St Gerald Church's 40 Hours is scheduled for March 11-13, 2012.
The Forty Hours Devotion is a special forty-hour period of prayer made before the Blessed Sacrament in solemn exposition. The focus is upon our Lord in the Holy Eucharist. It begins with a Mass of Exposition, which concludes with the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. The Blessed Sacrament remains on the altar in a Monstrance during the forty hours while the faithful gather for personal or public prayer in adoration of our Lord. Forty is reminiscent of the forty hours Jesus remained in the sepulcher before the Resurrection. The Forty Hours Devotion provides a wonderful opportunity for the spiritual growth of each person and the parish as a whole. The Forty Hours Devotion can be seen almost like a parish mini-retreat or mission.

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Please pray for the success of our 40 Hours.

God our Father, we praise You for all Your wonderful works and we thank You for Your goodness to us. On the Road to Emmaus Your Son Jesus taught His disciples to recognize Him in the breaking of the bread. Through the intercession of St. John Neumann, make our hearts burn within us for our upcoming Forty Hours so that we may recognize Him more clearly in the Eucharist and in our daily lives. May our enthusiasm and anticipation grow, may we talk about it with our neighbors and friends, may our calendars be freed up so we can participate and may our Forty Hours be a moment of grace for our Parish. We ask this, in the name of Jesus, our Eucharistic Lord, who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen.