Perpetual Adoration
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Ministry Guidelines
Revised: October 2022
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The Holy Family Catholic Church Adoration Ministry wants to invite parishioners to enjoy prayer time with Jesus and to take a break from their busy schedules by spending time at our parish Oratory.
Below is information about the Oratory and how to get involved in this ministry of prayer. Welcome to the Oratory Our Oratory is a small room that seats about 10 people in chairs with kneelers. There is also a little religious library from which you can borrow a book to read while praying, and a place where people place intentions for you to remember in prayer. The stained glass windows were designed to look like the windows of our older Chapel, and there is an altar made of beautiful wood. But the focus of the Oratory is the Blessed Sacrament JESUS, displayed behind glass in the Monstrance, a metal liturgical vessel used for the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. The word "monstrance" derives from the Latin verb meaning "to show," for indeed, it is Jesus whom we "show" in the Monstrance and in the Oratory. Time spent here is therefore an opportunity to be close to Jesus’ real presence, the communion bread which has been consecrated at Mass and which Jesus declared to be his Body and Blood at the Last Supper. It is important to remember that, while sometimes we may want a very private and solitary time with the Lord, the Oratory is also a public place of prayer for the whole parish. There may be times when a fidgety baby or child, or simply several other people, are present as well. Though we cannot promise that the Oratory will always be a place for completely private prayer and pristine silence, we can always offer the solitude of our older Chapel along Central Avenue if there is a time when you seek quietness before the Lord. We invite you to consider signing up for a period of Adoration. We ask you to take notice of open hours – every day of the week has hours during which the Oratory sits empty - but if the only convenient hours for you are ones which have a scheduled adorer already present, you are welcome to sign up for those times too. There are no longer restrictions to the number of adorers who may be present at any given time. God bless you, and let’s get praying! |
Perpetual Adoration Ministry Board Administrator/Substitutes: Cindy Daily: [email protected] or 410.977.1372 Day Captains: Sunday: Nancy Budowski: [email protected] or 240.882.4633 Monday: Anne Marie Pessagno - [email protected] or 443.370.7663 Tuesday: Monica Phillips: [email protected] or 202.669.7844 Noreen Hynes: [email protected] or 410-570-8003 Wednesday: Deb Kilcline: [email protected] or 703.864.8388 Thursday: Colleen Phillips [email protected] 301.440.0586 Friday: Ron Van Nest: [email protected] or 443.822.5373 Saturday: Penny Jones: [email protected] or 410-272.9102 |
What is Eucharistic Adoration?
It has been the consistent belief of the Catholic Church from the very beginning that the bread and wine consecrated at Mass truly become the Body and Blood of Christ. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist.” (CCC 1377) In other words, the Eucharistic Christ continues to be present in our midst beyond the Eucharistic liturgy, when the consecrated host is either reposed in a tabernacle or exposed on the altar.
If we can adore the Eucharistic presence of Christ when reposed in a tabernacle, why do we then need to expose the Blessed Sacrament on an altar? It is not essential for exposition to take place to have Eucharistic adoration, yet people report experiencing a greater sense of intimacy with Jesus and attentiveness of mind and heart to prayer when they are able to actually see our Eucharistic Lord. But the best reason for having exposition of the Blessed Sacrament is simply that God wills it. During his Eucharistic discourse, Jesus made this unmistakably clear: “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40)
It has been the consistent belief of the Catholic Church from the very beginning that the bread and wine consecrated at Mass truly become the Body and Blood of Christ. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist.” (CCC 1377) In other words, the Eucharistic Christ continues to be present in our midst beyond the Eucharistic liturgy, when the consecrated host is either reposed in a tabernacle or exposed on the altar.
