Thousands of the faithful streamed in to designated churches across the Diocese of Trenton March 9 and 10 throughout “24 Hours for the Lord,” a special time set aside for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Confessions and other forms of Lenten prayer.
The special observance was originally requested by Pope Francis and took place in dioceses across the world as a way of encouraging more Catholics to enter into a deeper experience of Lent. At the invitation of Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., 10 churches across Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean Counties planned to participate and stay open for 24 hours; additional parishes later joined in, expanding the opportunity for Catholics in every areas of the Diocese.
Bishop O’Connell visited several of the participating churches March 9, hearing Confessions and spending time in prayer. On March 10, he shared
a reflection of the experience.
“How blessed we are as Catholics to have Our Lord Jesus Christ present in our churches any hour, every hour, of the day or night. Our Lenten “24 Hours for the Lord” was a deeply moving reminder of his constant presence and of the merciful forgiveness that the Sacrament of Penance offers us simply for the asking.” Read
full text here.
Expanded coverage on “24 Hours for the Lord,” will be posted to
TrentonMonitor.com beginning Monday, March 12.