The Chapel of the Holy Family, located in the AMU, continues the tradition of holy hour with the new renovation of the Chapel. The holy hour that was started last year is continuing its bi-weekly schedule, held every other Thursday in the chapel of the Holy Family from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., with a social afterward. Holy hour is a form of worship outside of mass that is meant to adore Jesus in the Eucharist.
According to Father Romano, the assistant director of Campus Ministry for liturgical programs, the Eucharist is believed to be the body of Christ after the priest has prayed over it which is called transubstantiation. If there is leftover Eucharist from Mass, it is placed in the Tabernacle, which is usually located behind the alter of a sacred place of worship. The Eucharist is then used for many other traditions in the church, with holy hour being one of them.
The holy hour allows students to honor Jesus in the Sacrament. Holy hour is unique with the right of exposition being performed. This right of exposition is when the monstrance, a vessel usually made of precious metals and other adornments, is placed on top of the altar with the Eucharist inside to display. During the hour there are many ways to worship, including singing, readings from scripture, or homilies.
Father Romano explained the importance of the holy hour in the Catholic community.
“I think that’s the big thing. For Catholics, for Christians, it’s not a private thing. There’s a private complement of what’s going on inside my heart, but the church is a community, it’s the body of Christ, you know? We wanted to do something that allowed people to pray together, right?” Romano said.
With the new space, students are grateful to have a place to worship. Elaina Akre, a sophomore in the College of Communications and Arts & Sciences, expresses her gratitude for the opportunity that holy hour brings as a student coordinator for Campus Ministry.
“It means the world to me to have that space where it’s like I can gaze upon his intense love and sit there, whether it’s speaking to myself or speaking to him. Having those thoughts or sitting there in silence, it’s so important to me that he has given to us this time in this space,” Akre said.
Akre said she has also seen many new faces as more and more students join in the holy hours.
“It’s kind of a mix, so we get people from Marquette, either freshmen who are new who are like, ‘oh what’s going on over here?’ We get people who have been coming here since we started doing this last semester. We get people from other schools as well. So, a lot of students from the University of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will come. Some graduates from that school have shown up tonight,” Akre said.
Makayla Kabitzke, a sophomore in the College of Health Sciences, talked about her first holy hour experience and the nostalgic feeling it gave her.
“My first holy hour was a really calming, grounding experience. I grew up in a family that was very involved in the Catholic church, so there’s a feeling of familiarity that comes with events like this here at Marquette. Between the candlelight new chapel, the songs interspersing worship, and being among fellow students, I was able to take a moment to reset and reflect,” Kabitzke said.
The next holy hour will be held on Oct. 10th, with a social following after with food and drinks.
This story was written by Bridget Lisle. She can be reached at [email protected].