If we can adore the Eucharistic presence of Christ when reposed in a tabernacle, why do we then need to expose the Blessed Sacrament on an altar? It is not essential for exposition to take place to have Eucharistic adoration, yet people report experiencing a greater sense of intimacy with Jesus and attentiveness of mind and heart to prayer when they are able to actually see our Eucharistic Lord. But the best reason for having exposition of the Blessed Sacrament is simply that God wills it. During his Eucharistic discourse, Jesus made this unmistakably clear: “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40)
How to Become an Adorer
Step 1: To sign up as an adorer for a specific time each week, please visit the Holy Family Adoration Pro website: https://adorationpro.org/holyfamily
Step 2: Click “View Open Hours”. Unassigned hours, i.e. those hours which do not have a dedicated adorer, are indicated by an empty space next to the time slot:
9:00am Sign Up
Hours which already have a dedicated adorer are indicated by the word “Adorer” next to the time slot. Please note that it is possible for more than one person to sign up for any given hour, as noted by multiple occurrences of “Adorer”:
6:00pm Adorer Sign Up
Adorer
Step 3: Decide which day and hour you wish to commit to, and click that hour’s corresponding “Sign Up” button. Fill in the online form with your contact information, and then select the frequency which you desire (weekly, bi-weekly, etc.). Submit your information by selecting “Signup” at the bottom of the screen.
Congratulations! You are now a regularly scheduled Adorer, and should receive a confirmation message at the email address which you provided. (If you also elect to be a substitute, you will receive a separate email for that commitment.)
Step 1: To sign up as an adorer for a specific time each week, please visit the Holy Family Adoration Pro website: https://adorationpro.org/holyfamily
Step 2: Click “View Open Hours”. Unassigned hours, i.e. those hours which do not have a dedicated adorer, are indicated by an empty space next to the time slot:
9:00am Sign Up
Hours which already have a dedicated adorer are indicated by the word “Adorer” next to the time slot. Please note that it is possible for more than one person to sign up for any given hour, as noted by multiple occurrences of “Adorer”:
6:00pm Adorer Sign Up
Adorer
Step 3: Decide which day and hour you wish to commit to, and click that hour’s corresponding “Sign Up” button. Fill in the online form with your contact information, and then select the frequency which you desire (weekly, bi-weekly, etc.). Submit your information by selecting “Signup” at the bottom of the screen.
Congratulations! You are now a regularly scheduled Adorer, and should receive a confirmation message at the email address which you provided. (If you also elect to be a substitute, you will receive a separate email for that commitment.)
How to Become a Substitute Adorer
Step 1: If you wish to sign up as a substitute only, visit the Holy Family Adoration Pro website: https://adorationpro.org/holyfamily
Step 2: Click “Become a Sub”, which you will find located just below the “View Open Hours” tab. Enter your contact information and then click “Signup” at the bottom of the page. You should receive a confirmation message at the email address which you provide.
Step 1: If you wish to sign up as a substitute only, visit the Holy Family Adoration Pro website: https://adorationpro.org/holyfamily
Step 2: Click “Become a Sub”, which you will find located just below the “View Open Hours” tab. Enter your contact information and then click “Signup” at the bottom of the page. You should receive a confirmation message at the email address which you provide.
Adoration and Oratory Details
I. Location and Visitor Access: the Oratory is located in the back (northeast) corner of Holy Family Church, on the ground level of the Spiritual Life Center, directly below the parish library.
The Oratory is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for regularly scheduled adorers and substitutes.
**Please note: During the Triduum, the Oratory closes on Holy Thursday evening after the 6 pm hour. The Oratory reopens Easter Sunday at 12 am (midnight).**
Visitors (i.e., anyone not registered as an adorer or substitute) are welcomed during parish office hours:
Monday thru Thursday: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday: 8:30 AM - 12:00 Noon
Please advise visitors who arrive wishing to enter through the garden door to ring the buzzer located at the front entrance of the main church for Oratory access.
Any visitors looking for admittance during non-business hours should be advised that the older Chapel is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for prayer. Please, for security reasons, DO NOT open the door for anyone who knocks and asks for admittance. A sign is posted on the outside of the back door leading to the garden stating this information.
II. Adorer Entry:
Adorers should access the Oratory using the exterior door located in the Meditation Garden at the rear of the Church building. Please remember that the Oratory is a place of adoration and prayer; do not use it as a passageway to the rest of the Church.
Use the keypad located to the left of the garden door for access. The code is determined by the Adoration Ministry Administrator and can be obtained from Day Captains as well; Adorers will be notified of changes to the entrance code.
