• davido
    Posts: 875
    What do you guys do for 40 hours devotions at your OF parishes?
    Do you have three evening services?
    Do you say vespers proper to the day or a generic form of vespers or follow another format entirely?
    Does any authority publish guidelines on the (OF) ceremonies/music of 40 hours?

    Thanks!
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,934
    Does anyone still do 40 hours? I haven't seen that in nearly 50 years.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,160
    Just for a starting point, I looked in an older book, the recently republished Parish Ritual (from pcpbooks.com) to see what it has for Forty Hours.

    It provides instructions for the exposition and for the reposition, but nothing about what comes between.

    According to that book, Forty Hours begins with:
    * a votive Mass of the Blessed Sacrament
    * a eucharistic procession. "Pange lingua" is sung and repeated as necessary, but the last verses -- the "Tantum ergo" -- are saved until the end of the procession. The versicle "Panem de caelo" and its response are omitted.
    * The Litany of the Saints is sung, ending with Kyrie eleison/Christe eleison/Kyrie eleison.
    * Pater noster
    * "O God, come to my assistance" (as in the start of the Office); then psalm 69
    * A dialogue of intercessions: against evil, for the mercy of God, for the Pope, for our benefactors, for the dead, the absent
    * The collect of Corpus Christi ("Deus, qui nobis sub sacramento...")
    * A collect invoking our Lady's intercession (varying according to the season of the year)
    * Prayers for the Pope, the Church, for the conversion of heretics
    * A collect for the repose of the faithful departed
    * closing versicles

    At the reposition, most of the same prayers are given again: first the litany, then psalm 69; then comes a procession with "Pange lingua" as before, then "Tantum ergo"; this time the versicle "Panem de caelo" is added, and the collect of Corpus Christi and the subsequent prayers. Finally, the blessing with the Sacrament is given and the Sacred Host is reposed. The Divine Praises follow.

    ---

    The current document that provides guidance for exposition of the Blessed Sacrament is "Eucharistic Worship Outside Mass"; see paragraphs 82 and thereafter: https://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/CDWSACRA.HTM

    It urges (para. 86): "In churches where the eucharist is regularly reserved, it is recommended that solemn exposition of the blessed sacrament for an extended period of time should take place once a year", so Forty Hours seems to fulfill a recommendation of the Church.

    That on-line document isn't complete, as the text goes on to provide a list of scripture readings, hymns, penitential rites, antiphons, responsories, and collects that can be used. If your parish has a copy of the anthology "The Rites" (Pueblo Publishing), the whole document is in there. Those antiphons and responsories are just given as texts, but of course are meant to be sung: so you can take them as an invitation to sing musical settings of them.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,934
    What I wondered is how a 40 hour devotion can take place uninterrupted. My understanding of current regulations is that the sacrament would have to be reposed during mass the next morning since it can't be on display during mass. Anyone know?
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,160
    Yes; paragraph 83 of the document says that the celebration of Mass is prohibited in the body of the church where exposition is taking place. The exposition may be interrupted, or Mass may be celebrated in a chapel distinct from the area of exposition.

    On the other hand, the Liturgy of the Hours can and should be celebrated during exposition.
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,704
    Does anyone still do 40 hours? I haven't seen that in nearly 50 years.

    Here in London it is a annual occurrence,
    The Brompton Oratory do this each year, but they do close the church at night! cost of candles £1500! come to London for the 2nd April...
    https://www.bromptonoratory.co.uk/forty-hours-devotion

    Westminster Cathedral, last years leaflet, I presume that they will be doing it again this year.
    http://www.westminstercathedral.org.uk/downloads/QuarantOreLeaflet.pdf

    And Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane, London...
    His Eminence, Francis Cardinal Arinze will be celebrating a Pontifical High Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite at Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane - the Diocesan Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament - on Thursday 20th June 2019 at 7pm.
    This Mass will open the annual Quarant'Ore devotions which will run through until Saturday 21st June at 12noon.

