Devotions boost faith around Albany Diocese

Traditional prayer services and devotions are being sponsored by parishes across the Albany Diocese to strengthen Catholics' understanding of and commitment to their faith.

The events include novenas, Forty Hours, First Fridays, Benediction, prayers for peace and mercy, and rites connected to the current Year of the Eucharist.

Those behind such events told The Evangelist about their importance for Catholics.

Cenacle

Rev. Richard Severson presides over a monthly Immaculate Heart of Mary Cenacle at St. Mary/St. Paul's Church in Hudson Falls. Around 25 people usually attend the service, which consists of Mass, recitation of the Rosary, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the chaplet of Divine Mercy and a consecration to Mary.

At the "heart of the prayer," Father Severson said, is the Eucharist.

The name of the devotion comes from the term designating the upper room where the Apostles prayed after the Crucifixion and before Pentecost. During a Cenacle service, participants "pray for peace in our hearts, our homes, our Church and the world," Father Severson said, "as well as an end of abortion on demand, for evangelization and for those who evangelize."

The priest, who also conducts Cenacles at St. Mary's Church in Glens Falls and Immaculate Conception in Corinth, believes "prayer works. Praying for peace -- that's how it's going to happen. We tried bullets and bombs, and they don't work. The only thing that changes a heart is prayer."

Forty Hours

At St. Paul the Apostle Church in Hancock, pastoral administrator Robert Carpenter has sponsored a Forty Hours devotion annually for six years. Traditionally, it is a continuous period during which the Blessed Sacrament is exposed and accompanied in prayer by parishioners.

Since the scattered rural membership of at St. Paul's makes it difficult to have the devotion last for 40 hours straight, the parish holds it over a three-day span, beginning and ending each day with a Mass. During the time in between, parishioners gather for the Rosary, to pray for intercessions and to engage in "quiet reflection," according to Mr. Carpenter.

He added: "'Forty' means a goodly span, plenty of time for things to sink in. If you only do it for a little bit, it isn't the same because it's only towards the middle and end of the 40 hours that you are able to get your concentration and thoughts 100 percent on Jesus."

First Friday

The parish also gathers for First Friday services of prayer and contemplation. "We come to keep Christ company, to think about where He is in our lives and to talk to Him," said Mr. Carpenter.

He called the two devotions "a wonderful faith-enhancer [that] unifies the parish. Secondly, it's a faith-builder and strengthener, because you have to, at some point, say, 'Why am I sitting here?' I'm here because I have faith in what's going on in the Church, and I believe things that the Church says are important.

"There are so many enticements to do anything else besides sit quietly and contemplate in church. You don't fully understand the importance of doing that until you're there. If we can just learn to be one-on-one with Christ in meditation and prayer, it's going to go with us in our busy lives."

Divine Mercy

To mark the feast of the Immaculate Conception in December, Catholics at Assumption/St. Paul parish in Mechanicville attended Mass and stayed afterward to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

The prayer was accompanied by a viewing of the official Divine Mercy portrait, depicting the appearance of Jesus to St. Faustina Kowalska in 1931. The local Knights of Columbus chapter sponsored the visit of the portrait.

The chaplet consist of the Rosary, the Apostles' Creed, and specialized "aspirations and prayers" reportedly given to St. Faustina during her visions.

Time for mercy

According to Rev. William Recchuti, pastor, the parish prayed the Chaplet on the feast of the Immaculate Conception because that event is the "prime illustration of God's mercy. From the time of creation, God had promised a savior, so that the human race will not be irredeemably lost.

"I thought this was a time that was very appropriate for the Divine Mercy devotion," he said. "In this day and age, there's a great need for God's mercy and grace."

The occasion marked the first time that the Divine Mercy chaplet was prayed at the parish. Father Recchuti hopes that the visit of the portrait will spread awareness of the devotion, which he says "has just started to take hold in this country."

Benediction

As part of the celebration of the Year of the Eucharist, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany recently offered Benediction.

"Benediction is a part of a larger period of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament," said Rev. William Pape, rector. "It allows us the time to spend with the Lord in prayer, and -- to put it in very plain terms -- to be present to the Lord as the Lord is present to us in the Eucharist, to be with a friend. It helps us to focus on the reality that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, and it helps us to deepen our faith in that belief."

Benediction begins with adoration of the Eucharist and ends with a priest's blessing the congregation with the Eucharist.

Benediction is "a part of our church's life," explained Father Pape, who noted that Benediction was also held on the feast of Christ the King, on First Fridays and during Forty Hours.

(To find devotions such as those mentioned in this article as well as others, check your parish bulletin and the weekly calendar page in The Evangelist.)

(1/6/05)