Holy Hours of Hope linking the heart of Jesus to the Jubilee Year of Hope will be offered later this month at parishes around the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
“It’s a simple, beautiful way to participate in the jubilee and to remind each other that Christ is our true source of hope,” Dcn. Jim Matthias said.
Dcn. Matthias, who directs the Respect Life Ministry and the Prison and Jail Ministry within the archdiocese Office of Catholic Social Responsibility, is the point person for the archdiocese’s request to deacons and parishes to hold a Holy Hour for Hope on or close to June 27, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
“While the central focus is on hope, the timing of this initiative, on or near the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, adds great depth,” he said. “The Sacred Heart reminds us that Christ’s love is not abstract or distant, it is personal, wounded and poured out for us. In adoration, we come face-to-face with that love, which becomes the wellspring of our hope.”
The Holy Hours for Hope are a powerful way to bring people together and reflect on hope — “not just as a theme, but as one of the theological virtues that grounds and sustains us,” he explained.
The response to the Holy Hours has been positive, Dcn. Matthias said, as parishioners appreciate the opportunity to pause, pray and reconnect with the deeper meaning of Christian hope, especially in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.
A fundamental inspiration for the Holy Hour of Hope stems from the late Pope Francis’ jubilee reflection, Dilexit nos (He loved us). It is a reminder that hope is not just a virtue to summon on our own but a response to Jesus, who loved us first.
“The pierced Heart of Jesus, so often depicted aflame and encircled with thorns, is both the source of mercy and a symbol of divine love that suffers with and for us,” Dcn. Matthias said. “This is why the Holy Hours aren’t just about asking for hope, they’re about receiving it from the heart of Christ.”
Many parishes are incorporating Scripture, silent adoration and intercessions that reflect themes of hope in suffering, the dignity of human life, healing and reconciliation.
“The exact prayers may vary, but the heart of the hour remains the same: to draw near to Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us,” Dcn. Matthias said.
Fr. Philip Bogacki, Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the archdiocese, originally contacted Dcn. Matthias about this project. He stated that the special intention is to pray for those in our lives and the world who lack hope.
“We wish to increase our hope and to spread that hope to others,” he said. “The most important part is not unique interventions but the time set aside by the faithful with our Lord for this beautiful devotion in the Church.”
Parishes are free to conduct the Holy Hour in the manner they best decide at a time that works for them, said Fr. Bogacki, who is also pastor of Christ King, Wauwatosa.
Deacons are often called to lead Holy Hours for archdiocese intentions, such as the Year of Hope and Respect Life, said Dcn. Dennis Petrie of St. Anthony on the Lake, Pewaukee.
“I would hope this Holy Hour makes Jesus ever more present for the attendees and strengthens the hope they have because of Jesus’ suffering, Death and Resurrection,” he said.
Dcn. Andy Swietlik, a Saint Francis de Sales seminarian assigned to Immaculate Conception, Milwaukee, looks forward to the Holy Hour for Hope there.
“We are hoping to provide more opportunities for our parishes to pray before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament,” he said. “Encounters with Christ in the Holy Eucharist can be truly transformative for our hearts, and the more we can come together as a Church and pray, the better.”
The Catholic Church celebrates a Jubilee Year every 25 years. The Jubilee Year of Hope, proclaimed by Pope Francis, is a holy year of renewal, reconciliation and pilgrimage within the Catholic Church will last until Epiphany 2026.
A Sampling of Holy Hours of Hope Dates, Times, Places
Additional parishes were to be added after the Catholic Herald press time – find a current listing here.
Sunday, June 22
- 5-6 p.m., St. Jude the Apostle, 734 Glenview Ave., Wauwatosa
Thursday, June 26
- 6-7 p.m., St. Bruno, 226 W. Ottawa Ave., Dousman
Friday, June 27
- 7:30-8 a.m. Communion Service followed by 8-9 a.m. Holy Hour, St. Anthony on the Lake, W280N2101 Prospect Ave., Pewaukee
- 9:15-10:15 a.m., St. Charles, 313 Circle Drive, Hartland
- 9:30 a.m., St. Sebastian, 5400 W. Washington Blvd., Milwaukee
- 10:30 – 11:30 a.m., St. Charles Borromeo, 3100 W. Parnell Ave., Milwaukee
- 6-7 p.m., St. Martin of Tours, 7963 S. 116th St., Franklin
- 6-7 p.m., St. Lucy, 3101 Drexel Ave., Racine
- 6-7 p.m., Immaculate Conception, 1023 E. Russell Ave., Milwaukee
