First Friday Adoration at St. Catherine’s

Friday, October 1st

This Friday, October 1st and every first Friday of the month, our St. Catherine of Siena Parish, with unrestrained joy, celebrates the Real Presence of Jesus Christ during the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.  We begin at 3pm and end with Benediction at 7pm.

A great part of our parish’s vitality is the adoration of our Eucharistic Lord. How many graces have come from that Adoration! Of course what makes it possible are the people who commit to spending one hour a month with our Lord.

Eucharistic adoration is the act of worshiping God as He is present in the consecrated Eucharist. Since the Last Supper, when Jesus broke the bread and distributed the wine, saying, “This is my Body” and “This is my Blood,” Catholics have believed that the bread and wine are no longer merely baked wheat and fermented grape juice, but the actual living presence of Jesus. Spending time before the Blessed Sacrament, in prayer and devotion, is exactly the same as spending time before the living God. Adoration occurs whenever someone kneels in front of a tabernacle that contains the Blessed Sacrament, genuflects toward a tabernacle, bows before receiving the Blessed Sacrament at Mass, or, in a more focused way, when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed for adoration.

The devotion begins with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. A priest or deacon removes the sacred host from the tabernacle and places it on the altar for adoration. The purpose of adoration is to highlight the presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist. When a consecrated host is placed in the monstrance, it is said to be a solemn exposition. Adoration ceremonies traditionally include Scripture reading, hymns, prayers, and time for silent adoration.

This Friday, take time out of your day to spend a few moments in quiet prayer with our Lord at HIS House – He’s waiting for you.

Fr. Chester