Defense against pestilence: Prayer, Rosary, Eucharistic Adoration & Consecration

Photo courtesy of the International Eucharistic Congress, June 2020

August 2020, Covid-19 update: 

 

Thanks be to God for churches that were able to remain open or have reopened!  Exposition is encouraged.  Parishes still have 24-hour or extended adoration in small chapels, though some have had to set a capacity limit for the number of adorers at one time.  Become a scheduled adorer to reserve your place! When needed, adoration may be moved from smaller chapels to the main body of the church. 

To schedule adorers, we offer an online adoration sign-up form for parish websites (or on our website if they prefer) especially helpful if  legislation does not allow for the traditional method of handing out and completing Invitations with pencils during Mass. People are instructed to sign-up by filling out the form, texting, at a sign-up table outside the church, with Mass reservations etc. It could be noted that they can call a telephone number. Paper Invitations and pencils are very effective, so if they still allowed they are used.

Below are previous updates:

Any of the information that is outdated has been retained for the historical record.  The impact and response has varied by province/state, diocese and parish.

 

Parking lot adoration

PARKING LOT ADORATION

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Some parishes started parking lot adoration by placing their Monstrance in a window with a scheduled adorer outside in their car in the church parking lot and social distancing. Where possible, other parishes increased exposition hours in, or moved adoration to, the large main body of the church, instead of their small chapel. Increase exposition where possible!

All for Jesus through Mary – Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Dear Friends,

At Fatima, Our Lady requested, “Pray the Rosary every day in honour of Our Lady of the Rosary to obtain peace in the world, and the end of the war, because only she can obtain it.”   If you do not already do so, you are encouraged to recite the Holy Rosary every day as Our Lady requested!

As the month of May is dedicated to Our Lady, on Friday, May 1, 2020 (the Feast of St. Joseph, the Worker), each bishop in Canada and the United States reconsecrated their diocese individually to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to seek her protection for all the faithful, from the continuing Covid-19 pandemic.

We encourage all families, individuals, priests, deacons, and members of communities of consecrated life, to join their prayers in union with that of their bishop in making or renewing your consecrations to Mary and in consecrating Canada and the United States to Mary, Mother of the Church.

Canadian Bishops Consecration to Mary prayer (on page 4) and their full Ritual

US Bishops Consecration to Mary Prayer and Ritual

The Consecration prayer may be said at any time by the faithful.

 
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Make or renew CONSECRATIONS to the triple hearts and the Holy Family:
 

MAKE A DAILY OR WEEKLY HOLY HOUR FROM WHEREVER YOU ARE NOW!

Continual prayer of the Rosary and Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament is needed to wrap our world, nations, dioceses, communities, and families within the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Heart of Mary  – praying for God to unleash His Divine Mercy upon us especially in these times of chastisement and to usher in the reign of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Livestreaming round the clock online Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration for shut-ins and quarantines:

 

“Using natural means to defend against pestilence,

we do not forget our primary means of defense:

prayer, especially the rosary and Eucharistic adoration.”

Cardinal Raymond Burke, March 17, 2020

Other messages by His Eminence can be found on his personal website here:

“Christ always brings a greater good from the sufferings that He permits… we are grateful in advance for all of the gifts that He has stored up for us, that He desires to pour upon us, that He desires to empty into our hearts in this time of suffering and trial… He remains distant from us for a while only so that our desire will build.. when the thing that you desire is eventually given back to you, you will cling to it more dearly and you won’t let it go. So if that is Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament, then hopefully the fruit of this trial will be that when we are allowed to encounter Christ in the Blessed Sacrament again and to receive Jesus in Holy Communion again, it will be done with an intensity of love, an intensity of adoration for Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and that we will commit ourselves to being with Him more regularly and more often, so that we never take for granted again the fact that Christ is so near and so available when He is with us in the Blessed Sacrament.” – Fr. Barry Braum, Missionary of the Most Holy Eucharist, March 29, 2020

In response to the serious pandemics:

  • For parishes where it has been or is permissible to stay open or that are reopening, (even though they may have had or need to limit the number of attendees at or cancel Sunday or all Masses), sign-ups to start or increase exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Adoration with social distancing can take place or be moved to the main body of the church. Adorers could sanitize their pew with an anti-viral wipe before taking their place.  See your local health policy.
  • Pastors/parishes can be added to our advance booking list for Eucharistic adoration sign-up weekend for a time when the situation improves in their area. When it is becoming permissible again, we will confirm the date.

Spiritual Resources:

The Word was made flesh and dwells amongst us (John 1:14). May Our Lady intercede for and protect you, your parishes and loved ones.  In times like these prayer and adoration are more important than ever.  Know that you are infinitely loved and supported by Our Lord Jesus.

Below are more resources to help in these difficult times and prepare for the Eucharistic Reign of Christ the King and Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary!

Eucharistic Adoration:

Find Creative Ways to Administer the Sacraments While Keeping People Safe:

Solutions proposed and in place in some places have included the following where permissible:

  • The administration of the sacraments is an essential service
  • In Poland they have increased the number of Masses at parishes so that fewer people attend each Mass, allowing for social distancing – maybe assign Mass times in some way such as alphabetical order of last names i.e. 8am A-F, 10am G-N etc.
  • Temporarily have people in cars in parking lot tune in to Mass on radio station and bring Holy Communion to them
  • Think about and be grateful what we still have instead of what we don’t have
  • Think about what we have achieved and will achieve in future for souls with God’s help, instead of what we can’t do now
  • Think of what is possible and feasible
  • Go to Confession and start receive Holy Communion in the state of grace
  • Move exposition from small chapels to main body of church when necessary
  • Drive-in adoration from parking lot – priest placed Monstrance in a window. Since you are there in person, this is not the same as watching on TV or the Internet
  • If adoration in person is permissible in your area, practise social distancing
  • Parking lot and outdoor Masses as mentioned above
  • Drive by Holy Communion outdoors
  • Expanded hours for Confession are being offered
  • Confessions with social distancing, outdoor or drive-by Confessions, Confession while walking outside, Confessions through rectory windows
  • Priest Hears Drive Through Confessions Amid Coronavirus
  • The World Over with Raymond Arroyo, 36:50 – 43:13
  • Public safety and administering the sacraments with respect for religious freedom
  • Cardinal on creative ways to safely administer the sacraments on The World Over April 9, 2020
  • Video of drive through confessions with social distancing
  • Decontaminate and clean surfaces, have clean fresh air
  • We glory in tribulations – living the faith when public worship is prohibited
  • Adoration in a van, drive-through Confessions
 

Priests doing Eucharistic Processions, via Airplane and giving Benediction:

If you can’t go out to Mass, prepare for and follow Sunday and daily Mass online:

Make Spiritual Communions:

 
 
St. Clare an army of attackers fled as you held up the Blessed Sacrament, pray for us!

Grow Spiritually through Consecration, Prayer and Practising Virtue:

 

Strive to Obtain Indulgences:

 

“In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.” – Our Lady of Fatima

St. Joseph, adorer of Jesus and patron of a happy death, ora pro nobis!

 

 

St. Corona, pray for us!

Saint Rocco, protector against the plague and contagious diseases, pray for us!