40 Hours: Eucharistic adoration around the archdiocese

During the week of March 20-24, parishes around the archdiocese participated in “Taste and See,” or more commonly known as the 40 Hours devotion. 

Throughout history, the number 40 has indicated a sacred period of time: the rain during the time of Noah lasted 40 days and nights; the Jews wandered in the desert for 40 years and Christ fasted and prayed in the desert for 40 days before beginning his public ministry. The number also remembers the 40-hour period between the death and burial of Christ and his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

This year, parishes were encouraged to hold 40 hours of Eucharistic adoration – either continuously or throughout the week. Some parishes held 40 hours of continuous exposition, such as Saint Eugene Catholic Church in Oklahoma City and Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Lawton, while some broke the 40 hours into times throughout the week, such as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

At Saint Eugene Catholic Church, it was estimated that more than 400 people participated in adoring Christ in the Eucharist, including religious education students, confirmation students and regular parishioners. 

In Lawton, at least four people remained in adoration every hour while others came and went. 

At the cathedral, several hundred people spent time in prayer throughout the week, including all students at Bishop John Carroll Catholic School.

Several Catholic schools participated by providing time for all students to spend time in prayer and adoration. 

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School in Edmond had students praying for their teachers, school administrators, staff and current and former students. Saint Eugene Catholic School brought their students over to the church to spent time in prayer, and Saint John Nepomuk Catholic School in Yukon provided time for their students to spend time in prayer.

Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edmond, who already hosts perpetual adoration, held their 40 hours in the main sanctuary to accommodate more people. Each one of the 40 hours was assigned an intention for adorers to pray for, in addition to any intentions they might have already had. They concluded their 40 hours with candlelit adoration and benediction.

As one of the efforts of the Eucharistic Revival in the archdiocese, the 40 Hours devotion was one effort aimed at fostering a new devotion to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament or strengthening an existing devotion. 

In 2023, the Eucharistic Revival will move into its final phase – the parish phase – where the focus will be growing devotion to, and reverence of, the Eucharist in individual parishes. 

People can check their parish’s website or bulletin for adoration times and learn more about the Eucharistic Revival by visiting either archokc.org/revival or eucharisticrevival.org.

Avery Holt is the interim director of communications.


Photo: A young student from St. John Nepomuk Catholic School in Yukon participated in the 40 hours of adoration. Photo provided.