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Adoration Ministry: A Beautiful Opportunity To Sit With Our Lord
Although we may be socially distancing from others, we’re always welcome to spend prayerful time with our Lord, and our Adoration hours on Friday afternoons are the perfect time to sit in the peace of His presence.
Maureen Petty is the coordinator for the Adoration Ministry that has been started here at Holy Family Cathedral. She and Adele Healey were called upon by Fr. Carvajal to begin organizing Adoration.
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“I had done it for a long time at St. John’s, and Father wanted to develop it here,” she says. “It wouldn’t be Perpetual Adoration, but he wanted to at least start it. We met to talk about ideas and we were just getting off the ground when COVID-19 hit. Now, we have a skeleton crew — but in time we can develop it, and it will grow and can expand.”
The Adoration time is from 12:45-5 p.m. on Fridays, after the 12:05 p.m. Mass. During those hours, worshipers may come and go. There are no set hours, but it is suggested that those taking part stay for an hour. The ministry is working toward setting up committed Adoration times.
“It’s what we need to instill at Holy Family,” Maureen says. “Our Lord is not to be left alone. We need to instill the idea that if you can’t be there, you can have a substitute list so we can cover the time and call someone to cover for them.”
As worshipers come and go during the Adoration hours, each approaches the time differently. Some read during that time or spend it in prayer about matters important to them, while others will say the Rosary. There are occasions when some even drift into sleep.
“It’s just your personal time to be with Jesus,” Maureen says. “Each person’s approach is unique to them. There is a certain amount of peace when our Lord is present in the Blessed Sacrament. I can speak for the program I was in for 50 years at St. John — when you’re there, there is tremendous peace. When some drift off to sleep, what I think is that you have Christ’s arms around you. You are there with Him.”
The ministry is working on providing opportunities both in the cathedral and on the parish website to sign up for committed Adoration times. They are also considering providing a Book of Intentions so that those coming for Adoration could pray for others’ stated needs.
“This is a time to be with God and develop this really close relationship with Him,” Maureen says.
