Eucharistic Adoration
"He who eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood lives in Me and I in Him"
(John 6:5-6)
Eucharistic Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is held every Monday 12:30pm - 6:30 pm
concluding with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and St. Jude Novena.
The specific way that Jesus asks you to love Him in return is to spend one quiet hour with Him in the Blessed Sacrament. "Where your treasure is, there is your heart...." "Could you not watch one hour with Me?" (Mt 6:21; 26:40)
How to Make a Holy Hour
"So, you could not stay awake with me for even an hour? Be on guard, and pray that you may not undergo the test" (Mt 26:40-41)
There are different ways to "watch one hour" with the Lord. One of the most powerful and fruitful ways
is to spend an hour in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. We call this a Holy Hour because it is an hour spent in the presence of the Holy Eucharist: Christ, Himself, the One who alone is Holy.
There are also different ways to make a Holy Hour: you can pray, alone or with others, before Jesus in the Tabernacle; or you can pray in the presence of the exposed Blessed Sacrament, privately or at a public service led by a priest or deacon.
The Church's Teaching on Adoration of the Holy Eucharist
The Church strongly encourages both private and public devotion toward the Eucharist and teaches that prayer before the Lord sacramentally present in the Eucharist actually "extends the union with Christ which the faithful have received in communion". It helps them to live in a more Christian way, trying "to maintain in their lives what they have received by faith and by sacraments". (The Rites of the Catholic Church). During times of public adoration, when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed by a priest or deacon, "there should be prayers, songs, and readings to direct the faithful to the worship of the Lord, to encourage a prayerful spirit. There should be readings from scripture with a homily or brief exhortation to develop a better understanding of the Eucharistic mystery. It is also desirable for people to respond to the word of God by singing and to spend periods of time in religious silence. Part of the liturgy of the hours may be celebrated to extend the praise and thanksgiving of Holy Mass. "The elements of prayer, the scriptures, praise and silence are all an integral part of public adoration. All of the elements of the public adoration should acknowledge the marvelous presence of Christ in the Sacrament and foster the worship which is due to Christ in spirit and truth. Such public adoration of the Blessed Sacrament must clearly express its relationship to the Mass". (The rites of the Catholic Church)