Dear Friends in Christ,
Last year, St. Peter’s Parish began offering monthly Eucharistic Adoration at 6:20pm on Wednesdays before Bible Study in the church. We are grateful to the dedicated parishioners who serve at Adoration, so willingly giving of their time. We are also appreciative of those parishioners and others who come to Adoration regularly and spend time in prayer with us on Wednesday evenings.
We have just put together a whole new schedule for Adoration for 2024. This schedule is included in the bulletin and posted in the gathering area. As we did last year, we will offer Adoration one Wednesday evening per month at 6:20 prior to Bible Study. During July and August, Adoration will not be held.
As we begin a new year, I would encourage all parishioners to consider joining us for Adoration. In order to understand why Catholics practice Adoration and what happens during it, we will be providing resources to the parish on this subject.
In the pamphlet Eucharistic Adoration from OSV Press, the authors state “It seems like nothing happens at Eucharistic Adoration…at the center of it all there is a gilded monstrance holding a silent and still Host. There is nothing else to see here. Nothing, it seems happens… The simplicity of the Lord’s presence is part of His gift to us. He could overwhelm us with power. He could awe us with spectacle…But He does not. Instead, He waits…He presents Himself to us in the most ordinary means and beckons for us to become still and silent ourselves: to wait and rest and abide with Him.”
In the midst of our busy lives, Eucharistic Adoration provides us an opportunity to pray silently, presenting our needs to the Lord present before us in The Holy Eucharist. It also allows us the chance to gather in community with our brothers and sisters, sharing together to worship and honor God. As the US Catholic Bishops remind us of the importance of a strong Eucharistic faith, Eucharistic Adoration encourages such faith in us and in our parish community.
In Christ,
Fr. Michael