Eucharistic Adoration is the act of worshipping 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 the Second Person of the Trinity.
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 towards a tabernacle, bows before receiving the Blessed Sacrament at Mass, or in a more focused way, when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed for adoration. What is Perpetual Adoration? Perpetual Adoration is continuous exposition of the Blessed Sacrament for the purpose of uninterrupted adoration, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Anne Catholic Church is a Perpetual Adoration Chapel. How does it work? Worshippers follow a schedule for visiting the Blessed Sacrament, to ensure the Eucharist is never without veneration. Those interested in visiting the chapel regularly usually up for a weekly hour. However, please feel free to stop in at any time. A good way to get familiar with Eucharistic Adoration is to stop in during a time that works for you. You don’t have to schedule ahead, and you don’t have to spend an hour. You can pop in for a short visit, or stay as long as you like. What are the spiritual benefits, graces, and results attributed to perpetual adoration?
• A deeper meditative awareness of Christ’s true presence in the Eucharist
• Healing of your body and soul
• A deeper awareness of Christ’s abiding presence in every phase of your life
• Improved prayer life, deeper faith, and inner peace
• An increase in religious and priestly vocations
• A renewal of Catholic family life
How does one spend an hour before Jesus exposed in the Blessed Sacrament? This hour Jesus wants you to spend with Him is spent any way you want. You may bring your own prayer books, use the books in the chapel, 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. You may feel that you can't pray well. Don't let this discourage you. The mere fact that you take time out at a specific time each week to spend an hour with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament pleases Him very much and is in itself a prayer of great faith. Please remember that Perpetual Adoration in a parish is not just for a day, a week, a month, or a year. Rather, it is for always. It is not temporary, but ongoing, lasting, permanent. Things to Do During Eucharistic Adoration
• Pray the Psalms or Liturgy of the Hours
• Recite the Jesus Prayer
• Meditate using Scripture
• Read the life of a saint and pray with him or her
• Pour out your heart to Christ and adore Him
• Ask for forgiveness and intercede for others
• Pray the Rosary, or other devotions
• Sit quietly and just “be” in the presence of God
• Write in a journal
About Our Chapel
Msgr. Edward Odell Heymer, pastor of St. Anne Catholic Church from 1970-1995, founded Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Perpetual Adoration Chapel in 1992. The chapel was formerly used as a sacristy and altar server’s dressing area. At the time of its opening, the chapel was the first and only Perpetual Adoration Chapel in the Diocese of Memphis. Over the next 20 years, countless adorers have visited the Blessed Sacrament in this most fitting devotion. In 2013, the chapel underwent renovations and saw upgrades to the walls, carpet, lighting, and furniture. The chapel continues to serve the faithful at St. Anne Catholic Church, as well as Catholics throughout the Memphis area. For more information, or to sign-up for a regular hour, please contact one of our coordinators:
6:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. Shirley Hollahan
(901) 767-3263
12:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M. Cecilia Robilio
(901) 605-0607
6:00 P.M. – 6:00 A.M. Delores Ryan
(901) 767-8680
