"BEHOLD I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, UNTIL THE END OF THE AGE" 
MATT 28:20

St. Anthony's also periodically celebrates 24 or 40 Hours of continuous Eucharistic Adoration as announced on our website calendar.

We can show our adoration to God in many ways, but in Eucharistic Adoration, we spend time adoring the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Adoration begins with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, a ceremony in which a priest or deacon removes the Sacred Host from the tabernacle and places it in the lunette of the monstrance, or ostensorium, and elevates it so that all adorers can see it. Incense may be used. O Salutaris Hostia or similar hymn is usually sung at the beginning of exposition, followed by a period of meditation, praise, and adoration.

At the conclusion of the ceremony the Tantum Ergo hymn is chanted, with another incensation, and is followed by a blessing of the people with the raised monstrance in the form of a cross. During the blessing the priest or deacon wears the humeral veil covering his hands and a small bell is rung. The Divine Praises are then sung or recited, and the Blessed Sacrament is reposed in the tabernacle.

You may spend time with Him in Eucharistic Adoration any way you wish. You may bring your own prayer books, read the Bible, pray the rosary, or just sit and relax and enjoy the sweet peace that comes from simply being in the Presence of God.

Adoration is a personal act of faith in this Real Presence, an act of love for God who loved us even unto death on a cross. It is sitting before the Lord as the early disciples did, to listen to him, to learn his will for us, to allow our hearts to be transformed. It is placing ourselves and our loved ones before the radiance of his peaceful gaze to experience his healing, strengthening presence.

An hour spent in the presence of Jesus, praying directly before him, is truly a Holy Hour, a powerful means for advancing along the road to wholeness…to holiness. The more we allow him access to our hearts, the more he can transform our lives, no matter what our situations or circumstances.

A Holy Hour with Jesus may be spent anyway you wish, praying familiar prayers, saying the Rosary, reading Scripture or spiritual books. We may be too weary to do any of these, and simply want to sit in his Presence and receive his love and peace.

Some people experience painful memories of hurt or past sins when they have been in adoration for awhile. This is a sign that the Lord is doing some deep purifying and healing. As our sins are made known to us, Jesus invites us to come to him in the Sacrament of Penance to be reconciled with the Father through the Spirit of Love.

Finally, it is natural to become tired, distracted or even bored during an hour of prayer. Yet every time that we find ourselves distracted and then turn our attention back to him, we make an act of love. Remember the first three friends Jesus invited to come and spend an hour with him? They fell asleep! Yet he built the Church upon their response to his mystery and presence.