Holy Thursday

“Will No One Stay Awake With Me?”

You are cordially invited to spend time in prayer with our Lord Jesus. This Holy Thursday night, after the 7:00pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper, come join other members of our parish family in prayer at our chapel, which will be transformed into the Altar of Repose.

Following the ancient tradition of the Catholic Church, the Mass on Holy Thursday does not really end. Instead, the Blessed Sacrament is brought in solemn procession to our side chapel, symbolizing the arrest of Jesus. The reason so many hosts are consecrated at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper is that we need them for Communion on the next day. Good Friday is the one day of the year when Mass is NOT celebrated. Instead, we have a three-part Good Friday liturgy that consists of Liturgy of the Word, Adoration of the Cross, and Holy Communion.

Since we need those consecrated hosts on Good Friday, the custom developed for parish churches to remain open all night so the faithful could spend time in deep prayer with our Eucharistic Lord. Ken Canedo likens this to being with Jesus during his Agony in the Garden. Ken shares his Holy Thursday prayer experience from a previous year:  Garden of Agony

So, instead of leaving church right away on Thursday night, please consider spending a few minutes in the presence of our Eucharistic Lord. Hand on to your children this deep prayer tradition of our Church. What a powerful way to be together as family!

Our chapel will be open for prayer until around 10:00pm. People who are new to the Adoration tradition might wonder what to do during this quiet time. Here are a few ideas to get you started:


How does one spend an hour before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament?

This hour Jesus wants you to spend with him is spent any way you want. You may bring your own prayer books, use the books in the chapel, read the Bible, pray the rosary, or just sit and relax and enjoy the sweet peace that comes from simply being in the Presence of God. You may feel that you can't pray well. Don't let this discourage you. The mere fact that you take time out on Holy Thursday night to spend an hour or so with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is in itself a prayer of great faith. 

Pange Lingua Gloriosi
This is the Holy Thursday hymn, sung during the Transfer of the Eucharist. (iTunes link)