Devotions
Devotions are prayers and rituals which help bring us closer to God, and are in addition to the most central way in which we as Catholics meet Him - the Liturgy, and especially the Eucharist. Devotions evolved over the years. All involve praise and adoration of Our Lord, thanksgiving for His mercy and love, and petition. No one is obliged to make these devotions. Some people are drawn to one devotion over another for various reasons. The Church sees devotions as special gifts to us, which help form the rich tradition that defines us as Catholics. They bring special grace to us, and closer communion with our Lord through prayers of praise and adoration, thanksgiving, and petition. The following are some of the devotions that are practiced at St. Julia Parish.
Eucharistic Adoration
Eucharistic Adoration is prayer and time spent in the presence of the consecrated Eucharist. This devotion developed in the 13th century. The consecrated Eucharist, outside of the Mass, is reserved in the locked tabernacle. For adoration, the consecrated Eucharist is 'exposed' in a special gold monstrance and placed on the altar as an opportunity for us to extend our thanksgiving and communion with Jesus outside of the Mass.
We are blessed to be able to offer Eucharistic Adoration at our Parish on all Fridays of the year, both in Weston and in Lincoln. All are welcome and encouraged to stop by to experience the true presence of Christ in this special way. It is like a 'mini-retreat' according to one adorer. Prayer books and rosaries are available for your use during adoration, or you are invited to just sit quietly, gazing at the Blessed Sacrament, and taking in the grace and peace that comes from being with Christ.
So that the Blessed Sacrament is never left unattended during exposition, we have a group of parishioners who commit to being present before the Blessed Sacrament for each hour during exposition. For the most part, each person signs up for a set time every Friday, and we try to have at least two people in church at each hour of adoration. The more of us adoring the Lord in this way, the better to please our Lord and fill our souls with Him, so if you would like to commit to a specific time to be present in the church before the Blessed Sacrament on Fridays, please contact Alpheen Menachery. If you are unable to commit to being there for an hour or part of an hour, at least drop in for a visit.
| St. Julia Church: | Every Friday: 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM |
| First Fridays (September - May): 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM | |
| First Fridays (June - August): 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM | |
| St. Joseph Church: | First Fridays: 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM |
Forty Hours Devotion
This tradition was introduced by St. Philip Neri in 1548, and honors the 40 hours Jesus spent in the tomb. For 40 consecutive hours the Blessed Sacrament is exposed on the altar. During the day and the nighttime hours there is time for silent prayer, instrumental music, singing, and prayer that is spoken aloud. The church remains open for all to come and worship anytime during the 40 hours. St. Julia Parish offered Forty Hour Devotion for the first time last spring, and it was well-attended. Watch for signup information for this year's devotion in the bulletin and on the website.
Rosary
The Rosary is a prayer that honors Mary, the mother of Our Lord, and the important events in her life and in the life of Jesus. Based on a Latin word for 'rose garden', the rosary was developed to its present day form by the 16th century. According to legend, the rosary as we know it was revealed to St. Dominic. The Dominicans helped make the rosary a tradition of the early Church, and it has remained a vital part of Catholic prayer today.
Its roots, however, go farther back in history. Many religions use prayer beads to keep count of prayers and to induce a meditative state of prayer. The original rosary beads helped to teach the 150 psalms to the largely illiterate populations of the early European church. By the 11th century, the rosary became popular to recite 150 Our Fathers in place of the psalms. Beginning in the 12th century, devotion to Mary increased, and hence, the rosary became more Marian with 5 sets of Hail Mary's said, along with Our Fathers on the 5 'paternoster' beads.
A full rosary would be said 4 times over, to include the 4 sets of mysteries of the life of Mary and of Christ: the Joyful Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries, the Glorious Mysteries, and the most recent, the Luminous Mysteries. However, it is part of our Catholic tradition to say a rosary while meditating on one of the 4 sets of mysteries on separate days: the Joyful Mysteries on Mondays and Saturdays, the Luminous Mysteries on Thursdays, the Sorrowful Mysteries on Tuesdays and Fridays, and the Glorious Mysteries on Wednesdays and Sundays.
While holding the rosary beads, we recite the Hail Mary and other prayers in a systematic way. Descriptions of the meditations for each mystery, along with the corresponding prayers recited, can be found at Medjugorje Web.
Rosary at St. Julia Church is prayed weekday mornings after 7:00 AM Mass and at 11:00 AM during First Friday Adoration.
Rosary at St. Joseph Church is prayed on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings at 8:20 AM, followed by Morning Prayer (Liturgy of the Hours) and the Angelus. On Monday and Wednesday mornings, Morning Prayer (Liturgy of the Hours) is prayed at 8:40 AM, followed by the Angelus at 9:00 AM and then the Rosary. Family Rosary is prayed Thursday evenings at 7 PM at St. Joseph Church. Everyone is welcome.
Morning Prayer
Morning Prayer, part of the Liturgy of the Hours, is said Monday through Friday mornings at St. Joseph Church. Morning prayer praises God for the beginning of a new day. It includes hymns, the recitation of psalms and Scripture readings. Prayers of petition are offered and a consecration of all that we do that day for the glory of God. The Liturgy of Hours, or daily public prayer at certain times of the day, is rooted in the ancient Jewish tradition of daily prayer which Jesus practiced Himself. The most important hours are Morning and Evening Prayers (Matins and Vespers). While praying the Hours was for a long time only practiced by clerics, Vatican II reformed the Liturgy of the Hours and now encourages parishes to observe Morning Prayer and/or Vespers.
