PALM BEACH GARDENS | The next Eucharistic holy hour in a series of five occurring this year and in 2024 is set for Thursday, Nov. 9, at St. Joan of Arc Parish, 370 S.W. Third St. in Boca Raton. The prayer services are in cooperation with the National Eucharistic Revival called for by the U.S. bishops.
The series of multi-language holy hours is scheduled to take place at parishes in all four deaneries of the diocese. The first of the services was Aug. 10, 2023, in the Northern Deanery at St. Bernadette Church in Port St. Lucie. The remaining events are in the Southern Deanery at St. Joan of Arc, Nov. 9; Central Deanery, St. Luke Parish in Palm Springs, Feb. 8, 2024; Cathedral Deanery, St. Peter in Jupiter, April 11, 2024; with the closing celebration June 6, 2024, at the Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola. All of the holy hours will begin at 7 p.m.
The diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry, which spearheaded a series of 18 holy hours from February to May as part of the diocesan phase of the Eucharistic Revival, is leading the current deanery-level series. Father Duván Bermúdez, director of Hispanic ministry, is excited to see the fruits of fervent, united prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in the Diocese of Palm Beach.
“This is a time in which we come together. We renew our faith in the living presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist,” he said. “As we spend time before the Blessed Sacrament, we spend time before God with each other, knowing the great love, the love of God, which has manifested itself in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.”
In addition to the special prayer services, all parishes in the diocese are invited to have Eucharistic holy hours throughout this year, Father Bermúdez said. “These will be wonderful opportunities within our diocese to celebrate this Eucharistic year.”
One special aspect of the holy hours that Father Bermúdez witnessed in August at St. Bernadette was a flood of parishioners from throughout the Northern Deanery who gathered to pray. Nearly 800 of the faithful from 10 of the 14 worship sites in the deanery traveled to Port St. Lucie for the service. The holy hour was conducted in three languages — English, Spanish and Creole — which will also be the case on Nov. 9 at St. Joan of Arc.
As part of the National Eucharistic Revival, parishes in the United States are being urged to stretch their boundaries and deepen their commitments through next summer. The 10th National Eucharistic Congress is set for July 17-21, 2024, in Indianapolis. From that event until Pentecost 2025 will be a year of mission, with special missionaries sent forth to accompany those in need or at the margins, giving them the good news of Jesus’ Real Presence.
For more about the work of the diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry, visit www.diocesepb.org/ministriesoffices/ministries/hispanic-ministry. View a message about the Eucharistic Revival from Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito at https://vimeo.com/835466484. To learn more about the National Eucharistic Revival, go to www.eucharisticrevival.org.
