Eucharistic Adoration

With the Synod Assembly, therefore, I heartily recommend to the Church’s pastors and to the People of God the practice of Eucharistic adoration, both individually and in community. Great benefit would ensue from a suitable catechesis explaining the importance of this act of worship, which enables the faithful to experience the liturgical celebration more fully and more fruitfully. Wherever possible, it would be appropriate, especially in densely populated areas, to set aside specific churches or oratories for perpetual adoration. I also recommend that, in their catechetical training, and especially in their preparation for First Holy Communion, children be taught the meaning and the beauty of spending time with Jesus, and helped to cultivate a sense of awe before his presence in the Eucharist.

—Pope Benedict XVI, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis (2007), n. 67

It is pleasant to spend time with Him, to lie close to His breast like the Beloved Disciple (cf. Jn 13:25) and to feel the infinite love present in His heart. If in our time Christians must be distinguished above all by the “art of prayer,” how can we not feel a renewed need to spend time in spiritual converse, in silent adoration, in heartfelt love before Christ present in the Most Holy Sacrament? How often, dear brothers and sisters, have I experienced this, and drawn from it strength, consolation, and support!

—Pope John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia (2003), n. 35

The Church and the world have a great need of Eucharistic worship. Jesus waits for us in this sacrament of love. Let us be generous with our time in going to meet Him in adoration and in contemplation that is full of faith and ready to make reparation for the great faults and crimes of the world. May our adoration never cease.

—Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Dominicae Cenae (1980), n. 3

Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration

Could you not watch one hour with me? (Matthew 26:40)
An intimate time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

I hope that this form of Adoration, with permanent exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, will continue into the future. Specifically, I hope that the fruit of this Congress results in the establishment of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in all parishes and Christian communities throughout the world.

—Pope John Paul II, at the 45th International Eucharistic Congress, in Seville, Spain, June 1993

We come here to meet the Heart of Jesus pierced for us, from which water and blood gush. It is the redeeming love, which is at the origin of salvation, of our salvation, which is at the origin of the Church. Now still, today, the living Christ loves us and presents His heart to us as the source of our redemption...

We are called not only to meditate and contemplate on this mystery of Christ’s love; we are called to take part in it. It is the mystery of the Holy Eucharist, the center of our faith, the center of our worship of Christ’s merciful love manifested in His Sacred Heart, a mystery which is adored here night and day.

In the Holy Eucharist—this is also the meaning of perpetual adoration—we enter the movement of love from which all interior progress and all apostolic efficacy springs.

—Pope John Paul II, Address at the Basilica of Montmartre in 1980 (where the Sacred Heart of Jesus has been perpetually adored in the Most Blessed Sacrament for more than one hundred years)

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADORATION:

List of Eucharistic adoration chapels in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
     Parish maps, websites, and contact information

Eucharistic Adoration Chapels Nationwide
Locate Eucharistic Adoration Chapels across the U.S. by city. Includes maps.

All-Night Vigils of Prayer
Sponsored by the World Apostolate of Fatima.
Starts on First Friday with an 8:00 p.m. Mass of the Sacred Heart, Eucharistic adoration continues all night, ends with a 4:00 a.m. Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Location changes each month.

RESOURCES:

Eucharistic Adoration for the Sanctification of Priests and Spiritual Maternity (Congregation for the Clergy, December 8, 2007)

Explanatory note to help increase the practice of continuous Eucharistic adoration in dioceses for the benefit of priests and priestly vocations (Congregation of Clergy, December 8, 2007)

The Real Presence Association: Eucharistic Adoration
Resources on Eucharistic adoration and Perpetual Adoration.

The Real Presence Association: Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Organizations
Articles and audio programs on the Eucharist.

Ancient Roman Catholic Ritual Makes Comeback In Minnesota
(News article on perpetual adoration chapels in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis)
Associated Press, January 30, 2005

For more information on Eucharistic adoration or perpetual Eucharistic adoration and to learn how to start adoration in your parish, contact Peggy Powell at (763) 755-7706 or rjpp@usfamily.net.

 

Return to Corpus Christi Procession home page