Adoration and the Feast of Corpus Christi

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Adoration

Eucharistic Adoration is the practice of worshiping Jesus Christ truly present in the Eucharist outside of Mass. While the devotion developed gradually over the centuries, its roots lie in the Church's belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.

In the earliest centuries of Christianity, the Eucharist was primarily celebrated within the liturgy. Consecrated hosts were reserved so they could be brought to the sick, the dying, and those unable to attend Mass. Early Christians treated the Eucharist with profound reverence, but formal Eucharistic adoration outside the liturgy had not yet fully developed.

A major turning point came during the Middle Ages. As the Church clarified and defended its Eucharistic doctrine, devotion to the Blessed Sacrament grew significantly.

Feast of Corpus Christi

In the thirteenth century, devotion received a tremendous boost through the establishment of the Feast of Corpus Christi. Inspired in part by the visions of St. Juliana of Liège and promoted by Pope Urban IV in 1264, the feast celebrated Christ's presence in the Eucharist and encouraged public processions and adoration.

The nineteenth and twentieth centuries saw the rise of Eucharistic congresses, perpetual adoration chapels, and worldwide Eucharistic renewal movements. Recent popes, including St. John Paul II, strongly encouraged Eucharistic adoration as a means of deepening faith and fostering vocations.

Adoration at St. Anthony On the Lake

Many people in our parish are devoted adorers to the Blessed Sacrament and spend one hour a week in the adoration chapel in prayer and contemplation. Members of the Adoration Group are in the gathering space this weekend with more information and to sign up new adorers.

Remember that you don’t have to be a member of the group to adore the Blessed Sacrament or even spend an hour there: spend as much or as little time as you like. The Eucharistic Chapel is open all day until 8 pm for quiet prayer. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the monstrance is on display from 8 am to 8 pm, and on Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 am to 2 pm.