which was unhealthy and destructive! It is a choice of love in the future; it is a decision based on full awareness of mercy; it is an experience of power and joy that heal, because it is precisely the merciful, who are blessed (see Mt 5:7)!” according to the guide.

“What are, then, the ‘24 Hours for the Lord’? They represent both an encounter with Jesus and our subsequent response to his friendship. They represent healing and, finally, the acceptance of his mercy that we share with others afterward,” the guide states. “It is truly in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation that Jesus orders to a repentant sinner the opportunity of a new beginning. By means of this sacrament of mercy he lovingly commands that we ‘go’ forward, reminding us that only by being forgiven by God is everything possible. Know that you are forgiven, and live a new beginning!” it states.

St. Vincent’s will participate in “24 Hours for the Lord” for the entire 24-hour period. Its pastor, Msgr. George Hundt, told The Beacon, “At the heart of discipleship is a good, strong friendship with Jesus Christ.”

“The ‘24 Hours for the Lord’ gives us time to be with our friend, Jesus Christ, in two very special ways to connect with him — through the Sacrament of Confession and Eucharistic Adoration. That’s one thing that we hope comes forth from our participation,” Msgr. Hundt said.