By Marnie McAllister, Record Editor
Churches around the world will open their doors for 24 hours March 4 and 5 so the faithful can receive the sacrament of reconciliation and spend time in eucharistic adoration.
Nearly three dozen parishes in the Archdiocese of Louisville are joining in.
Pope Francis called on the worldwide church to observe “24 Hours for the Lord” as part of the jubilee Year of Mercy, which began on Dec. 8.
“The initiative of ‘24 Hours for the Lord,’ to be celebrated on the Friday and Saturday preceding the Fourth Week of Lent, should be implemented in every diocese,” Pope Francis writes in “Misericordiae Vultus,” his document proclaiming the Year of Mercy.
“So many people, including young people, are returning to the sacrament of reconciliation; through this experience they are rediscovering a path back to the Lord, living a moment of intense prayer and finding meaning in their lives,” he writes. “Let us place the sacrament of reconciliation at the center once more in such a way that it will enable people to touch the grandeur of God’s mercy with their own hands. For every penitent, it will be a source of true interior peace.”
In the Archdiocese of Louisville, “24 Hours for the Lord” will begin at 4 p.m. March 4 and will conclude at 4 p.m. on March 5.
Sal Della Bella, director of evangelization for the archdiocese, is encouraging people to take part.
“Whether people experience the sacrament of reconciliation or simply sit quietly in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, they will be praying together with people in churches all over the world during these 24 hours,” he said. “What a powerful opportunity to reflect on and experience God’s mercy.”
Following is a list of churches where 24 hours of adoration will be held March 4 to 5, from 4 p.m. Friday to 4 p.m. Saturday. A handful of locations will have a different schedule and these are indicated.
Many of these parishes will offer reconciliation, but the archdiocese recommends you call a parish for availability.
St. Michael Church, which is hosting the Catholic Men’s Conference on March 5, will hold “24 Hours for the Lord” on Saturday and Sunday, March 12 and 13, from 8 a.m. to 8 a.m.
Barren County, Ky.
St. Helen Church, Glasgow
Hardin County, Ky.
St. Christopher Church, Radcliff, from 9 a.m. to 9 a.m.
St. Ignatius Church, White Mills
St. James Church, Elizabethtown
Henry County, Ky.
St. John Chrysostom Church, Eminence, only on March 4 from 1:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Jefferson County, Ky.
St. Bernadette Church
St. Brigid Church
Cathedral of the Assumption
St. Gabriel Church, only on March 5 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Holy Name Church, from 1 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Holy Spirit Church
Holy Trinity Church
St. John Vianney Church
St. Joseph Church, from 3 p.m. to 3 p.m.
St. Louis Bertrand Church
St. Margaret Mary Church, from 8 a.m. to 8 a.m.
St. Martha Church, 8 a.m. to 8 a.m., followed by closing Mass.
St. Martin of Tours Church
Our Mother of Sorrows Church
St. Patrick Church
St. Paul Church
St. Peter the Apostle Church
St. Rita Church
Marion County, Ky.
St. Augustine Church, Lebanon, Ky.
Meade County, Ky.
St. Martin of Tours Church, Flaherty, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Nelson County, Ky.
Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral, Bardstown
Oldham County, Ky.
St. Aloysius Church, Pewee Valley, from 8 a.m. to 8 a.m.
Immaculate Conception Church, La Grange
Shelby County, Ky.
Annunciation Church, Shelbyville
Taylor County, Ky.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Campbellsville, from noon to noon.
Washington County, Ky.
St. Dominic Church, Springfield
Holy Trinity Church, Fredericktown
