Advent begins; Holy Hour for Nascent Human Life followed 4pm Mass at Grotto



Fr. Perrone leads a Holy Hour for Nascent Human Life at Assumption Grotto after the 4:00pm Saturday Mass

 A new liturgical year begins with Advent. 

After the 4:00pm Mass today, Fr. Perrone held a Holy Hour in response to the Holy Father's requests for bishops, pastors, religious orders, to offer prayer for all nascent (developing) human life.  Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron held a prayer vigil in Canton, Michigan at St. John Neumann.  Many could not make it out to Canton, so it was good that several area parishes were able to hold vigils, including Grotto.

During his homily at the 4:00pm Mass, Fr. Perrone expressed regret that it came together too late to allow for better advertising.  Announcements were made at the Thanksgiving Day Masses and a note appeared on the Grotto homepage, as well as on my blog.  I sent out a email, and posted it to my facebook account, also.

Fr. Perrone also would like to have held a Vespers service, but here again - some of us considered putting booklets together, but there just wasn't time and we had no idea if we would need a dozen or 60, or 100.  Instead, we did the post-Mass Rosary, and that was followed by an hour of silent Adoration during Exposition.  I'll be honest, the silence was profound and beautiful.  You wouldn't have known that anyone was in Church.  About 50-60 people were present including all of the sisters.  Finally back from a long round of giving retreats the Canons were also present in the pews.  A welcome surprise was seeing, among them, the newly arrived Fr. Ludwig Maria.  He assisted with distributition of Holy Communion at the 4:00pm Mass. 

I should mention how special it was that a baby was being baptized following the 4:00pm Mass in the back of the church by Fr. John as Exposition got underway.  On a night that we prayed for all unborn human life, it was a blessing for the Sacrament of Baptism to be taking place. How many lives were terminated today in the womb or in a petri dish rather than have an opportunity to be born and baptized where they could give glory to their Creator?

Click here for full text of Pope Benedict XVI's homily for 1st Vespers at Vatican Radio

With the start of Advent, Fr. Z has some posts and links up to articles he has written in the past. 

• Advent hymns dissected
• WDTPRS: 1st Sunday of Advent (Novus Ordo) – “they are His while they are ours”
• 1st Vespers vigil for nascent life (Fr. Z has screen shots from Pope Benedict's vigil)

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

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