P&W Holy Hour?
  • DrJS
    Posts: 31
    How common is the Praise and Worship holy hour? Is the holy hour ever accompanied by other music?
    I'm not looking for opinions so much as information as I try to understand the Catholic musical landscape.
  • davido
    Posts: 1,257
    Too common.
    Holy hour is not accompanied by other music because adoration is supposed to be in silence. Non-P&W people understand this.


    Sometimes people sing Vespers during a holy hour.
    Thanked by 5SponsaChristi DrJS Chant_Supremacist Liam LauraKaz
  • SponsaChristi
    Posts: 872
    If we’re referring to the cliche sentimental Hillsong-type P&W music with a guy at a keyboard vamping while repeatedly saying pious sounding phrases in a forced emotional way in between songs, I’ve never been to a weekend conference or day of recollection that hasn’t had it. It’s one of the reasons I stopped attending them.

    Thanked by 4DrJS Chant_Supremacist Charles davido
  • TimTheEnchanterTimTheEnchanter
    Posts: 243
    My parish used to have them, but when the pastor was transferred, they went with him. (He was much more traditional during Mass itself.)

    I will say: in 2018 at NPM, I went to an hour of adoration with more "contemporary" than P&W, and frankly, it was quite moving, with the music competently done and audio properly balanced.

    I went to the hour of adoration at NPM in 2022, and it was far less competent and audio badly balanced, and it was quite, quite frustrating.

    It's not something I would organize, run, or play for, but I'll give it its due when it's done well. I wish that were more often.
    Thanked by 2novusgordo JBuckCC
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 3,851
    Too often, and Steubenville essentially never had silent solemn exposition. There was always something. There’s the various chapels and then the exposition chapel (the Port) for silent prayer. The conference model is as Sponsa describes.

    I’m also against the rosary (traditionally the rubrics were too) and other devotions; I also dislike reading scripture, preaching…what could you possibly add to the Word? And Vespers is tricky because we are far too casual about the exposition and the liturgical celebrations when before this was essentially only done during the Forty Hours and possibly during the octave of Corpus Christi because the rubrics are quite demanding.
    Thanked by 1CharlesWoods
  • SponsaChristi
    Posts: 872
    I’m also against the rosary (traditionally the rubrics were too) and other devotions; I also dislike reading scripture, preaching…what could you possibly add to the Word?

    There are legitimate public group Holy Hour devotions done during exposition, most notably the 40 Hours of Adoration devotion, usually done for a specific Diocesan intention such as vocations to the priesthood. I have a few I do privately, but are designed for group prayer. One is a Spiritual Motherhood of Priests sodality I belong to that prays specifically for priests as well as vocations to the priesthood. Another is the Holy Hour of Reparation devotion that’s done during adoration. Then there’s also the Sacred Heart Holy Hour. It’s not really about “adding”, but rather using it as an opportunity for direct and personal communication with our Lord as well as rallying the troupe so to speak and engage in spiritual battle with our Lord at the forefront.
    Thanked by 2Charles novusgordo
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 3,851
    The Forty Hours Devotion when done correctly has specific Masses to be said and the rite of exposition and of reposition are unique but the in-between is not prescribed.

    I mean that’s all well and good, but the fact is that we can’t handle silence, and the mentality that “Everything Must Have Vocal Devotions” is bad. We escape largely because the custom here is to have confessions, so the priests will not read scripture or preach, and they seem to be in agreement on no devotions, not even the rosary. Do it at another time.
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,570
    It's very common here, but funny thing is that most people talk about how silence is so important. Many people I know are quite annoyed by it because it's hard to hear God when you have a cantor singing "I need you, Lord, I need you!" on repeat. But somehow priests allow and even encourage it. I would just prefer the chants at exposition and reposition and I don't think I'm alone.
    Thanked by 7SponsaChristi Chant_Supremacist novusgordo CHGiffen Charles francis LauraKaz
  • SponsaChristi
    Posts: 872
    Many people I know are quite annoyed by it because it's hard to hear God when you have a cantor singing "I need you, Lord, I need you!" on repeat. But somehow priests allow and even encourage it.

    This. Same with encouraging and telling people during their homily to come early before Mass and spend time in silent recollection to prepare for Mass and to receive communion, meanwhile allowing the noise of loud chatter of people hanging out in the church proper before Mass.

    Then there’s that whole Sacred Silence song with the irritating electric piano being anything but silent. There’s just something about singing about sacred silence.
    Thanked by 3novusgordo Charles LauraKaz
  • PaxMelodious
    Posts: 516
    At my current age, I REALLY appreciate silence, and especially genuinely silent adoration,

    But when I was a lot younger, I absolutely did not.

    And even with appreciating silence, I have a suspicion that my spirit is actually fed by regular rhythm.

    That's just me. But I'm not unique.

    Yes P&W holy-hours are a thing. They ain't for everyone. But ascetic silent ones aren't, either.

    Being Catholic means you are part of a Big Church.
    Thanked by 2novusgordo JBuckCC
  • Chant_Supremacist
    Posts: 372
    I'm tempted to say that it's a complete misunderstanding of what Eucharistic adoration is (interior attentiveness and spiritual warfare), but I suppose that's above my pay grade to declare. I'm thankful my parish's Saturday morning holy hour is silent. I've been to a couple where there was a chant or hymn (not P&W) every 15 minutes, and thought that split the difference nicely.
    Thanked by 2Charles davido
  • davido
    Posts: 1,257
    Supremecist, people above your pay grade are prone to error, just like the rest of us. It is exactly a complete misunderstanding of Eucharistic adoration.
    Thanked by 1MatthewRoth
  • SponsaChristi
    Posts: 872
    Supremecist, people above your pay grade are prone to error,

    Yep. I had a priest completely make up his own form of absolution a few months ago. I could have said it’s above my pay grade to question his form of absolution and went on my merry way, but instead I took it to the diocesan chancellor to investigate its validity (and investigate he did). Not surprisingly, I was right, and the chancellor informed the parish’s pastor so the priest was corrected. Had I not said anything because it was above my pay grade to question a priest’s absolution as a lowly laywoman, God only knows how many penitents would leave the confessional not absolved.
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen Charles
  • PaxMelodious
    Posts: 516
    a complete misunderstanding of what Eucharistic adoration is (interior attentiveness and spiritual warfare)


    Can anyone point to an authoratative document which says what Adoration is, and what should happen during it?

    None of the promoters I've heard speak use the phrases mentioned above.
    Thanked by 1Chant_Supremacist
  • SponsaChristi
    Posts: 872
    Can anyone point to an authoratative document which says what Adoration is, and what should happen during it?

    There’s an overwhelmingly large amount of authoritative documents. This gives a fairly good overview with a bibliography for more in-depth information.

    https://fdlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Guidelines-for-Adoration-and-Exposition-of-the-Blessed-Sacrament-Diocese-of-Lansing.pdf
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
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