Adorers should plan to arrive at least 5 minutes before their scheduled hour begins.
Please use the iPad located on the Oratory desk to sign in for your hour. Adorers who stop in during a time other than their hour should sign in as a Visitor.
III. Procedure for opening and closing the Oratory
If you are the first Adorer to arrive in the Oratory, please uncover the Monstrance. Do so carefully and reverently. The cover should be stored on the hanger located in the closet. Next light the candles on the altar with the firestick. If a candle has burned out, please insert a new oil canister. All supplies – firestick, oil canisters, etc. – are stored in the Oratory’s closet. **Please remember to always snuff out the candles on the altar and then cover the Monstrance if you need to leave the Oratory before another Adorer relieves you.**
IV. Security of Adorers
In addition to the security for the Meditation Garden door, Adorers should be aware of the security policy regarding the door in the rear of the oratory that leads into the lower-level hallway:
The door is always open. This allows anyone who is in the Church building to take advantage of spending time with the Blessed Sacrament.
The turnkey lock which is on the door can be used if an Adorer feels more comfortable doing so, especially during late evening and early morning hours. If the lock is used, PLEASE unlock it as you leave the Oratory. Please do not use the lock if Church activities are being held in the building. We would like to be as welcoming as possible to all parishioners.
If at any time an Adorer is uncomfortable or feels threatened because someone that the Adorer doesn’t recognize continues to try and gain entry, the Adorer should use the white telephone in the Oratory closet to dial 911.
The Church’s exterior doors that provide access to the Religious Education wing of the Spiritual Life Center will normally be locked, except during scheduled religious education classes or parish events, e.g., bible studies, book club, Parish Council, etc.
V. Substitutes
Everyone’s life includes illness, family emergencies, business travel and vacations. Some of them can be planned, others cannot. The best way to plan for such events is to communicate and coordinate with those who share your hour and/or those who are scheduled for the hours before and after yours.
It is the Adorer’s responsibility to arrange for substitutes. Please visit Holy Family’s Adoration Pro website at http://www.adorationpro.org/holyfamily to locate a sub for your hour. Click on “Find a Sub”, enter the password “subpass”, and then select either “Auto Sub Request” or “Manually Find a Sub From a List”. If you choose to find a sub automatically, enter your contact info, the date and time you need a sub, and click “Send Sub Request”. You will receive an email if someone accepts your request.
If you have a partner during your hour, make sure you keep your partner’s telephone number handy and advise them in advance if you know you cannot make your hour.
If you do not have a partner during your hour, we encourage you to notify the person before and after you if you know you will be absent.
Remember, if you have an emergency and must leave the Oratory early, always snuff out the altar candles and cover the Monstrance.
VI. Inclement Weather, Emergencies
In case of inclement weather, it is your decision whether to attend Adoration or not. YOUR SAFETY IS OUR FIRST CONCERN. Please do not brave inclement weather unless you feel comfortable doing so. Also, attempting to find substitutes during inclement weather is not necessary.
In case of an emergency closure of the Oratory, Adorers will be notified by email.
VII. Additional Reminders
We encourage all Adorers to bring their cell phones with them and use those phones to receive emergency calls from home. A phone is located in the Oratory closet for outgoing calls only.
Reading material to assist you in making the most of your hour is available in the Oratory bookcase located in the closet. Adorers are welcome to use any of the material, but are requested to leave everything in the Oratory so that others may also have access.
Restrooms can be accessed by exiting the Oratory through the hall door and turning right.
To reinforce the sanctity of the Oratory Chapel, a sign is posted in the outside hallway to remind passersby of the need to be respectfully quiet in that area. That space, however, is also a thoroughfare for many parish activities, and your patience is appreciated.
I. Location and Visitor Access: the Oratory is located in the back (northeast) corner of Holy Family Church, on the ground level of the Spiritual Life Center, directly below the parish library.
The Oratory is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for regularly scheduled adorers and substitutes.
**Please note: During the Triduum, the Oratory closes on Holy Thursday evening after the 6 pm hour. The Oratory reopens Easter Sunday at 12 am (midnight).**
Visitors (i.e., anyone not registered as an adorer or substitute) are welcomed during parish office hours:
Monday thru Thursday: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday: 8:30 AM - 12:00 Noon
Please advise visitors who arrive wishing to enter through the garden door to ring the buzzer located at the front entrance of the main church for Oratory access.