    I have seen adverts or notices for at least another 10 places 2018/2019 in England, I suspect that over 30 churches will have this devotion this year.
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,372
    The liturgy office of the Bishops of England&Wales points to these resources.
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    We do 40 Hours every year, and have done for some time, the Polish parishes kept this tradition going. (In my diocese the Polish parishes tended to be very conservative--one Parish didn't even put in a versus populum 'altar' until the mid-seventies when the long-reigning pastor retired and a new priest came in. Unfortunately, many of these parishes have since been closed.)

    The format that we use currently is:
    First Day (Friday before the fourth Sunday of September)
    8:00 a.m. Mass (the proper votive Mass if allowed by the rubrics), followed by Exposition.
    5:30 p.m. Benediction followed by Mass. (Until about 6 years ago, we used to not have an evening Mass--our regular daily Mass is at 5:30--but have Solemn Vespers at 7. We tried, ad experimentum, to revive the older custom, but there was complaining from the people, so this year we are going back to the new arrangement.)
    The church is locked at night.

    Second Day (Saturday)
    8:00 a.m. Mass (the proper votive if allowed) followed by Exposition.
    4:00 p.m. Benediction, followed by the Saturday-Sunday Anticipated Non-Vigil Mass.
    The church is locked at night.

    Third Day (Fourth Sunday of September)
    8:00 a.m. Mass
    10:30 a.m. 'High Mass' (OF), followed by Exposition.
    3:00 p.m. Solemn Closing with Orations, Psalm 69, Versicles, &c., and Procession.

    Additionally, there is always a guest preacher, at least for the Friday night Mass (formerly Vespers) and the Sunday Closing. If there is a sermon at a time when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed, we put the Eucharistic Banner in front of the Monstrance, so that the priest in the pulpit does not have his back to the Sacrament, and that all may sit--sometimes these sermons get lengthy!

    cost of candles £1500!

    I shudder to think how much we spend on candles! We have about sixty candles on the altar/gradines for 40 Hrs.
    Thanked by 1tomjaw
  • Caleferink
    Posts: 429
    In my first full-time parish the priests and I actually revived 40 Hours, which we actually did centered around our patronal feast day in October. This is what we did:

    Day 1 - Sunday
    Exposition would begin at the end of the final Sunday Mass (we didn't have a Sunday evening Mass) at 11:00 a.m.
    Adoration continued at the main altar through the day until Vespers at 7:00 p.m. with Benediction at the end.
    Adoration then continued in the side chapel, which was more secure overnight.

    Day 2 - Monday
    Morning Mass was celebrated at 9:00 a.m., usually a "Missa Pro Pacem" if allowed. The Blessed Sacrament was quietly reposed a few minutes beforehand, and a new host for adoration that day was consecrated, the previous day's being fractured and used with other hosts for the Communion of the faithful.
    Adoration at the main altar throughout the day, Vespers/Benediction at 7:00 p.m., adoration continuing in chapel throughout the night as before.

    Day 3 - Tuesday
    Morning Mass at 9:00 a.m., usually a Votive Mass of the Holy Eucharist if permitted, everything above as before.
    At Vespers that evening, we'd conclude with a Eucharistic procession through the streets of the town, with Benediction in the church at the end of it. Then the Blessed Sacrament was reposed and everyone went to the parish hall for a reception.

    At Vespers each evening we'd often have a guest preacher, often times a priest who had served in the parish before. Since then I understand they've had a recently-ordained son of the parish, and even the diocesan bishop has come.

    This really took off well when I was there, and since then I understand has become a major event not just for the parish, but for the whole town. So that's a "humble brag" of mine, that I helped get it kick-started.
    Thanked by 2tomjaw ServiamScores
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,704
    I shudder to think how much we spend on candles! We have about sixty candles on the altar/gradines for 40 Hrs.


    One parish in Oxford has the boxes of candles at the back of the church for a month before hand. There is an invitation for people to buy candles or boxes for use during the 40 hrs. You put your money in the safe, and move the candles / boxes over to a pile labeled paid for.

    Other places encourage donations!

    We did the 40hrs 11 years ago we will probably do it again next year. I can't remember exactly what we did, but I think we followed the EF rubrics c. 1940. The Masses in English were said in the side chapel.