Guide for a Holy League Holy Hour

Holy League Holy Hour Guide – PDF – Click Here to Download

Holy League Holy Hour Guide – Word Document – Click Here to Download

The Holy League Holy Hours follow the simple formula given to us by the Church. Allow 60 minutes for your Holy Hour and an additional 60 for fellowship and Fraternity. The Fraternal Hour can be before or after the Holy Hour. Morning Holy Hours generally have the Fraternal Hour prior to the Holy Hour and evening Holy Hours will do either or.

If you have your Holy Hour centered around a Holy Mass it is best to do the Holy Hour before the Holy Mass, however it can be done either way. The reasoning behind doing it before is to develop a spiritual hunger for receiving Holy Communion and to provide the opportunity for the men to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation before as well.

Be sure to start on time. The Parish Leader opens the Holy Hour with a greeting and The Holy League Introduction we provided. This is the time for announcements, if any. The Church should be prepared to be dimly lit with candles where you see fit. The Celebrant should use a Thurible (or Censor) for burning incense. We also encourage the use of teens (or men) altar servers. Our Lord should be exposed in either a Monstrance or a Ciborium. Create an environment that evokes mystery, and a sense of the Sacred. If an image of Our Lady is not currently present we highly encourage having an image of Our Lady off to the side adjacent to our Lord Exposed in the Blessed Sacrament. At the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was posted on the mast of the Flag Ship in this historic battle. Afterwards St Pope Pius V announced the new title of Our Lady of Victory, and Our Lady of the Rosary.

Following the Holy Hour worship aid, Celebrant [Priest/Deacon] then starts the Holy Hour with Exposition. This is followed by a very brief period of silent Adoration, and then the Celebrant offers a short [7-10 min] reflection on the Church’s monthly devotion. See the Holy League website for more information on the specific monthly devotion (see here). After the short reflection the Celebrant announces that Confessions are available and proceeds to assist with Confessions, if his is able. At this time it is recommended to softly play Gregorian Chant (generally from a CD) during this Adoration period. Towards the close of the Holy Hour, the Celebrant will return to complete the service. At this time the Gregorian Chant will be silenced and Benediction begins.

Please Note: It is not recommended that other devotions such as the Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, St Michael Chaplets, etc… be done out loud as a group (see here). We strongly recommend offering these men this quiet time for reflection and prayer. The silent Adoration time is recommended to allow Our Lord in His Real Presence to work on the hearts of the men.

It is also recommended that you do not limit this to just adult men but to encourage mature adolescent boys to come accompanied by an adult man; father, grand-father, uncle, older brother, etc…