The Real Presence: Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration: Frequently Asked Questions

Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration is when a parish sets aside a little room, or chapel, that is open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day with permanent exposition of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Why is Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Necessary?

The more we limit the hours of Adoration, the more we limit the availability of Christ to His people. Only a few can respond to the Lord's invitation "Could you not watch one hour with Me?" when we only have one hour, or a few hours (of Adoration), during the week. The more we expand the hours the more we extend the opportunity to adorers. When a chapel is opened all the time, then everyone in the parish can participate. Through Perpetual Adoration with exposition we proclaim to our parish and community that Jesus is here, truly present among us today.

Why is Exposition Necessary?

The difference between spending time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament exposed in a monstrance, rather than in the tabernacle, is the same as the difference between conversing with a friend face-to-face instead of having a closed door between you. Most adorers say that seeing Jesus under the appearance of the Sacred Host is much more conducive to intimacy than Him being hidden in a tabernacle. It helps adorers to be faithful to their scheduled hours because they know that Jesus cannot be left alone in the Blessed Sacrament exposed in a monstrance. The scheduled adorers are guardians of the Blessed Sacrament, so their presence is necessary. Yet 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 Son 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, the return of fallen away Catholics and vocations to the Priesthood and Religious life are among the many fruits of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration. Through our Holy Hours of prayer, Our 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.

How can my Holy Hour Change the World?

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.
Every man, woman and child on the face of the earth receives some new, wonderful effect 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 Blessed Sacrament, He appreciates this so deeply that you release the power of His Love and graces to all of His children throughout the world.

How Many Chapels in the World Have Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration?

Over 2,500 parishes around the world have perpetual adoration. About 500 of these are in the Philippines. Cardinal Sin has asked every parish in the Archdiocese of Manila to have perpetual adoration. The United States has about 1,100 chapels of perpetual adoration. The Republic of Ireland has about 150 Chapels of perpetual adoration. Bishop John McGee of Clone Diocese, the only man to be secretary to 3 Popes, has established 17 of these chapels; South Korea, with a Catholic population of less than 1% has 70. There is a young Priest from Perth who has established 7 chapels of Perpetual Eucharist Adoration in South Africa, one chapel in Moscow, one in Rome. He is now in Thailand. His name is Fr. Patrick Barry, he is from the Holy Spirit of Freedom Community.

How Many Chapels in Australia?

In Australia we know of 12 parishes that have Eucharistic Adoration available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

Western Australia has 4 parishes - Belmont, Mirrabooka, Midland and Bluff Point in Geraldton. Bluff Point started perpetual adoration on July 16, 1988, Mirrabooka - August 15, 1988, Midland in the early 1990's, and Belmont on April 9, 2002. At St. Gerard Mirrabooka, in the last few years of perpetual adoration 4 men who were regular visitors to the chapel commenced studies for the Priesthood. Three are now Priests.

Victoria has 4 parishes - East Brunswick, Mitcham, Croydon, Geelong and Warrnambool.

New South Wales has 3 parishes - Wagga Wagga, Belfield and Merrylands. St. Michael's, Belfield and St. Margaret Mary's, Merrylands have perpetual adoration in front of the tabernacle. Both these chapels are very popular day and night. Their parish Priests are very committed to the program.

The country parishes listed above break all the rules. They have an average of a few hundred Sunday Catholics yet they have established perpetual adoration. Almost everyone is prepared to give one hour a week in these parishes. When people learn about the value of prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, they willingly give of their time. To most people the Holy Hour becomes their favourite hour of the week.

Is this the Mission of the Laity?

Vatican II emphasized the importance of lay involvement in the mission of the Church. Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration is coordinated by the laity, in cooperation with the clergy.

Isn't it dangerous to have Adoration 24 hours a day?

Many pastors have witnessed that since Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration has started in their parishes, the crime rate in their community has drastically decreased. "We had prostitution and drugs being sold right out in front of our church. When we took on Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, this all stopped. When our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament is exposed on the Altar, crime leaves that area. I am convinced of that." (Fr James Swenson, St. Bridget Catholic Church, Las Vegas, NV)
Never has it been reported that anyone travelling to or from adoration has been harmed, - day or night.

Sacrecour Church in Paris has had Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration for over 100 years without a single incident. St. Bishop John Neumann presented the idea of the 40-hour devotion to his Priests in Philadelphia in the 1850's. The idea was first rejected because of the know-nothings - a Protestant group who were attacking and killing Catholics. A week after the Bishop's presentation, his office was burnt down. Only a couple of pieces of paper remained unburned - they were, the Bishop's plans for 40-hour devotions. The Bishop said he heard the words from our Lord "If I can save a couple of pieces of paper from a raging fire, how much more can I protect my people coming to adore me in the Blessed Sacrament". As soon as the devotion began, the know-nothings disbanded.

