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St. Joseph Catholic Church

1875 S C R 700 W
North Vernon, IN 47265

Rev. Jonathan P. Meyer, Administrator

Office Hours:

Monday Office closed
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 8:30 AM till 12:30 PM

St. Joseph Rectory Phone: 812-346-4783
Fax: 812-352-9033

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What is perpetual Adoration Exactly?

Perpetual Adoration is continual worship of the True Eucharistic Presence of our Lord. We believe that Christ is present in the Sacred Host and Precious Blood at Mass (This IS my Body…This IS the cup of my Blood). After Each consecration, during Holy Mass, bells are rung as we adore the True Presence of the Lord held aloft by the priest. Perpetual adoration is an extension of that part of the Mass- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For this to happen, members of different parishes unite in taking hours of adoration before the Most Blessed Sacrament all day and all night. Normally, consecrated Hosts from Mass are stored in a tabernacle- the golden box that contains the Body and Blood of our Lord. During Eucharistic Adoration, especially Perpetual Adoration, the Eucharist is taken out of the tabernacle and placed in a monstrance. A monstrance is a gold receptacle that holds the consecrated Host for all to see. To see Jesus visibly present under the appearance of the Host is much more conducive to intimacy than hidden away in the tabernacle. Moreover, it adds an extra responsibility on the adorers to be sure to be faithful to the hours they are scheduled, since the suggested norm for having Jesus exposed in the monstrance is that there should be at least two adorers present, and He must never be left alone. Could not these words of our Lord be applied today: "Indeed, this is the will of My heavenly Father, that everyone who looks upon the Son, and believes in Him, shall have eternal life. Him I will raise up on the last day." (John 6:40) When we begin Perpetual Adoration here in Jennings County we will strive to have two adorers (guardians) for every hour of the week. Two adorers (guardians) for each hour are essential for several reasons: 1-Our Lord sent the apostles out in pairs. 2-Our Lord said that “Where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20) 3-If someone is sick or cannot be at the scheduled hour, there is an automatic back-up. 4-People feel safer with someone else is in the chapel. 5-If there was only one person in the chapel, and that individual had to leave for a medical emergency, to visit the rest room etc. the consecrated host would be left unattended. This could lead to the possible desecration of the Blessed Sacrament. People who celebrate BLACK Masses and worship Satan are often on the look-out for unguarded consecrated hosts to do their evil acts. Two adorers ensure our Lord’s safety. Often the adorers are called Guardians. This is because they Guard the God of the Universe. Keep PRAYING for the success of Perpetual Adoration! A quote from Pope John Paul II- Your faith will help you to realize that it is Jesus Himself who is present in the Blessed Sacrament, waiting for you and calling you to spend one special specific hour with Him each week. A Quote from Mother Theresa- Jesus has made Himself the Bread of Life to give us life. Night and day, He is there. If you really want to grow in love, come back to the Eucharist, come back to Adoration.