Perpetual Adoration

♦ LENT 1985: Beginning on the First Friday, March 1st, after the 9:40 a.m. Mass until 9:00 a.m. Saturday, continual Adoration was offered.

♦ LENT 1986: For over a year, each month began with three special days of prayer. It started Thursday evening with Mass at 7:00 p.m. with a short Adoration and a healing service. Friday morning there was Mass followed by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Adoration continued through until 8:45 a.m. Saturday.

♦ LENT 1987: Perpetual Adoration resumed during this Lenten season. The 2-5 a.m. time slots were not filled by anyone. By the end of Lent, people who had signed up for a Holy Hour had indeed become “addicted” to their Holy Hour, so much so that Adoration continued through Pentecost Sunday. It was believed people would sign up for the 2-5 a.m. time slots next year. 

♦ LENT 1988: Perpetual Adoration was again held and the time slots filled up quickly! It was encouraged to have more than one person sign up per holy hour. It was suggested to give an award to the guy who took the 2-3 a.m. hour – he stayed until the Adorer showed up for the 5-6 a.m. hour! Many more people took part in signing on for Holy Hours. In April, Fr. Matthew Swizdor visited for a week, and the Holy Spirit graced St. Charles with his many blessings – it seemed the parish was being led to continue the spirit of prayer and fervor as to when he was here. At the worship meeting, the idea to have 24-hour Adoration on all Fridays instead of just the First Friday was proposed. It then started. Also, everyone was invited to pray in church from midnight Sunday until 1:00 a.m. Monday as a time set aside for prayers of petitions. The reasoning was, it was the first hour of the working week, and many people were encouraged to come.

♦ LENT 1989: In 1981, Pope John Paul II began Perpetual Adoration in a little chapel of St. Peter’s in Rome “as an encouragement for all churches to follow” because of the seriousness of the times and in order to awaken the faith of the laity in the loving presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Jesus is TRULY present – Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity! Accordingly, this parish began what all hoped would be Perpetual Adoration for generations to come. Adoration would now be year round! During a visit from Fr. Martin Lucia, he stressed Adoration take place in a chapel and not in the main church. Work began with the Building Committee to create a possible site for a chapel as Adoration continued in the church. In the beginning of March, the Parish Council met and passed the proposal to build a Eucharistic Chapel. Along with that, it was proposed that St. Charles pay for the chapel through voluntary donations. Parishioners were enthusiastic and supportive. Fr. Jack Fabian, pastor of St. Charles, was extremely pleased and even noted in the March 5th bulletin that there were 386 individuals participating in Perpetual Adoration since Lent started!

♦ JUNE-JULY 1989: Fr. Gerald Shirilla, head of the Worship Department for the Archdiocese sent a letter, in part saying, “Your request to build an addition to your church to serve as a chapel for Eucharistic Reservation and Adoration has been considered and approval to build the chapel will be granted.” Even though no money was budgeted for the project, many parishioners already were donating to the chapel, and it was thought that the overall project would cost about $30,000.00. An envelope was created for collecting funds for the project, and people made donations as they saw fit.

♦ AUGUST 1989: Fr. Jack Fabian, pastor, writes in the bulletin that the block will start going up on the chapel soon. He comments, “I get a lot of satisfaction knowing that people are praying around the clock in our church. All our power comes from our Lord through prayer, all our power. Without that source of strength life becomes aimless and then eventually pointless. Prayer is the key to it all. Thank you all for your commitment to prayer.”  

♦ DECEMBER 1989: The quota was already reached for raising money for the chapel – the bills were not all in, but it certainly looked like things would all be covered. Things progressed quickly, and as of Christmas Eve, all were able to adore Our Lord in the chapel!

♦ FEBRUARY 8, 1990: Bishop Schoenherr dedicated the chapel at the 7:00 p.m. Mass – this is the 1st Anniversary of beginning Adoration.

St. Charles Plaque reads… 

This chapel was built by St. Charles Parishioners and friends in 1989 for the Perpetual Adoration of the Holy Eucharist, with the hope that Perpetual Adoration will continue in the future generations of the parish. 

Perpetual Adoration Began: February 8, 1989

Chapel in use for Adoration: December 24, 1989       

Chapel Dedicated: February 8, 1990

 

 Our Lord Invites You…

There are 168 time slots during the week to fill for Perpetual Adoration of Our Lord Who sits and waits for us to visit Him in our beautiful chapel. Remember what Jesus said… “Could you not keep watch for one hour?” Aside from Mass, the hour that you choose for Adoration of Our Lord will be the best hour of your week!