|
For
information on this ministry, please call Jim or Gerrie Taormina at
973-627-8132.
 St. Mary’s Nocturnal
Adoration Society has about 48 members. Nocturnal Adoration is practiced
monthly in the church to adore the Blessed Sacrament continuously through the
night on the first Friday, 8:00 PM to Saturday 8:00 AM. Bishop McNulty
chartered the Society at our parish in 1960. Some parishioners have been members
for as long as 30 years. Some come as individuals, some come as couples, but
they come for a common reason: to give one hour of their time each month in
prayer before the exposed Blessed Sacrament. To this they give a solemn pledge.
When asked to reflect
on why they offer this gift of their time, members have much to say:
-
“There’s a feeling of being
truly connected to God.” “There’s a one-on-one connection.”
-
“A quiet night, a beautiful
church, and a beautiful time for meditation before our Lord.”
-
“No distractions – just a very
personal and special time – it’s unique.”
-
“I feel privileged to have this
special time.”
-
“God has definitely blessed me for
going. I don’t find it to be a sacrifice, I want to do it.”
-
“Since we started going to
Nocturnal Adoration, there is a peacefulness about our lives.”
 The prayers offered are for
reparation, petition, and thanksgiving. The late Bishop Fulton Sheen said of
Nocturnal Adoration, “If we were faithful to this commitment, our faith would
be strengthened and our lives more holy.”
Jesus
is pleased when we spend time with Him. Did he not ask us himself, in the
Garden
of
Gethsemane? The Church and the
world have great need of Eucharistic worship.
The Format of Nocturnal Adoration: On the First Friday evening of each
month, members of the Nocturnal Adoration Society come to church in groups that
usually have at least three people. The groups come in shifts that begin each
hour. They use the prayer book "The Office of the Blessed Sacrament"
provided by the Society. One person leads the prayer and other members respond
by reciting the appropriate Psalms and prayers. There is also time during the
hour devoted to silent meditation.
This form of prayer, the Office of the Blessed Sacrament, is a wonderful form
of liturgical prayer that brings us together as a body of believers in a
powerful way. "The Divine Office is the voice of the Church, that is, the
whole mystical body publicly praising God. The laity are encouraged to recite
the Divine Office, either with the priests or among themselves or even
individually" (from the Constitution on the Liturgy of the Second Vatican
Council).
Fruits of Nocturnal Adoration Society: The testimony given by members
shows how Nocturnal Adoration has enriched their lives, and how it has enriched
the parishes in which this devotion is practiced. A greater community spirit and
renewal of Catholic family life has been seen, as well as a return of many
fallen-away Catholics. The blessings are innumerable. Through this gift of their
time, members have witnessed how God returns our gifts to us ten-fold. He will
not be out-done in generosity! |
