What is Eucharistic Adoration?
Eucharistic Adoration is spending time in prayer before Jesus Christ, who is truly present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, in the Blessed Sacrament. The Eucharist is displayed in a special holder called a monstrance.
What is Perpetual Adoration?
Perpetual Adoration is when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed in the monstrance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week all year long, except for the period of time between the end of Holy Thursday until after the Easter Vigil.
How long must I stay?
There is no set amount of time that one must stay at adoration. If you have only a minute or two, please feel welcome to just drop in to say a quick hello to Jesus. Do not underestimate the graces that will come from even a short visit!
How many people are needed to staff a Perpetual Adoration Chapel?
There are 168 hours in a week, so a minimum of 168 people are needed to commit to one hour per week. In addition, we have substitutes to cover for hours that don’t have a permanent adorer and for adorers who are on vacation or are sick.
I am just way too busy for this kind of thing.
A great saint once said, “Everyone should spend at least half an hour a day before the Blessed Sacrament, except for those who are busy; they should spend at least one hour a day!” In trying to put our relationship with Christ first, the priorities of the rest of the day will naturally fall into place.
I already do a lot of volunteer work for the parish; do I really need to sign up for something else?
The answer to that question should come after a lot of prayer and/or spiritual direction. However, we offer these thoughts. For many of us, it is easy to be “Martha”; always busy serving the parish with activities. It is good to be involved in the many ministries that are offered by the parish. However, we all need to spend time at the feet of Christ, just being “Mary”; to pour out our fears and worries, our joys and excitement and then to listen to Him speak to our hearts. In many ways, it is even more important for those heavily involved in parish ministries to spend dedicated time in prayer to recharge our spiritual batteries and increase the effectiveness of active ministries.
What is the commitment in Perpetual Adoration?
Parishioners make the commitment to spend a specific hour each week with the Blessed Sacrament. This is a crucial ministry because Christ, exposed in the monstrance, must never be left unattended. These parishioners enable the Eucharistic Chapel to be open all day for others to just drop in for a minute or two.
Do I have to be Catholic to participate in Perpetual Adoration?”
No. As long as you have respect for Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and are willing to commit to one hour per week in prayer in the Chapel, you do not have to be Catholic. In fact, many people who have subsequently converted to the Catholic faith found their time before the Blessed Sacrament to be an instrumental part of their journey into the Church.
Is it silent all the time?
Most of the hours are dedicated to silent prayer. Occasionally, the committed adorer for a specific hour may lead a prayer out loud, such as the Chaplet of Divine Mercy at 3 pm.
What do I do just sitting in silence?
People pray in many different ways before the Blessed Sacrament. Some people like to privately pray formal prayers like the Rosary or the Stations of the Cross. Others just “talk” to Jesus in their own way or remain in silence and let Jesus speak to their hearts. You may also want to read the Bible or a book on spiritual growth. There are Bibles and religious books available in the chapel, as well as a CD player and organ.
Will it be safe in the chapel in the middle of the night?
After a certain hour, the doors will be locked. If you would like to pray in the middle of the night, there is a doorbell which you can ring. The adorer already in the chapel will then let you in.
What happens if I go on vacation or am sick one week?
In the case of a vacation, business trip, or other activity that will take you away from the parish during your scheduled hour, please contact someone else as soon as possible to either swap or cover your hour and notify the coordinators. If you become sick at the last minute and/or are unable to find someone to cover your hour, just notify one of the coordinators and they will take care of it for you.
Can I share an hour with my spouse (or other family member or friend)?
Yes. When sharing an hour, you can either both come every week to that same hour or you can alternate weeks. A family may even want to commit to one hour that is shared by three or more family members. However, we ask that one person in the group be responsible for making sure that someone attends each week.
How will I know that I can leave?
There is an Oblate Cross that passes from leader to leader. Even though there may be several people in the chapel, when the next committed adorer arrives, he or she will look for the person holding the Oblate Cross and take it. That is the indication that you are free to leave.
What happens if the person scheduled after me does not show up?
If you have no other commitments and are willing to stay, you are welcome to stay for the next hour. However, if you need to leave, please call either the missing adorer or another person who is willing to cover an hour on short notice. You can also call the chapel coordinators whose numbers are posted by the telephone and on business cards in the back of the chapel. As a last resort, you can also call the rectory. We ask all leaders to arrive 10 minutes before their scheduled time so that the previous leader knows that they can leave on time.
Can I sign up for more than one hour per week?
Yes, but we ask that no one commits to more than two hours per week. You are certainly welcome to visit the chapel as often as you like, even several times a day. However, if someone is the committed adorer for more than two hours it will be harder to find replacements for all those hours in case of vacation or illness. We also want to involve as many different people from the parish as possible.
I travel a lot; I don’t know if I can commit to a specific hour per week.
You can sign up to be a substitute on our e-mail group list. An e-mail will be sent out once a week listing all of the hours available for that week. You can then reply to the list and take an hour on a one-time basis.