Eucharistic Adoration
The basis for all Eucharistic devotion is the Catholic belief that Jesus Christ is truly present—Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity—in the Blessed Sacrament. From the Church’s earliest days, the Blessed Sacrament has been taken to the faithful who were sick and unable to join in the communal celebration of Mass. This saw the emergence of tabernacles as a means of appropriately reposing the Blessed Sacrament after Mass, which in turn led to the practice of genuflecting before the tabernacle. In time the Church developed the practice of exposing the Blessed Sacrament for public adoration, as a means of deepening believers’ faith in the Real Presence of Christ – a practice which continues to this day. This form of worship is not intended to detract from the celebration of Mass—which remains the source and summit of the Christian life—but rather to nourish a deeper participation in it.
In our parish, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament takes place at the Hilbert church on Wednesdays from 9.30am-12.30pm, and on Saturdays from 8.30am-9.00am, concluding with Benediction. Adoration is also available at the Schoenstatt Shrine on Fridays from 10:30am-8:15pm, and on Mondays from 7.15pm-8.15pm.