Archbishop Hebda is encouraging local Catholics to join others worldwide in praying with Pope Francis at noon on Friday, March 27, when the pope will extend an extraordinary “urbi et orbi” blessing.

Archbishop Hebda called the blessing “an extraordinary opportunity for grace.”

“It’s an opportunity for us to listen and meditate upon God’s word, an opportunity to adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and an opportunity to receive an extraordinary blessing from the Holy Father called ‘urbi et orbi,’” Archbishop Hebda said while standing near a portrait of Pope Francis in a March 26 video.

Explaining that the Latin phrase means “to the city and the world,” he said “it’s the blessing the pope normally imparts on Christmas and on Easter, and it’s certainly something that we need in the midst of these challenging times.”

While it will be noon in Minnesota, it will be 6 p.m. in Rome during the blessing.

Archbishop Hebda told Catholics also “to be on the lookout for an amazing crucifix, a miraculous crucifix that I know well.”

It’s a 15th-century crucifix from the church of San Marcello on the Corso, which was a few blocks from the Pontifical Gregorian University, where Archbishop Hebda was a student in Rome 1985-1989. According to Vatican News Service, the crucifix survived a fire in 1519 and saved Rome from a “the Great Plague” in 1522.

“I prayed before that cross often, and it’s certainly a favorite among the people of Rome, a place for us to meditate on the great mystery of the cross and Jesus’ great love for us,” he said.

The “urbi et orbi” blessing includes a plenary indulgence for people who follow by television, internet or radio, and meet certain conditions outlined in a decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary released March 20.

The blessing will be viewable on The Catholic Spirit’s Facebook page.

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