Holy Hour For Families

Diocesan parishes pray for promotion, stability
of traditional marriage, family

OGDENSBURG Several parishes around the diocese have responded to the increasingly intense focus on issues about marriage and family in society and the Church this year including the fiery debate over gay marriage and the anticipation of the 2015 World Meeting of Families with Pope Francis in September by holding holy hours, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction to pray for the promotion and stability of traditional marriage and family and the success of the upcoming historic papal visit to Washington, New York City and Philadelphia.

St. Thomas of Aquin Parish here has been holding a Holy Hour for Families on first Fridays after the 7 p.m. Mass, since May. Father John Pilipie, pastor, presides over the service, which includes Eucharistic adoration and recitation of the rosary for the intentions of life and families. The next two holy hours will take place Fridays, Aug. 7 and Sept. 4, the priest said.

We have been praying together for our families, for the success of the World Meeting of Families and for a safe trip for the pope. Prayer is a powerful and praying for our families is essential, said Father Pilipie, who said that he got the idea for the holy hour from Our Lady of the Lake (OLL) Parish, Sparta.

Thats because OLL faithful have been praying for the success of the World Meeting of Families at holy hours held on last Sundays of the month in the church after the noon Mass. Participants listen to prayerful reflections on the chapters of catechetical document, Love Is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive, A Preparatory Catechesis for the World Meeting of Families, which will guide the groundbreaking meeting, during Pope Francis first visit to the U.S. The next holy hour will be held July 26.

OLLs holy hours originally were part of a larger program to get the Sussex County parishs faithful more acquainted with the importance of making known the joy of realizing Gods plan of building healthy marriages and faith-filled Catholic families especially to a secular society that continues to move further away from religion and traditional values. On May 28, the parish finished a six-part series, Love Is Our Mission, that explored topics to be covered at the meeting, including the meaning of human sexuality, according to Gods plan, and the fact that marriage is meant to welcome new life, Kathryn Faherty, an OLL catechist, told The Beacon in a story on the program in its May 7 issue. The parish has also distributed to its faithful cards that bear the Prayer for the World Meeting of Families, Faherty said.

Today, the traditional family is in crisis. The culture has become a detriment to the families. There is no sense of commitment. The Church is seen as not allowing people to have fun or express themselves, said Faherty, who listed some of societal trends that have been chipping away at the family, including divorce, out-of-wedlock births, pornography and same-sex marriage, which the U.S. Supreme Court, affirmed in a slim 5-4 vote on June 26. God knows us and what we need to bring us joy. If you give yourself totally to the other [your spouse], you can be happy. Today, we need to re-catechize the Church about marriage, she said.

Last month, St. Patrick Parish, Chatham, held a Holy Hour and Benediction in Prayer for Marriage part of its monthly series of services, each dedicated to a different intention, such as vocations, religious liberty, life and persecuted Christians. Father Christopher Barkhausen, parochial vicar, led the holy hour on June 21, which included an opening prayer, his reflection and recitation of the rosary interspersed with reading quotes from popes and saints about marriage. About 25 faithful attended the holy hour, which was held on Fathers Day a way to celebrate fathers with our Heavenly Father, the priest said.

During the holy hour, we were praying about the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decision, Father Barkhausen said. In my reflection, I talked about the times, when the family is misunderstood as in the cases of divorce, infidelity, contraception and abortion and there are problems and a breakdown in the marital union and families. I talked about the importance of the family as a building block of society, which is the fruit of marriage, he said.

[Information on the Holy Hour for Families at St. Thomas of Aquin Parish, call (973) 827-3190; the holy hour for the success of the World Meeting on Families at Our Lady of the Lake Parish, call (973) 729-6107; and for the holy hour and Benediction at St. Patricks, call (973) 635-0625.]