How to Start and Pray Holy Hours of Eucharistic Adoration

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How to Start or Increase Adoration

🕊️ Quick-Start Checklist: Launch Adoration in 7 Steps

1. Pray for guidance – Invoke the Holy Spirit.

2. Meet your parish priest for permission  – Share vision; reference Canon 943 and CCC 1378.

3. Recruit core team and adorers – e.g. 1-10 committed adorers (families, youth).

5. Schedule Holy Hours – e.g. 1 hour/daily before or after Mass.

6. Promote parish-wide – Bulletin flyer, announcements, social media.

7. Launch & sustain – Track sign-ups.

Pro Tip: Print this & check off as you go! Questions? Email us.

Quick Start Up Resources

How to Start Holy Hours

If there is already an adoration chapel in your parish, then you can do the adoration there by yourself silently or with a group. If you are organizing a group public holy hour with prayers out loud, contact the head coordinator of the chapel to schedule a time. You can sign up to be a regular adorer.

If there is no Eucharistic Adoration already taking place in a chapel at your parish, ask your pastor for permission.

A priest, deacon, religious, or if they are not available, someone who has authorization, can expose the Blessed Sacrament. Code of Canon law 943: “The minister of exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and of the eucharistic blessing is a priest or deacon. In special circumstances the minister of exposition and deposition alone, but without the blessing, is an acolyte, and extraordinary minister of holy communion, or another person deputed by the local Ordinary, in accordance with the regulations of the diocescan bishop.”

It is more preferable if a priest or deacon is available. They are also able to expose and give Benediction, a blessing with the Blessed Sacrament in the sacred vessel, the Monstrance, at the end of the adoration.  Benediction, however, is not necessary for exposition, adoration or reposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

Although it is also not required, if you are planning to have some sacred music, have someone or a choir to lead and sing a few hymns or play appropriate sacred music in the background.

Set and schedule a regular time (for example, Friday evenings at 8pm) for your or your personal or group’s public holy hour. Promote it and invite your friends, family, and parishioners.  At least one person must be present during exposition.

If you are unable to get permission for exposition, you can make the Holy Hour before Jesus in the tabernacle.  The tabernacle light nearby indicates that He is truly present there at all times.

When passing before the Tabernacle, those who are able to do so show reverence by genuflecting on one knee. When passing before the Monstrance in adoration, those who are able to do so, make a profound bow while genuflecting on both knees.

Eucharistic Adoration also includes our visits to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle. Fr. John Hardon, a champion of Christ in the Real Presence said, “We as Catholics should try to pray as much as possible before the Blessed Sacrament exposed on the altar.”

Parish clergy, parishes, Catholic schools, campus chaplaincies, seniors residences, prisons, religious communities, and prayer groups are encouraged to begin or increase hours of Eucharistic Adoration.  All ages invited to make regular Holy Hours of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and to make frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament.

More on Step 3: Parish Prayers to Encourage Weekly Commitments to Adoration

PRAYER FOR EUCHARISTIC ADORATION

Jesus, thank You for being truly present,
Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity
in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Please lead me to a
personal encounter with You
in Your Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist.

Thank You for desiring to spend
time with me in Eucharistic Adoration.

Send Your Holy Spirit upon
each member of our parish,
so that we will respond generously to Your invitation
and make a commitment to meet You,
Our Lord and King, in a weekly hour of
Eucharistic Adoration.

Grant me the grace to also frequently
receive You in Holy Communion,
even daily when possible.

In Your Most Holy Name, I pray.
Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament,
pray for us.

Amen.

To engage and inspire your parishioners to make a commitment to a weekly Holy Hour at any time, especially during the 4-6 weeks before a sign-up, your parish can begin praying this prayer out-loud before the final blessing or right after each Mass before the closing hymn. If your congregation already prays the St. Michael the Archangel prayer as a parish out-loud, this prayer could be added immediately after that. Place large prayer cards (regular or customized) in your pews, hymnal racks etc. or put stickers in your hymnals. 

Available as: Prayer Cards | PDF | Canva | Stickers | Another Prayer Card

 

Other sample Parish Prayers for commitment

 

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Ready to Start? Steps for How to Pray/Make a Holy Hour

We can spend time with Jesus in what we call a “holy hour.” More often it is a time just for silent adoration. There can be, but does not have to be, a set format for a holy hour. If one or more people are willing to spend time with Jesus, He is not left alone and we simply visit with Him.