Any visitors looking for admittance during non-business hours should be advised that the older Chapel is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for prayer. Please, for security reasons, DO NOT open the door for anyone who knocks and asks for admittance. A sign is posted on the outside of the back door leading to the garden stating this information.
II. Adorer Entry:
Adorers should access the Oratory using the exterior door located in the Meditation Garden at the rear of the Church building. Please remember that the Oratory is a place of adoration and prayer; do not use it as a passageway to the rest of the Church.
Use the keypad located to the left of the garden door for access. The code is determined by the Adoration Ministry Administrator and can be obtained from Day Captains as well; Adorers will be notified of changes to the entrance code.
Adorers should plan to arrive at least 5 minutes before their scheduled hour begins.
Please use the iPad located on the Oratory desk to sign in for your hour. Adorers who stop in during a time other than their hour should sign in as a Visitor.
III. Procedure for opening and closing the Oratory
If you are the first Adorer to arrive in the Oratory, please uncover the Monstrance. Do so carefully and reverently. The cover should be stored on the hanger located in the closet. Next light the candles on the altar with the firestick. If a candle has burned out, please insert a new oil canister. All supplies – firestick, oil canisters, etc. – are stored in the Oratory’s closet. **Please remember to always snuff out the candles on the altar and then cover the Monstrance if you need to leave the Oratory before another Adorer relieves you.**
IV. Security of Adorers
In addition to the security for the Meditation Garden door, Adorers should be aware of the security policy regarding the door in the rear of the oratory that leads into the lower-level hallway:
The door is always open. This allows anyone who is in the Church building to take advantage of spending time with the Blessed Sacrament.
The turnkey lock which is on the door can be used if an Adorer feels more comfortable doing so, especially during late evening and early morning hours. If the lock is used, PLEASE unlock it as you leave the Oratory. Please do not use the lock if Church activities are being held in the building. We would like to be as welcoming as possible to all parishioners.
If at any time an Adorer is uncomfortable or feels threatened because someone that the Adorer doesn’t recognize continues to try and gain entry, the Adorer should use the white telephone in the Oratory closet to dial 911.
The Church’s exterior doors that provide access to the Religious Education wing of the Spiritual Life Center will normally be locked, except during scheduled religious education classes or parish events, e.g., bible studies, book club, Parish Council, etc.
V. Substitutes
Everyone’s life includes illness, family emergencies, business travel and vacations. Some of them can be planned, others cannot. The best way to plan for such events is to communicate and coordinate with those who share your hour and/or those who are scheduled for the hours before and after yours.
It is the Adorer’s responsibility to arrange for substitutes. Please visit Holy Family’s Adoration Pro website at http://www.adorationpro.org/holyfamily to locate a sub for your hour. Click on “Find a Sub”, enter the password “subpass”, and then select either “Auto Sub Request” or “Manually Find a Sub From a List”. If you choose to find a sub automatically, enter your contact info, the date and time you need a sub, and click “Send Sub Request”. You will receive an email if someone accepts your request.
If you have a partner during your hour, make sure you keep your partner’s telephone number handy and advise them in advance if you know you cannot make your hour.
If you do not have a partner during your hour, we encourage you to notify the person before and after you if you know you will be absent.
Remember, if you have an emergency and must leave the Oratory early, always snuff out the altar candles and cover the Monstrance.
VI. Inclement Weather, Emergencies
In case of inclement weather, it is your decision whether to attend Adoration or not. YOUR SAFETY IS OUR FIRST CONCERN. Please do not brave inclement weather unless you feel comfortable doing so. Also, attempting to find substitutes during inclement weather is not necessary.
In case of an emergency closure of the Oratory, Adorers will be notified by email.
VII. Additional Reminders
We encourage all Adorers to bring their cell phones with them and use those phones to receive emergency calls from home. A phone is located in the Oratory closet for outgoing calls only.
