Bishop Robert Barron of the Minnesota Diocese of Winona-Rochester has come up with a novel way for Catholics across the nation to support the National Eucharistic Congress, currently taking place in Indianapolis. The bishop has invited all Catholics to join a prayer campaign that will last through July and seeks to record 10,000 Holy Hours at prayer.
![[LIVE from Indy]: Such a deep silence …](https://staging.aleteia.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/Pierre-Eucharistic-Revival.jpg?resize=300,150&q=75)
Word on Fire, a Catholic media organization founded by Bishop Barron, ran a similar prayer campaign back in March 2024. The goal was to see US Catholics pray the Holy Rosary 50,000 times, but the campaign drew way more attention than anticipated, breaching 90,000 Rosaries prayed before the month was through.
In an announcement video for the Holy Hour challenge on the Word on Fire website, Bishop Barron commented:
“If we can pray 10,000 Holy Hours in support of this wonderful Eucharistic Revival, especially its culminating point in Indianapolis, in July, I think that would be a great way to lift up the whole Catholic spirit of our country.”
What's a Holy Hour?
A Holy Hour, as explained by Aleteia’s own Philip Kosloski, is the dedication of 60 minutes to personal prayer. While often conducted inside a church building or at a Eucharistic adoration chapel, this is not a strict requirement.
A holy hour can be made anywhere in the world, whether it is in your home, apartment building, hotel room, or even in the subway.
Despite the name “Holy Hour,” the time appropriated to prayer does not necessarily have to be a full 60 minutes. Bishop Barron told Fox News:
"Well, if you can't do a Holy Hour, do a Holy Half Hour. You can't do a Holy Half Hour, how about even 10 minutes a day? Sequester some time every day to focus on the Lord,” Bishop Barron explained. He went on to note that the time can be spent reading the Scriptures, praying the Rosary, or praying for the intention of someone who is suffering. As long as one is focusing on God during that time, Word on Fire (and Our Lord!) will count it.
Once the Holy Hour is prayed, participating faithful should head over to the Word on Fire website and fill out a brief form indicating where and when the Holy Hour was prayed. In this way, Word on Fire can track participation in the prayer campaign on an interactive map of the US and indicate just how far the challenge has come.
As of the writing of this article, US Catholics have already logged 8,050 Holy Hours of prayer, which suggests that the campaign will easily break its goal, just as Word on Fire’s Rosary campaign did in March.
Visit Word on Fire to learn more and start praying Holy Hours in support of the National Eucharistic Revival and Congress today.
