40 HOURS OF DEVOTION

Eucharistic event set for Immaculate Conception in Glenville

St. John Vianney, as the oft-told story goes, once saw a man alone in church staring at the tabernacle. He asked the man what he was doing. The man said, “Nothing. I look at Jesus and he looks at me.”

A special, upcoming event will give the faithful of one parish community — as well anyone else in the Diocese of Albany — the chance to do just that. The Tri-Parish Community of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Glenville, Our Lady of Grace in Ballston Lake and St. Joseph’s in Scotia will host 40 Hours of Devotion at Immaculate Conception from 5 p.m. on Oct. 11 up until the Sunday morning Mass at 9 a.m. on Oct. 13.

The event is made possible by the Tri-Parish Eucharistic Renewal Committee, said parishioner and volunteer Paul Heckman, which was formed in 2023 “in response to the USCCB’s call for Eucharistic Renewal.” Heckman added his committee was inspired by a Eucharistic Miracles exhibit at the parish spearheaded by Mary Ann Haskell. 

“(That) event was an exhibit that Blessed Carlo Acutis had compiled for the Vatican (which ran from Feb. 15-20 in the parish hall of the Church of the Immaculate Conception),” he said. “We also did a Eucharistic procession on Pentecost and we looked at what was the next thing we wanted to do.

“Oct. 12 is the feast day of Blessed Carlo and Oct. 13 is also the ‘Miracle of the Sun’ (also known as the ‘Miracle of Fatima’ when the Blessed Virgin Mary had told three children she would appear at Fatima, Portugal in 1917) and it seemed like a great period to do that. Forty hours of devotion seemed like a fitting spiritual discipline to follow. It is an ancient discipline. A number of people may not be familiar with the 40 hours, but most people are familiar with the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament before the True Presence of Jesus.”

The 40 Hours of Devotion will begin with Exposition and Vespers on Oct. 11 and will include prayer, confession, Mass, music and two talks as well over the three days. Parishioner Sean Caron (“Emmanuel: God is Always with Us”) will talk on Oct. 11 and local author Kevin Wilson, who has recently published the book, “The Saint I Knew! Exciting ‘Encounters’ with Holiness” will talk on Oct. 12.

“Sean Caron is one of our parishioners, he is on the committee. He has been a parishioner at Immaculate Conception for years, 40 years or so,” Heckman said. “He has given talks before, he has been part of a number of programs. He’s a major contributor to our OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) program, formerly RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation), which brings adults into the church. He is knowledgeable and personable.”

Wilson’s book highlights the lives of saints including one of particular interest and devotion to this Tri-Parish Community.

“His connection with one of the saints which he highlights in the book is Blessed Carlo and our pastor, Father Tom Konopka, and our entire parish has really fallen in love with Blessed Carlo,” Heckman said. “And as we approach the Jubilee Year of 2025, Blessed Carlo is going to be canonized and it fits on a very local level for us. We just want to share our joy.”

The 40 Hours of Devotion is a continuing renewal for a community that after coming out of COVID was stunned by the sudden death of beloved pastor, Father Jerry Gingras, in 2021.

“There was a void that took place,” Heckman said. “We have felt a renewal that is taking place, a healing that is taking place. The weekly adorations are part of that and the couple years of the Eucharistic Renewal have provided a real opportunity for people to be in the presence of our Lord, not only locally in our parishes, but also in union with the Universal Church.”

To learn more about the 40 Hours of Devotion, sign up for an hour of devotion or see the full schedule, head to icglenville.com.