ORIGIN OF THE FORTY HOURS.

New Zealand Tablet, 7 November 1918, Page 29

ORIGIN OF THE FORTY HOURS.

The Adoration of the Quarant'ore, or Forty Hours' Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, in commemoration of the forty hours during which our Lord's body lay in the tomb, was first instituted in Milan, j about the year 1534. Somewhat later, it happened j that a troupe of actors came to Loretto at the carnival time, with the purpose of performing a highly objectionable play. A pious Jesuit Father who was there did his utmost to prevent the acting of this play, but he failed in his object. He then determined to offer a counter attraction to the people, to present them with a spectacle of a very different character, one calculated to raise the heart and soul to God. Having obtained permission from the Bishop, he caused

the church of his college to ba most beautifully decorated, the high altar lighted up with countless tapers, and the Blessed Sacrametfit exposed during forty hours. Meanwhile, at intervals, hymns and anthems were sung; there were spiritual readings, and two or three short sermons each day. ' The people were moreover exhorted to approach the sacraments. This plan proved most successful ; the sacred entertainment, if it may be so called, found more favor with the inhabitants of Loretto than, the performance of the comedians. Almost the whole population repaired to the. church, and the gain to souls was immense: From Loretto this devotion spread to the whole Church; it was approved by the Holy See, and enriched with indulgences by several Popes, pre-eminently by Paul V. J J