When you enter Our Lady of Lourdes Adoration Chapel,
you are in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ
in the fullness of His divine and human natures -
Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity.
"The Church and the world have a great need for Eucharistic worship.
Jesus awaits us in this sacrament of love. Let us not refuse the time to go to meet Him
in adoration, in contemplation full of faith, and open to making amends for the serious offenses
and crimes of the world. Let our adoration never cease." Pope John Paul II
"As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said,
'Take, eat; this is my body.' And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, saying,
'Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'"
(Matthew 26:26-28)
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
The mode of Christ's presence under the Eucharistic species is unique. It raises the Eucharist above all the sacraments as "the perfection of the spiritual life and the end to which all sacraments tend." In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist "the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained." "This presence is called 'real' - by which is not intended to exclude the other types of presence as if they could not be 'real' too, but because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present."
- The Catechism of the Catholic Church: paragraph 1374
"The church and the world have a great need for Eucharistic Adoration. Jesus waits for us in this Sacrament of love. May our adoration never cease."
Pope John Paul II
"I know I wouldn't be able to work one week if it were not for the continual force coming from Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. In our society we begin our day with Mass and Holy Communion, and we end it with one fall hour of Adoration. All of us know that unless we believe and can see Jesus in the appearance of bread on the altar, we will not be able to see Him in the distressing disguise of the poor. Therefore, these two loves are but one in Jesus."
Mother Theresa
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).
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).
In addition to items of public adoration, we can each - as often as possible according to our personal schedules and circumstances - draw great nourishment from times of private adoration.
The Most important thing to realize about making a private Holy Hour is that you don't have to do anything. You don't have to say any particular prayers, or read, or sing, or anything else. All you have to do is be present to the One who is present to you. Certainly, bodily presence is a first step - at times that is all we are capable of - but we should also try to be present with our hearts. This means a loving awareness of who is present. Many times, we need to be silently present, not analyzing.
The Eucharistic Chapel located in side chapel of the parish church and is open 24 hours a day. To get to the chapel, as you enter the property, continue driving around the back of the church/school building. The entrance is located about two-thirds down the building – a glass door with an etching of a monstrance welcomes you.
We are always willing to welcome new adorers who would be willing to sign up for a specific time or to be a substitute at certain times. Contact Irene Ciccarino at 732-574-0064 for more information and needs.
The Quiet Hour
My heart is tired tonight -
how endless seems the strife!
Day after day the restlessness
of all this weary life!
I come to lay the burden down
that so oppresses me,
and, shutting all the world without,
to spend an hour with Thee,
Dear Lord,
TO spend an hour with Thee.
I would forget a little while
the bitterness of fears,
the anxious thoughts that crowd my life,
the buried hopes of years;
forget that mortal's weary toil
my patient care must be.
A tired child, I come tonight
to spend an hour with Thee,
Dear Lord,
One little hour with Thee.
I'm foolish, wayward, yes, I know -
so often wandering;
a weak, complaining child - but oh!
forgive my murmuring;
and fold me to Thy breast,
thou who hast died for me,
and let me feel 'tis peace to rest
a little hour with Thee,
Dear Lord,
one little hour with Thee!
Why Eucharistic adoration?
When we as individuals or as a community take time our of our hectic lives and give a little to our Lord we proclaim to everyone that Jesus, Our Lord, is truly present among us. We attest to the importance of prayer in our lives. The more we avail ourselves of presenting ourselves before the Lord in his Eucharistic Presence, the more we respond to his invitation "Could you not watch one hour with Me?" By our prayer and presence we bring Christ to His people.
Why is exposition necessary?
The difference between spending time before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance, rather than in the tabernacle, is the same difference between conversing with a friend face-to-face instead of having a closed door between you. Most people say that seeing Jesus in His Eucharistic Presence is much more conductive to intimacy than having Him hidden in a tabernacle. It helps one to be faithful to their scheduled hour because they know that Jesus cannot be left alone in the Blessed Sacrament exposed in a monstrance. The scheduled prayers are guardians of the Blessed Sacrament, so their presence is necessary. But by far the most compelling reason for exposition is because the Holy Spirit asks for it. During his Eucharistic discourse, Jesus made this unmistakably clear:
" Indeed this is the will of My Heavenly Father, that everyone who looks upon the Don and believes in Him, shall have eternal life. Him I will raise up on the last day." John 6:40
What are the benefits?
Each person that spends time in the presence of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament grows in holiness. Communally, increased mass attendance, conversions, return of fallen away Catholics, vocations to the priesthood, diaconate and religious life, better confessions are just some of the many fruits of Eucharistic Adoration. Through our Holy Hours of prayer the Holy Father declared that we are contributing to "the radical transformation of the world," the "establishing of everlasting peace," and the coming of Christ's kingdom on earth.
Does my Holy Hour help?
The Holy Eucharist is the mystery of our faith. Jesus said that faith can move mountains. One person coming before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament represents all of humanity. Praying before Jesus changes us, we are changed more and more into Christ's image the more we continue to worship him. It is impossible to be faithful in our prayer and not be changed, not become more holy.
Every man, woman and child on the face of the earth receives some new, wonderful effect of God's goodness, of God's mercy, of God's grace, of God's love when they put their faith into action and come to visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
When you come before Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, He appreciates so deeply that you are there, that you release the power of his love and graces to all His children throughout the world.
Why is this the laity's mission?
Vatican II emphasized the importance of lay involvement and lay prayer in the mission of the Church. Eucharistic Adoration is the cornerstone of commitment. We are all to pray before undertaking any task, and what better place to pray than before Jesus.