Recently, a request for perpetual adoration came from a missionary in Guatemala. He was inspired to have perpetual adoration because of the church of San Marcus. San Marcus has perpetual adoration and not a single priest or parishioner has been harmed during the terrible war there. In the four surrounding parishes, the priests have been killed and the villages wiped out.

In the 1940's a priest in the U.S. started perpetual adoration in his parish to pray for the safety of the men in the parish who had gone to war; not one of these men were killed. As a result, a neighbouring parish, which had already lost twenty men in the war, decided to start perpetual adoration; afterwards, not one man died.

What are Priests who have Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration saying?

"I was pastor of St. Boniface. As a pastor I had a problem to solve: How do I feed all these hungry sheep? I searched and prayed. A series of events led me to a solution: Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. In the past, I tried periods of exposition in the parish, but with limited success. I really didn't think it would work for any extended period. I was wrong. Now, after 10 years experience, I realise that my doubts were unfounded". (Fr. M Eivers, U.S.A.)

"I have 350 parishioners spending one full hour each week in prayer. The parish is at prayer 24 hours a day. If you know of a better way to prompt that much prayer I will adopt it today. The people have a great desire for prayer and we have a great responsibility to help them. Perpetual Exposition of Our Lord offers a proven means to fulfil their genuine spiritual desires"(Msgr. F. Bognano,U.S.A.)

What do the Popes say?

The Spiritual Centre: At the height of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul V1 wrote a prophetic encyclical entitled Mysterium Fidei. In the encyclical the Pope states that the Eucharist is reserved in our Church as the "spiritual centre" of the parish. In this encyclical he also writes: "Anyone, therefore, who approaches this august Sacrament with special devotion and endeavours to return generous love for Christ's own infinite love, experiences and fully understands...how great is the value of converse with Christ, for there is nothing more consoling on earth nothing more efficacious for advancing along the road to holiness."

Pope Paul said he wrote this encyclical "so that the hope aroused by the Council that a new era of Eucharistic piety pervade the whole Church - be not frustrated." He pleaded with Pastors and Bishops to "tirelessly" promote devotion to the Blessed Sacrament so that a new era of Eucharistic piety pervades the whole Church.

The Life of our Souls

Pope John Paul II in his letter On the Mystery and Worship of the Eucharist (1980), wrote: "The Church and the world have a great need for Eucharistic adoration. Jesus waits for us in this Sacrament of His love. Let us be generous with our time of going to meet Him in adoration and 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."

The Holy Father put his words into action by beginning perpetual adoration, with the Blessed Sacrament exposed, on December 2, 1981. Since Dec. 2, there has been uninterrupted, continuous adoration in the little chapel at St. Peter's in the Vatican. In the prayer to open this chapel, the Pope prayed for every parish in the world to have perpetual adoration. Pope John Paul II also said: "Evangelization through the Eucharist in the Eucharist and from the Eucharist, these are the three inseparable aspects of how the church lives the mystery of Christ and fulfils her mission of communicating it to all people."

Pope St. Pius X hailed perpetual adoration as the devotion that surpasses all others.

What does Archbishop Hickey say?

He invited the 'Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament' to Perth of which Fr. Doug Harris is a member, to promote Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in the Archdiocese. He has written at least twice to all his Priests - in their 'Ad-Clerum' newsletter, encouraging them to establish Perpetual Adoration in the Archdiocese. When he was Bishop of Geraldton, he did a weekly holy hour in the adoration chapel there - in the middle of the night. When he was made the new Archbishop of Perth, the very first thing he did was to call all of the priests in the Archdiocese together for a holy hour of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. In an article he wrote for the Apostolate for Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in 1992, he asked for prayers that perpetual adoration would continue to spread throughout the continent of Australia.

What if the Parish population size appears to be too small to have Perpetual Adoration?

Parishes that are not large enough to have perpetual adoration can join with other parishes. One host parish can satisfy several parishes.

What would you say to Priests to convince them?

If a Parish attempts to establish perpetual adoration; the Priest/s and Parishioners will have perhaps everything to gain, and nothing to lose.

The entire ministry of Priests is to lead people to Jesus - in the deepest union possible. Perpetual Adoration therefore must be the objective of every Priest.

If the Priest has doubts that sufficient numbers of parishioners will respond in such a way that perpetual adoration will be strong enough, then he should join with at least one neighbouring parish. When you combine with other parishes, if need be, there is always more than enough people to sustain Perpetual Adoration.

The Priests workload will not increase, as Perpetual Adoration is the work of the Laity. The laity establish it and keep it going.

A parish Priest can no longer meet the needs of everyone in his parish, but Jesus can, in a parish that has Perpetual Adoration. When people seek the Priest for advice due to: Marriage break-up, mental illness, drug addiction or whatever, the Priest may simply ask them to spend time every week in the presence of Jesus. People are more likely to come to the church to pray if the Blessed Sacrament is Exposed.