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By Suzanne Haugh, Special To The Bulletin
ATLANTA—Not long after his arrival in
August 1993 to shepherd North Georgia Catholics, Archbishop John F.
Donoghue issued a pastoral letter entitled “Rejoice in the Lord,
Always.”
In it he announced that the Cathedral of Christ the
King would begin perpetual adoration of Jesus Christ “in His most holy
Eucharistic Presence,” the Blessed Sacrament.
“At such time, when the central mystery of
God’s redemptive act is assailed, then the Faithful must meet the
doubters with renewed conviction and visible witness. God has given us
everything by giving us the life and death of His Son—now we must
respond by giving ourselves devotedly to His real Presence,” he
explained. “For who does not desire to sit in the company of a best
friend, and to know in advance the joy of heaven, where friends will
gather forever around the throne of God—singing, feasting, rejoicing
and remembering in such a way as will suffice for eternity.”
This initiative mirrored the plea of Pope John Paul
II, whom the archbishop quoted: “The Church and the world have a great
need for eucharistic worship. Jesus awaits us in the sacrament of love.
Let us not refuse the time to go to meet him in adoration, in
contemplation full of faith and open to making amends for the serious
offenses and crimes of the world. May our adoration never cease.” (Dominicae
cenae)
So began the act of love in the Cathedral on June
5, 1994, to keep company with Jesus, present in the Blessed Sacrament,
every minute of every day.
That first day the archbishop described this form
of prayer as “an action that springs from human need—our need for
friendship, for companionship, for the knowledge that indeed, our God
does travel along with us as we walk the bumpy road of life, and as we
seek to transverse the rough places and crooked ways that meet us at
every turn.”
He hoped that the peace of God “may penetrate
deeply into the fabric of our society and bring our community to a new
awareness of its own worth, and a new sense of promise and direction in
all its ideals and actions.”
Following in the footsteps of the Cathedral, five
other churches now offer perpetual adoration: Church of the
Transfiguration, Marietta; Corpus Christi Church, Stone Mountain;
Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Atlanta; St. Catherine of Siena Church,
Kennesaw; and St. Peter Chanel Church, Roswell. About 35 other churches
offer regularly scheduled adoration times each week or on the first
Friday of the month.
Realizing the connection between a strong faith in
the Eucharist and a vibrant community, Father Frank McNamee, pastor of
St. Peter Chanel, began adoration of the Blessed Sacrament almost from
day one when the mission, now a parish, was formed in 1998. He is so
convinced of the need for eucharistic adoration that he asks those
involved in any parish ministry to schedule one hour before the Lord.
“I tell folks, you have to do it, spend time in
prayer,” Father McNamee said.
His dedication to perpetual adoration comes from
his own experiences growing up in Ireland. His parents were dedicated to
this form of prayer and served as guardians, those responsible for
visiting the exposed Blessed Sacrament at a specific time each week.
Building up a parish, as he is charged to do, is
“a slow flow” without focusing on the Eucharist. But a community
centered on the Blessed Sacrament expands because “there is so much
that flows from that.”
Eucharistic adoration at the parish draws on the
efforts of over 300 people committed to prayer in the community of 1,106
families and growing. The response has been overwhelming among the
parishioners.
“Many people have never done eucharistic
adoration, never participated in it, but now they have stories to tell
of what their hour means to them,” Father McNamee said. “It brings
people to a deeper awareness of the need for (the Eucharist) and that we
are a part of the body of Christ.”
Attendance at daily Mass has increased, Father
McNamee noted, and he believes that adoration has brought people to a
greater appreciation of the celebration. Also, he said, those who spend
time weekly before the Blessed Sacrament receive graces for daily life.
“We yearn to be with (Jesus), and we bring a
deeper understanding of ministry when we take time to stop being so
busy. We can reflect on what we are doing. Eucharistic adoration allows
us to slow down, to pause, to reflect. Many find, whether they’re a
husband, father, mother, wife, that they have a deeper understanding of
their calling, where they’re going. In the busyness of life, we need
to retreat and reflect.”
Parishioner Laura Hardy, a wife and mother, is a
guardian so she can “recharge my battery.”
“I feel so much closer to God when I have Jesus
right there,” she said. “That one hour really sustains me for the
rest of the week.”
While she at first committed only to being a
substitute, out of concern over the logistics involved in scheduling an
hour each week, she confided, “Once you go, you don’t want to miss
it. On the outside looking in, it must be so strange to do, to (pray)
before a piece of bread. But eucharistic adoration becomes the essence
of being Catholic. I’m there saying that this is Jesus and I show my
reverence to him, my commitment to him.”
Ed Marston, who coordinates perpetual adoration at
Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, explained his involvement dates back to
second grade. The retired meteorologist recalled a story his teacher
told about a man named Jim who visited the Blessed Sacrament before and
after work.
“Jim would always start off, ‘Good morning,
Jesus, this is Jim,’” Marston recounted. “Finally, Jim was on his
deathbed and as he lay there dying he heard, ‘Good morning, Jim, this
is Jesus.’ It gave him extreme comfort to see Jesus there. I went home
that day after school and told the story to my mother; she cried as she
heard it from her 7-year-old.”
Marston recalled visiting the Blessed Sacrament
when he was young, but “slacked off” when he was older. However, for
the past 15 years he has faithfully prayed before the Blessed Sacrament.
“I’ve always believed in the Eucharist, the presence of Christ in
the Eucharist.”
Father McNamee remains impressed by the devotion of
those like Marston. “At the strangest hours people get up and come
before the Eucharist. At 3 or 4 in the morning, there can be 6-7 people
there.”
With the completion of a pastoral center and an
adoration chapel, St. Peter Chanel went from weekly to perpetual
adoration on Dec. 1, 2001. “I believe that for me, and for St. Peter
Chanel, we need to keep the focus on what we’re all about—being the
body of Christ, a family, and that all we do is for the greater glory of
God.”
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