Reading material to assist you in making the most of your hour is available in the Oratory bookcase located in the closet. Adorers are welcome to use any of the material, but are requested to leave everything in the Oratory so that others may also have access.
Restrooms can be accessed by exiting the Oratory through the hall door and turning right.
To reinforce the sanctity of the Oratory Chapel, a sign is posted in the outside hallway to remind passersby of the need to be respectfully quiet in that area. That space, however, is also a thoroughfare for many parish activities, and your patience is appreciated.
Thoughts on Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament
Catholics have had a long tradition of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, both as it is reserved in the tabernacle and as it is exposed in the monstrance. In an article titled, "Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament," Rev. John Hardon, S.J., explains the history of this practice and the reasons for it. An excerpt of this article follows and is reprinted with the author's permission:
“One practice of Catholic piety that represents a real development of doctrine in the history of the Church is the practice of praying before the Blessed Sacrament, either exposed on the altar or reserved in the tabernacle … Jesus Christ is really, truly and substantially present in the Blessed Sacrament not only during the Mass or at Communion time, but all the time, as long as the Sacred Elements remain. The most fundamental reason why prayer before the Blessed Sacrament is so meritorious is because it is prayer arising from faith in the cardinal mystery of Christianity, which is faith in the Incarnation.
The final, and in a way, most important reason why prayers before the Blessed Sacrament are so important is that when we pray before the Eucharist we have before us in human form the principal reason for our existence, which is the all-loving God…”
History of Holy Family Adoration
Holy Family Church started Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in 1997 with approximately ten (10) hours. By 2009 we had increased our adoration hours to 60 hours a week. A major goal of the Adoration Ministry was to expand our hours to perpetual adoration, encompassing every hour of every day.
Our church took on a major expansion, and with it came the opportunity to have a space dedicated to perpetual adoration. Planning began in earnest in July 2009, and ended with the dedication of Holy Family’s New Spiritual Life Center, including the new Perpetual Adoration Oratory (small chapel), on December 6, 2009. Over 250 parishioners have committed to a scheduled hour of Adoration or to being an Adorer substitute. This is truly a major accomplishment and one that we should all be proud of. We now have a spiritual Oratory in which to pray, meditate, and honor our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
This ministry is shared by all of us. If at any time you have any suggestions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact any of the board members.
“… what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)
God Bless,
The Perpetual Adoration Ministry Board
Catholics have had a long tradition of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, both as it is reserved in the tabernacle and as it is exposed in the monstrance. In an article titled, "Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament," Rev. John Hardon, S.J., explains the history of this practice and the reasons for it. An excerpt of this article follows and is reprinted with the author's permission:
“One practice of Catholic piety that represents a real development of doctrine in the history of the Church is the practice of praying before the Blessed Sacrament, either exposed on the altar or reserved in the tabernacle … Jesus Christ is really, truly and substantially present in the Blessed Sacrament not only during the Mass or at Communion time, but all the time, as long as the Sacred Elements remain. The most fundamental reason why prayer before the Blessed Sacrament is so meritorious is because it is prayer arising from faith in the cardinal mystery of Christianity, which is faith in the Incarnation.
The final, and in a way, most important reason why prayers before the Blessed Sacrament are so important is that when we pray before the Eucharist we have before us in human form the principal reason for our existence, which is the all-loving God…”
History of Holy Family Adoration
Holy Family Church started Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in 1997 with approximately ten (10) hours. By 2009 we had increased our adoration hours to 60 hours a week. A major goal of the Adoration Ministry was to expand our hours to perpetual adoration, encompassing every hour of every day.
Our church took on a major expansion, and with it came the opportunity to have a space dedicated to perpetual adoration. Planning began in earnest in July 2009, and ended with the dedication of Holy Family’s New Spiritual Life Center, including the new Perpetual Adoration Oratory (small chapel), on December 6, 2009. Over 250 parishioners have committed to a scheduled hour of Adoration or to being an Adorer substitute. This is truly a major accomplishment and one that we should all be proud of. We now have a spiritual Oratory in which to pray, meditate, and honor our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
This ministry is shared by all of us. If at any time you have any suggestions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact any of the board members.
“… what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)
God Bless,
The Perpetual Adoration Ministry Board
