My Lord Jesus Christ, I believe that You are really here in this Sacrament. Night and day You remain here compassionate and loving. You call, You wait for, You welcome everyone who comes to visit You. I thank You, Jesus my Divine Redeemer for coming upon the earth for our sake and for instituting the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist in order to remain with us until the end of the world. I thank You for being within the Eucharist with Your infinite majesty and beauty, which Your angels delight to behold, so that I might have courage to approach the throne of Your mercy. I thank You dear Jesus, for having become the priceless victim to merit for me the fullness and heavenly favors. Awaken in me such confidence in You that their fullness may descent ever more fruitfully upon my soul. I thank You for offering Yourself in thanksgiving to God for all His benefits, spiritual and temporal which He has bestowed on me. Grant me grace and perseverance in your faithful service. Amen.
The Adoration Chapel Ministry
“Come Sit With Me”
The mission of St. John XXIII Catholic Church Adoration Ministry is to actively engage all those who desire to deepen their relationship with our Lord by spending time in his Real Presence in St. Luke Adoration Chapel. Adorers can spend their time with our Lord in many ways, praying quietly, praying the Rosary, reading Scripture or other appropriate materials, or just sitting quietly and listening to Jesus. We hope to have more and more parishioners respond to his invitation to “Come Sit with Me”.
An Adoration Prayer
What the faithful are saying about the value of Adoration.
“I have been praying during my weekly hour of Adoration, over many years, for my husband to return to Mass and the Sacraments as he has been away from the Church for 26 years. On a wet and very cold winter’s day he dropped me off at the Adoration Chapel for my holy hour. After the hour, he came to pick me up and waited outside in the car. After waiting for an extra twenty minutes, he lost patience and came into the Adoration Chapel to hurry me out. I pretended not to see him and he sat down very impatiently for a few minutes. Finally, I got up and he followed me. I was expecting a lot of anger and complaints because I stayed longer than the hour and kept him waiting. After getting into the car he turned to me, and said, calmly and quietly, “I am going to ask the priest in the parochial house to hear my confession. Something came over me as I entered that Adoration Chapel, and I felt God calling me back again”. He received forgiveness that day and he became a daily Mass goer and a weekly Adorer for the very first time. I put this down to the power of prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament.”
“For many years, I have resisted the call or invitation to be involved in Eucharistic Adoration. I felt I was too busy. My life was taken up with work, sporting activities, and holidays. I never had a spare moment. Suddenly, I faced a crisis in my life and when all else failed, I dropped into our church to ask for help. Adoration was in progress with a few people present. On the way out, I was approached by this man who asked me if I would commit to an hour a week for about a month. I agreed. This was the best decision I ever made. It was the first time in years that I experienced peace in my life. Seven years later I am still doing an hour a week. It has made such a difference in my life. I now go to Mass regularly and have a much greater love of the Mass and I am much more interested in it. The crisis, bit by bit disappeared. I am still very busy at various things, but the hour in Adoration seems to help me to have a clearer head and do things more effectively and efficiently. I now realize after all these years that the busier you are the more you need the Lord and one of the places to find Him is in the Adoration Chapel.” (A busy skeptic mom, but not anymore!)
Jesus waits for your visit… Come, sit with Me.
One hour…once a week to keep Jesus company in the Blessed Sacrament.
“There is no doubt that a flood of graces will descend upon your family and the world if more souls would become…pupils of adoration.”
“Could you not keep watch for one hour?” (Mk 14:37)
“An hour actually passes very quickly, but if done on a regular basis, it establishes a structure for your entire week. Come sit with me.”
ADORATION GUIDELINES
Adoration is the first attitude of man acknowledging that he is a creature before his Creator. It exalts the greatness of the Lord who made us and the almighty power of the Savior who sets us free from evil. Adoration is homage of the spirit to the “King of Glory”, respectful silence in the presence of the “ever greater” God. Adoration of the thrice-holy and sovereign God of love blends with humility and gives assurance to our supplications. -Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2628
Please help us live up to our commitment to Eucharistic Adoration by following these guidelines.
Keep Your Hour
It is important to the success of Eucharistic Adoration that you keep your scheduled time. If you are unable to keep the commitment for your hour of adoration, please request a substitute in the online scheduler “Volunteer Scheduler Pro” (VSP). We ask that you arrive 5 minutes before the hour so that our Lord will never be left alone. Please do not leave before your scheduled hour is completed and the next adorer has arrived. There are adorers scheduled each hour between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM.
At 9:00 AM the first scheduled adorers should carefully and reverently remove the veil covering the Blessed Sacrament and place it in the designated area.
At 4:00 PM the last scheduled adorers should carefully and reverently place the veil over the Blessed Sacrament and exit the building.
If you must leave the Chapel due to a personal emergency or the next adorer fails to appear at their scheduled hour, please follow the Absent Adorer Procedures posted in the Chapel.
Sign In
All scheduled adorers and substitutes are asked to sign in every time they visit the Adoration Chapel; please use the electronic tablet for this purpose. This allows us to see gaps in the schedule and confirm that there is always someone present in the chapel during open hours.
Visitors are asked to sign in the “Visitor Register” located in the Chapel.
Quiet Adoration
Those who visit the Adoration Chapel will most often wish to adore our Lord in silence. For this reason, please do not visit with others while in the Adoration Chapel. You may exit the Chapel to talk if there are others present, but please try to never leave the Blessed Sacrament unattended.
The last 10 minutes of every adoration hour is reserved for praying the “Liturgy of the Hours”. Books of “Christian Prayer” are available in the Chapel for these readings.
Spontaneous events, sermonizing and photography are not permitted; and the use of radios, CD players or other music players is not allowed.
Food and beverages are not allowed in the Adoration Chapel; water bottles are an exception if needed.
Children
Parents and caregivers are encouraged to bring children to visit Jesus. As Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me” (Mt 19:14); but please, supervise your children. You may wish to bring books to occupy their time. This is also a good time to teach quiet reverence and a love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Model praying quietly for your children.
Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
Restrooms
Restrooms are not available in the Adoration Chapel; however, restrooms are located in the church narthex and access is available at the church office.
A Time for Prayer, Reflection and Reading
Your hour with Jesus may be spent in any number of ways: praying quietly, praying the Rosary, reading Scripture, reading other appropriate material, or just sitting quietly listening to Jesus and admiring His presence. It is a wonderful time for sharing your worries, concerns, angers, and thankfulness with Jesus. It is also a time to be open and listen to Jesus! The books and materials in the Chapel are there for your use; however, please leave all materials in place when your visit is over so others may also use them.
Nothing should be placed on or near the monstrance and no material brought in should be left in the Adoration Chapel.
Inclement Weather
If hazardous weather conditions occur unexpectedly; (such as a tornado warning), the office staff will come to the Chapel to notify the adorers and advise them on the course of action.
If hazardous weather is anticipated; (such as a hurricane), adoration may be suspended in advance and adorers will be notified. The St John XXIII website will also be updated with the information.
In Case of Emergency
The telephone in the chapel is for emergency use only.
If you experience any problems during your hour of adoration such as illness, physical threat or suspicious activity, please call the office at 239-561-2245 or 911 for assistance.
Security
The door to the Adoration Chapel is unlocked between the hours of 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM Monday through Friday and 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Saturday. To minimize security risks, cameras are located in the Adoration Chapel.