Angelus
The Angelus is a special devotion which honors the Incarnation of Our Lord three times a day, often with the tolling of the church bells. The practice as we know it today originated in the 16th century. The name of the prayer, Angelus, is Latin for the word Angel, and refers to the Angel Gabriel who appeared to Mary to announce the news that she would bear Jesus. The prayer includes the recitation of the verses from Scripture which reference the Annunciation, each followed by the Hail Mary. The Angelus is said Monday through Friday mornings at St. Joseph Church.
Lenten Prayer Circle
The Lenten Prayer Circle is a group of people from the parish who pray for the needs and intentions of parishioners each day during Lent. All are invited to submit intentions and/or to sign up to for a day during Lent to pray for these intentions. Intentions may be submitted in writing and dropped in the baskets at the back of each church during Lent. Sign-up sheets are also located at the back of each church during Lent for those who would like to offer to pray for these intentions. You may also contact Alpheen Menachery (781-893-9984) directly to submit an intention or to sign up to pray.
Christmas Pageant
The Christmas Pageant offers the children of the parish a wonderful opportunity to reenact the Nativity story in the Gospel of Luke. The pageant takes place in both of our churches on December 24th during the 4:00 PM Mass. A long-time tradition of the parish, the children essentially form a living tableau of the gospel as it is being read by the presider. There are no speaking parts. Any child in the parish, ages 4 and older, is invited to join. There is usually one rehearsal where costumes are assigned, and the children run through what is expected. The annual Christmas pageants are coordinated by volunteers throughout the Parish. Watch for announcements in the bulletin and on the website in early December for details about sign-ups and rehearsals.
May Crowning
The Church celebrates and honors the life of Our Lady every year during the month of May. The May Crowning as we know it today, where a wreath of fresh flowers is placed on a statue to honor Mary, became a well-loved tradition in the church beginning in the 1750's in Italy, spreading across Europe. The crowning was traditionally held on May 31, the feast of the Queenship of Mary. May Crownings in the United States were especially popular in the 1950's. With the resurgence in Marian devotion under Pope John Paul II, the May Crowning has been revived at many Catholic churches including at St. Julia Parish.
At St. Julia Parish, we honor Our Lady with a May Crowning of outdoor statues of Mary at both St. Joseph Church and St. Julia Church. The May Crowning takes place immediately following one of the Sunday morning Masses in May.
The children of the Parish are invited, by lottery, to have certain roles in the crowning. The May Crowning is sponsored by the Sodality. The congregation processes out of the church, singing a Marian hymn, to the garden for the rite of crowning and for the special Litany of Our Lady.
Divine Mercy Devotion
Pope John Paul II instituted The Feast of Divine Mercy on the First Sunday after Easter in the year 2000. A group of parishioners who have a special devotion to this image of the risen Jesus have instituted the Divine Mercy "chapel" at the back of St. Julia Church. The simple words, "Jesus I trust in You" appear at the bottom of a reproduction of the image of Jesus which was revealed to Saint Faustina, a Polish Benedictine nun in 1930. The rays of red and white light emanating from the risen Jesus, represent the waters of Baptism and Jesus' blood shed for our sins. This image of Divine Mercy can be found at both churches. One of our Lincoln parishioners donated a relic, a bone fragment, of St. Faustina. It rests in a small box at St. Joseph Church.
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy, a special devotion to the risen Jesus, was also revealed to Sister Faustina in 1935. The chaplet is recited using rosary beads to repeat over and over the very simple prayers of "mercy for us and for the whole world". The chaplet of Divine Mercy is often said at 3 PM, the hour that Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins. The chaplet of Divine Mercy is recited before the Family Rosary on Thursday nights at St. Joseph Church at 7:00 PM and at 11:30 AM at First Friday Eucharistic Adoration after the rosary at St. Julia Church.
The Novena of Divine Mercy is said in preparation of the Feast of Divine Mercy, when the chaplet is recited on each of the 9 days preceding the feast day. Parishioners are invited to participate privately in the Novena.
Stations of the Cross
Making the Stations of the Cross is a long time prayer tradition which traces the steps of Jesus' final hours on earth, his Passion and Death on the Cross. The Stations of the Cross began in the Middle Ages, as an actual pilgramage to Jerusalem to retrace Jesus' steps to Calvary, and was most often done during Lent. Since most people could not make this long trip to Israel, churches began making painted or carved images of the 14 stops Jesus made on the "Via Dolorosa", the sorrowful way to his death on the Cross. Today, these 14 Stations of the Cross are found in almost every Catholic Church in the world.
A communal recitation and meditations of the Stations of the Cross are often offered in Lent, on Good Friday, at most Catholic churches, including at St. Julia and St. Joseph. However, we are invited to make the Stations of the Cross at any time during the year, often before or after Mass, or sometime during the week if the church is open. Some have added a fifteenth station, the Resurrection, without which the Passion would be meaningless. This station is observed by kneeling before the Tabernacle on the altar which holds the Eucharist, the living Body of Christ.
