Archbishop Cushley is to relaunch the "simple and beautiful tradition" of 40 hours' Devotion this Advent.

It will see each parish in the Archdiocese have 40 hours of exposition of the Blessed Sacrament so people can come together to pray in silence before the Lord.

In a pastoral letter to be read out in all churches today (Sunday 6 June), he said the launch was "to foster a rediscovery of the great gift of Christ’s abiding presence in the Eucharist," particularly after a time when churches were closed due to the pandemic.

Watch the video below. FAQs, bottom.

FAQs

What is the Forty Hours’ Devotion?
It’s a beautiful and simple Catholic devotion, sometimes known as Quarantore. We spend time in silent prayer before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament which is exposed on the altar for forty hours.

Why is it being held in our Archdiocese?
Jesus is made present at the Mass where He offers Himself to the Father for us and feeds us with Himself. After a time when our churches were closed, the Archbishop wants us to rediscover the Sacrifice of the Mass as the ‘source and summit’ of our lives and our churches as the most sacred places in our communities where Jesus truly dwells. The Forty Hours’ is an excellent way to do this.

How does it work?
Each parish will be allocated a time for the Forty Hours’ Devotion. Some parishes may wish to do this through the night others will have a break overnight and begin again each morning. Your parish priest is best placed to decide what will work in his parish. Be generous in helping the priests by things like offering to keep hours of watch and giving of your resources and time to make the church beautiful.

When does it begin?
It's planned for the First Sunday of Advent this year.