November 18, 2009

Faithful invited to Holy Hours with prelates, priests

By John Gleason

The faithful are invited to attend special Holy Hours that will take place in different churches across the archdiocese during the Year for Priests to pray for the presbyterate.

Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., and Auxiliary Bishop James Conley as well as the priests of the different deaneries will also participate in the liturgies, which are being coordinated by the Denver Archdiocese’s Office of Liturgy.

The seven Holy Hours will consist of an hour of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, quiet and communal prayer and Benediction. The first Holy Hour is set for 7 p.m. Dec. 14 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Fort Collins. (See box for entire schedule.)

When asked, priests of the Archdiocese of Denver said one of their top priorities is to have the opportunity of sharing a meal with Archbishop Chaput and Bishop Conley, so before each Holy Hour priests will share a meal with the prelates. The dinners are for priests only. Bishop Conley, who is in charge of Year for Priests events in the archdiocese, said the jubilee year is not only a time for the laity to pray for their priests, but for the clergy to come together and pray as well.

“Pope Benedict XVI has designated this year to be, above all, a year of prayer for the sanctification of priests,” he said.  “In his June 16 letter, which opened the Year for Priests, the pope said the year was meant to be one of ‘interior renewal’ for all priests that they might recommit themselves anew to their vocation.

“The Holy Hours,” he added, “are designed for the priests to be joined by the deacons and laity of a particular area to pray for the sanctification of priests.”

Msgr. Edward Buelt, pastor of Our Lady of Loreto Church in Foxfield, where one of the Holy Hour evenings will be held, said the Holy Hours serve two purposes.

“As priests, we pray for our people, that’s how we care for them,” he said. “But when a priest is ordained, it isn’t so much to a ministry but to the community of the presbyterate.  These Holy Hours are a supreme way to bring these two notions together.”

“We don’t make it in this life without prayer,” said Father Robert Fisher, V.F., pastor of All Souls Church in Englewood, which will also play host to one of the Holy Hours.  “When you have the opportunity to pray with your parishioners it’s a very powerful time. Uninterrupted time in the presence of our Lord is such a treasure and the opportunity to pray with our archbishop and bishop is a singular graced moment.”

There is something special about priests coming together to pray, according to Father Christopher Hellstrom, director of the Spirituality Year at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary, comparing Holy Hours of today to one from the time of Christ.

“That first Holy Hour was spent by the Twelve Apostles, especially the three when Jesus was in the garden and asked that they stay awake with him for an hour,” he said.  “It was in that moment that He was beginning his passion…his suffering. We need substantial time to be with the one who is giving us life and directing our ministry.”

All of the Year for Priests Holy Hours will begin at 7 p.m.  Bishop Conley said he hopes many faithful will want to be part of these special evenings to pray for, and with, their priests.

“The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life and the sacrament of unity in the Church,” he said.  “I invite all the faithful of the Archdiocese of Denver to join us in prayer at one or more of the eucharistic Holy Hours over the next seven months.”

Year For Priests Holy Hours

 All begin at 7 p.m.
Dec. 14: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, 5450 S. Lemay Ave., Fort Collins; 970-226-1303
Jan. 19: All Souls, 4950 S. Logan St., Englewood; 303-789-0007
Feb. 19: St. Anthony, 331 S. Third St., Sterling; 970-522-6422
Mar. 15: Our Lady of Loreto, 18000 E. Arapahoe Road, Foxfield; 303-766-3800
May 17: Holy Trinity, 7595 Federal Blvd., Westminster; 303-428-3594
May 27: St. Mary, 215 Capitol St., Edwards; 970-926-2821
June 7: Our Lady of Lourdes, 2298 S. Logan St., Denver; 303-722-6862