40 hours to deepen relations with the Lord
By Sheila Dabu Nonato, The Catholic Register
TORONTO - Eighteen year-old Renata Taragos knelt before the Blessed Sacrament and silently prayed the rosary, joining the more than 300 people who usually attend the annual 40-hour devotion at Holy Family Church.Parishioners like Taragos say the devotion helps to deepen their relationship with God.
Holy Family Church is one of a few parishes that retains the centuries-old tradition of the special 40-hour period of continuous prayer made before the Blessed Sacrament.
“I want to get close to God,” Taragos said after her afternoon visit on Oct. 15.
The devotion is “an opportunity for the faithful to spend time in adoration before our Lord,” said Holy Family pastor Fr. David Roche.
The event has attracted a devoted following, including a 70-year-old woman who has been attending the event for years and travels from her Mississauga parish to Holy Family in downtown Toronto.
Holy Family has been hosting the three-day event for the past 25 years. Individuals sign up for each hour of the 40-hour devotion to keep watch and pray while others drop by throughout the day.
“A lot of people just go to church at Christmas. I think you should go to church all the time,” Taragos said.
For 40 hours, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed day and night, except during Mass times.
Roche said the 40-hour devotion is a longstanding tradition in the Catholic Church. The number 40, he added, has biblical significance.
“It was roughly the length of time our Lord was in the tomb during the crucifixion and Resurrection,” he said.
The devotion is held every October, during the week of Thanksgiving, at Holy Family.
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