Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
(Lower Church)
Mondays: 5:45 - 8:45pm
Thursdays: 7 - 8pm Holy Hour
Confessions 7pm
Night Prayer 7:40pm
Saturdays: 8:30am - 12pm
For more information or to sign up for an Hour, email our coordinator:
(Lower Church)
Mondays: 5:45 - 8:45pm
Thursdays: 7 - 8pm Holy Hour
Confessions 7pm
Night Prayer 7:40pm
Saturdays: 8:30am - 12pm
For more information or to sign up for an Hour, email our coordinator:
What is Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament?
In the Mass, bread and wine is changed into the actual Body and Blood of Christ at the consecration, when the priest invokes the Holy Spirit and repeats the words of Jesus from the Last Supper. Afterward the Eucharist is given to the faithful as sacred food in Holy Communion. Jesus feeds us with Himself, as the "source and summit of the Christian life" (Lumen Gentium 11).
The Hosts that are not consumed by the faithful at Mass are placed in a sacred locked decorative box called a Tabernacle. Apart from Good Friday and Holy Saturday, the Church ensures that there is always at least one consecrated Host in the Tabernacle at all times, so that the presence of Jesus remains always in our churches inside the Tabernacle. This is the main reason that the church is a privileged place of prayer: Jesus is always there in the Tabernacle in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Whenever the church is opened, the faithful can visit and pray in the presence of Christ in the Eucharist within the Tabernacle.
Keeping consecrated Hosts in the Tabernacle also allows priests and deacons to bring Holy Communion to the sick and homebound outside of Mass.
Keeping consecrated Hosts in the Tabernacle also allows for what we call "Adoration" or "Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament" or a "Holy Hour". In Adoration, at a designated time, a Host consecrated at a previous Mass is taken out of the Tabernacle and is put into a decorative stand which we call a Monstrance, upon the Altar, so that we can have time to be with and gaze upon Jesus there. The word Monstrance comes from the Latin word monstrare which means “to show.” Often this time of Adoration is an hour in length. But it can be longer or shorter.
Churches will often schedule regular times for Adoration on a monthly, weekly, or even daily basis, and sometimes on special occasions. Some churches even have a chapel of Perpetual Adoration, where adoration is continual, without interruption. For Perpetual Adoration, it is required that one or two of the faithful be present before the Blessed Sacrament, praying there at all times, even in the middle of the night. A schedule is set up to make sure all times are covered through shifts of people adoring.
Here at St. Patrick, we have weekly Adoration on Thursday evenings from 7 - 8pm, since Thursday is the day when the Last Supper happened. For this reason, Thursday can be thought of as a weekly “Day of the Blessed Sacrament.” Beforehand, at 6:45pm, beginning again on September 4th, 2020, the Dominican Community will pray Compline (Night Prayer) in our lower chapel. All are invited to join. We will have booklets to follow along. After the conclusion of Compline, we begin our weekly Holy Hour. The Hour begins with a traditional hymn called O Salutaris, with incense, and with a Scripture reading. It ends with a traditional hymn called Tantum Ergo, with incense again, with a final prayer, with a blessing of the faithful with the Blessed Sacrament (called Benediction), with reposition (the placing of the Host back in the Tabernacle), and with a final hymn of praise, often Holy God We Praise Thy Name. In the middle, there can be time for silent prayer, reflections, and devotions. We are currently working on a monthly schedule in order to offer a variety of experiences of prayer during the middle part of Adoration, sometimes praying a Rosary, sometimes having a Scriptural reading with reflection, sometimes having extended silent prayer, and sometimes praying another meaningful devotion.
Adoration can help connect you more deeply with Christ. It can also help bring depth to your prayer and life. Spending time in Adoration can also be a kind of font whereby you are filled with the love of God that is supposed to animate all our actions. We invite you to come regularly to adore the Lord with us. Come, let us adore Him!
The Hosts that are not consumed by the faithful at Mass are placed in a sacred locked decorative box called a Tabernacle. Apart from Good Friday and Holy Saturday, the Church ensures that there is always at least one consecrated Host in the Tabernacle at all times, so that the presence of Jesus remains always in our churches inside the Tabernacle. This is the main reason that the church is a privileged place of prayer: Jesus is always there in the Tabernacle in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Whenever the church is opened, the faithful can visit and pray in the presence of Christ in the Eucharist within the Tabernacle.
Keeping consecrated Hosts in the Tabernacle also allows priests and deacons to bring Holy Communion to the sick and homebound outside of Mass.
Keeping consecrated Hosts in the Tabernacle also allows for what we call "Adoration" or "Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament" or a "Holy Hour". In Adoration, at a designated time, a Host consecrated at a previous Mass is taken out of the Tabernacle and is put into a decorative stand which we call a Monstrance, upon the Altar, so that we can have time to be with and gaze upon Jesus there. The word Monstrance comes from the Latin word monstrare which means “to show.” Often this time of Adoration is an hour in length. But it can be longer or shorter.
Churches will often schedule regular times for Adoration on a monthly, weekly, or even daily basis, and sometimes on special occasions. Some churches even have a chapel of Perpetual Adoration, where adoration is continual, without interruption. For Perpetual Adoration, it is required that one or two of the faithful be present before the Blessed Sacrament, praying there at all times, even in the middle of the night. A schedule is set up to make sure all times are covered through shifts of people adoring.
Here at St. Patrick, we have weekly Adoration on Thursday evenings from 7 - 8pm, since Thursday is the day when the Last Supper happened. For this reason, Thursday can be thought of as a weekly “Day of the Blessed Sacrament.” Beforehand, at 6:45pm, beginning again on September 4th, 2020, the Dominican Community will pray Compline (Night Prayer) in our lower chapel. All are invited to join. We will have booklets to follow along. After the conclusion of Compline, we begin our weekly Holy Hour. The Hour begins with a traditional hymn called O Salutaris, with incense, and with a Scripture reading. It ends with a traditional hymn called Tantum Ergo, with incense again, with a final prayer, with a blessing of the faithful with the Blessed Sacrament (called Benediction), with reposition (the placing of the Host back in the Tabernacle), and with a final hymn of praise, often Holy God We Praise Thy Name. In the middle, there can be time for silent prayer, reflections, and devotions. We are currently working on a monthly schedule in order to offer a variety of experiences of prayer during the middle part of Adoration, sometimes praying a Rosary, sometimes having a Scriptural reading with reflection, sometimes having extended silent prayer, and sometimes praying another meaningful devotion.
Adoration can help connect you more deeply with Christ. It can also help bring depth to your prayer and life. Spending time in Adoration can also be a kind of font whereby you are filled with the love of God that is supposed to animate all our actions. We invite you to come regularly to adore the Lord with us. Come, let us adore Him!