Adoration

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Parish Eucharistic Adoration is held on the First Friday of every month, following the 12 p.m. Mass and ends with Benediction at 6:15 p.m.

Please Contact Dcn. Ed Parsons for more information or questions about Eucharistic Adoration at Pax Christi tparsons@cdlex.org

What is Adoration?

By: Ken Canedo

March 5, 2019

Eucharistic Adoration: Traditional Liturgical

The Church draws her life from the Eucharist. This truth does not simply express a daily experience of faith, but recapitulates the heart of the mystery of the Church. In a variety of ways, she joyfully experiences the constant fulfillment of the promise: “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Mt 28:20) But in the Holy Eucharist, through the changing of bread and wine into the body and blood of the Lord, she rejoices in this presence with unique intensity.
            –Pope John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, encyclical letter on the Eucharist and its relationship to the Church (2003)

Fifty or so years ago, many Catholic parishes had some kind of Eucharistic Adoration service on their weekly schedule. A time to spend in the real presence of Jesus Christ. At my parish, we would pray the rosary and hold Benediction on Sunday evenings, plus Novena and Benediction on Wednesday nights. We also held a monthly Holy Hour on First Friday evening, plus an annual Forty Hours devotion in the Fall. The real presence of Christ and these unique forms of prayer are some of the most beautiful aspects of the Catholic faith. And it was all part of our active parish life, and I have fond memories of serving these devotions as a young altar boy.

On their website, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops gives the following instruction:

The importance of Eucharistic Adoration is shown in the fact that the Church has a ritual that regulates it: the Rite of Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction. This is an extension of the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament which occurs in every Mass: “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.” Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament flows from the sacrifice of the Mass and serves to deepen our hunger for Communion with Christ and the rest of the Church. The Rite concludes with the ordained minister blessing the faithful with the Blessed Sacrament.

Eucharistic Adoration seemed to diminish for a short while, but it has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years — thanks in part to curiosity and interest in the devotion by our young people. In this blog, I want to share a few ideas on how to establish Adoration on the parish level.

As spoken in the 1989 film, Field of Dreams, “if you build it, they will come.” If your parish is interested in having a regular Adoration service, if they are wanting time to spend with Jesus, the best way to begin is simply to begin. Schedule a day and time on your parish calendar, invite your congregation during the Sunday announcements, and post it in your parish website and bulletin. Offer them the opportunity to spend an hour with the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ. Trust me, people will come.

At first, it might be just a few people. But remember, Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Mt 18:20) Eucharistic Adoration is one of the great traditions of the Catholic Church. Word will get out. Invite your RCIA candidates as a way of introducing them to contemplative prayer. Let your youth minister know, so he or she can invite the teens. Even if they are already doing Adoration during Lifeteen or for XLT events, they need to know that Eucharistic Devotion, Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, is part of the everyday life of the parish, and that they are welcome to come and pray.

Prayer Resources for Adoration

Resources taken from usccb

The Importance of Eucharistic Adoration

Pope Francis leads Benediction outside the Basilica of St. Mary Major at the conclusion of the Corpus Christi procession in Rome May 30. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

The importance of Eucharistic Adoration is shown in the fact that the Church has a ritual that regulates it: the Rite of Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction. This is an extension of the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament which occurs in every Mass: “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.” Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament flows from the sacrifice of the Mass and serves to deepen our hunger for Communion with Christ and the rest of the Church.  The Rite concludes with the ordained minister blessing the faithful with the Blessed Sacrament.

Some important prayers that are used during this rite include the Anima Christi (en español) and the Tantum Ergo.

Holy Hours

Holy hours are the Roman Catholic devotional tradition of spending an hour in Eucharistic Adoration in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. The bishops have created a variety of holy hours that focus our prayer to Jesus Christ on peace, life, vocations, and other topics that are at the heart of the life of the Church and the world.

List of Holy Hours

above information from the usscb website

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