This hour that Jesus wants you to spend with Him may be spent praying the Holy Rosary or the Divine Office, with your favourite prayer book, good spiritual reading for reflection, or speaking to Jesus in silence heart to heart, as one does with a friend. We may rely on devotions and prayers from Catholic tradition, such as reading Scripture, praying litanies or other Catholic spiritual reading materials. You may be tired or troubled and just want to sit, relax and enjoy the peace that comes from simply being with the One Who loves you the most, Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

If you want to have a format or program for a public group Holy Hour of adoration you could include hymns, traditional vocal prayers, praying the Rosary in common, time for silence etc.

Here is an excellent Holy Hour booklet you/your group can use is you prefer a structured or guided hour. More hours are included below.

Prayer during exposition could include a reflection or reading by a priest or deacon, hymns such as Pange Lingua, O Salutaris Hostia and Tantum Ergo (in Latin or English) and time for quiet adoration, after which if a priest or deacon is there he can bless the congregation with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by “The Divine Praises”.

ACTS

During your holy hour of adoration, some recommend using the acronymn ACTS for simply spending 15-minute segments each devoted to meditation in a spirit of Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.

Some may feel moved or prefer to approach and recognize the Real Presence of Christ by starting with an Act of or Contrition as they initially become humbled and aware of His holiness and almighty Real Presence and their own shortcomings and sins, and then move into Adoration, Petition, and Thanksgiving…

Entering into deeper prayer and contemplation can bring one into total silence and a calming of the senses. The great mystic and doctor of the Church, St. Theresa of Avila spoke of the “prayer of the quiet”. You may want to read her writings in “The Way of Perfection” and “The Interior Castle”.  Another St. Theresa referred to as the “Little Flower”, practised complete trust and confidence in the mercy of God and did little things with great Love.

Many saints grew stronger in virtue and in their prayer life as they persevered in prayer through consolations and periods of dryness or of desolation. Love is a decision, not a feeling. Jesus is 100% divine and 100% man – He consoles us and sometimes He asks or needs us to comfort Him. He has a human heart and a divine heart. We see a crown of thorns around His Sacred Heart burning with Love, as He revealed Himself to St. Margaret Mary.  He thirsts for love and souls.

In summary, there are many ways to pray. We may meditate silently by gazing on Jesus in the sacred Host. We may silently speak to Jesus with our mind and heart.  St.  Teresa of Calcutta recommended spending half the time in adoration in silence.

Pray for the salvation and sanctification of souls!

More Guidelines for Adorers

Printed Holy Hours: for Guided Hours or to Use as Aids for Adorers

Videos on How to Make a Holy Hour

Holy Hour Resources of Knight of Columbus

Knightline – News for Knights of Columbus Leaders – introduced “Faith in Action” –   to revitalize you, your parish, your K of C council and your community.  The first recommendation is Eucharistic Adoration. “A Higher Purpose:   Encourage deep personal encounter with God. Knights of Columbus councils work with their pastors to organize a regular Holy Hour of Eucharistic adoration. Prepared for the men of the parish, this Holy Hour could include a reflection, communal rosary, prayers for intercession by St. Joseph or Knights of Columbus founder, Venerable Michael McGivney, and various other aspects as decided by the council. Overview:   The chivalric character of the Knights of Columbus and the Church’s long tradition of spiritual combat resonate with men today – especially as threats from the world and the devil are so keenly felt. Eucharistic adoration in the form of a regularly scheduled Holy Hour is a simple, direct, and meaningful way to address these needs. It is familiar to many, easy to organize, and something everyone can participate in together regardless of age, vocation, stage of life or membership status. Councils can organize their Holy Hours in a variety of ways and incorporate aspects such as: perpetual adoration, the sacrament of reconciliation, prayer for particular intentions and more.”

A True Success Story: “Take Me Out of the Tabernacle!”

An adoration coordinator in our network had to move to a new city and greatly desired to get more exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in her new parish. First, she prayed. Then she found another lay person in the parish who was also interested in spending time with Jesus if there were more hours of adoration. She approached the pastor and asked if they could expand the hours of adoration, but was left hanging without a yes. She prayed more and was determined not to give up. She approached her priest again and told him she had heard an inspiring true story on a Catholic radio station about a priest. One day the priest walked out of the sacristy and into the sanctuary: Jesus appeared to him in-person and pleaded for exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on the Altar, saying: “TAKE ME OUT OF THE TABERNACLE!” Then the coordinator asked the priest again for more adoration. Finally, her parish priest said yes. Times were set and she happily reported that they expanded adoration. Adoration makes the world a better and more peaceful place!

Put out Into the Deep (Luke 5:4) – A Prophetic Summons

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