Many churches will hold Forty Hours’ Devotions in the days leading up to the Solemnity of Corpus Christi on Sunday, June 23. The devotion consists of a church being open for 40 hours of Eucharistic Adoration. The origin of the devotion is unclear, but praying for 40 hours is an old practice, referring to Christ’s 40 days in the desert.
***
To start its own annual 40 Hours’ Devotion, Corpus Christi in Maiden Lane, London, will host a Pontifical High Mass in the Extraordinary Form on Thursday, June 20 at 7pm. The celebrant will be Cardinal Francis Arinze.
