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24 Hours for the Lord will be observed in the Diocese of Oakland Feb. 28-29.
Six parishes — Most Holy Rosary in Antioch; St. Bonaventure in Concord; Holy Spirit in Fremont; St. Elizabeth in Oakland; St. Joan of Arc in San Ramon; and St. Mark in Richmond — have announced plans to observe 24 Hours for the Lord.
During this time, participating churches will be open, with opportunities for Eucharistic Adoration and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Most will observe the 24 hours beginning at 5 p.m. Feb. 28 and ending at 5 p.m. the next day. Check one of the documents above regarding specific times at each parish.
Bishop Michael C. Barber, SJ, will celebrate the closing Mass at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 29 at Most Holy Rosary Church, 1313 A St., Antioch.
This is the fifth year the Diocese of Oakland has observed 24 Hours for the Lord.
“It helps people pray and to encounter the Lord, and the Lord to encounter them,” Bishop Barber said. “That’s the purpose of the church: to make the place where people can be with Jesus, and He can be with them. Through prayer, but also their hearts are moved to go into confession to encounter Him more personally by having their sins washed away, which is why he came on Earth. The priest reminds us of this when he says the words of consecration over the chalic..”
As his schedule permits, the bishop drops by the parishes during the 24 hours to pray along with parishioners and thank pastors.
“That encourages me,” he said.
He has found the 24 hours to be supported as a grass-roots effort, with families and people from all ages and walks of life participating.
“I went to St. Mark’s Richmond at dawn,” he recalled of one such visit. “So many people in the church. There was a huge line at both confessionals. People were taking their children to touch the altar,” he said.
He saw families, and working people, including a painter dressed for work who was in line for confession.
He found hospitality there as well. “In the parking lot, they had coffee, pan dulce, chocolate,” he said. “These are things that bring us together.”
The first year, the events were centralized at the Cathedral of Christ the Light; in succeeding years, they have become parish-based.
Pope Francis initiated “24 Hours for the Lord” in the Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, which he announced in 2015.
He asked that “the season of Lent in this Jubilee Year be lived more intensely as a privileged moment to celebrate and experience God’s Mercy.”
“By calling for an attentive listening to the word of God and encouraging the initiative ‘24 Hours for the Lord,’ I sought to stress the primacy of prayerful listening to God’s word, especially his prophetic word. The mercy of God is a proclamation made to the world, a proclamation which each Christian is called to experience at first hand,” the pope said.
The Vatican will observe 24 Hours for the Lord March 20-21.