October 15, 2010
‘Sitting in God’s presence’
Eucharistic Adoration chapels throughout the diocese
Linda Ketzner prays in the Eucharistic Adoration Chapel at Holy Redeemer Church in Evansville. “This is one of the most wonderful blessings of my life.” (Message photo by Mary Ann Hughes) Click for a larger version.
By MARY ANN HUGHES (Message staff writer)
For a year, Linda Ketzner filled the 3 a.m. slot for the Eucharistic Adoration Chapel at Holy Redeemer Church in Evansville.
She remembers the silence and the peace she experienced — and how the visits became a blessing in her life.
Now, because of her job, she has changed the time of her visits to noon, but she still misses those early morning hours in the chapel.
“This is one of the most wonderful blessings of my life,” she said, “It’s amazing what one hour a week can do for a person.”
She says the visits to the chapel have “helped my faith. I am learning to be still, and sit in God’s presence. We are very blessed at Holy Redeemer to have this chapel.”
Eucharistic adoration is the act of worshipping God as he is present in the consecrated Eucharist. Adorers are encouraged to give adoration and praise, and pray prayers of thanksgiving, repentance and intercession. Pope Benedict XVI has said of Eucharistic devotion: “Adoration means entering the depths of our hearts in communion with the Lord, who makes himself bodily present in the Eucharist. In the monstrance, he always entrusts himself to us and asks us to be united with his presence, with his risen body.”
There are Eucharistic Adoration chapels all over the Diocese of Evansville. One of them is at Precious Blood Church in Jasper where Father Gary Kaiser is the pastor.
Years ago, before he was ordained to the priesthood, he had a dream “that some day, if I was blessed to have a parish, that I would see about an adoration chapel.” Even before he attended seminary, he went with friends to pray in adoration chapels in the Indianapolis area, and in 2009 when he was named pastor at Precious Blood Church, an adoration chapel was opened at the parish.
“The bishop guided us,” he said, noting the bishop’s emphasis that the “laity had to make it happen.”
The chapel, which is located on the westside of the church, is open daily, and has over 300 volunteers who come and pray all hours of the day. They include members from the St. John Bosco youth ministry in the Jasper area. “They have an hour assigned, and several of them” come to the chapel, he said, adding that he believes spending time in adoration “encourages them to exercise their faith.”
One of his favorite memories occurred when he was in the chapel one day and some fifth grade girls told him they were there to “say a few prayers to Jesus.” They had given up part of their recess “so they could spend time with Jesus.”
“It is so peaceful,” he said, “to see people there at all times day and night. It warms my heart that they are with God!”
Parishes around the Diocese of Evansville were invited to provide information to the Message about their Eucharistic Adoration chapels. Here are their responses.
DAYLIGHT
St. John Church in Daylight has the newest Eucharistic Adoration Chapel in the diocese. It’s a small chapel with a private entrance, seven pews, an arched ceiling painted blue and sprinkled with stars, and an altar that resembles the main altar in the church. A stained-glass window of St. Clare is currently being refurbished, and will be installed at the north end of the chapel.
Rose Zigenfus is a member of the chapel committee. She said of the 168 hours that needed to be filled, only 20 are left, and that it’s been heart-warming to see the response from the parishioners, both in their willingness to pay for the chapel and to sign up for prayer times.
“People have just been so generous,” she said. “It’s the love of Jesus, and the reason the chapel is going to be such a success, I believe.”
She thinks the chapel will “make them a lot closer as a community and a lot closer to the Lord.”
Leah Haley, parish CRE, said, “November 7 is the opening of our St. Clare Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel. We are doing a Corpus Christi procession after the 11:15 a.m. Sunday Mass on Nov. 7. This is the kick off celebration! We would like to invite everyone to join us.
“The chapel is located at the main entrance of the church. The chapel is open to all from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and to those scheduled adorers with an access code who will have access to the chapel 24/7.
“If you would like to have your own weekly adoration hour with Jesus,” call Jane Young or Leah Haley at the church office (812) 867-3718.
EVANSVILLE
• Diana Wolford, parish secretary at Christ the King Church, Evansville, said, “Here at Christ The King we have Adoration on the First Friday of every month to pray for vocations. Adoration begins after our morning 7:45 a.m. Mass (approx. 8:05 a.m.).
“Adoration continues until 7 p.m., ending with Benediction. It is in our chapel which is located alongside our sanctuary. You can access it through the side doors of the church (from the parking lot). We have two volunteers per hour and a sign up sheet outside the door. Everyone is welcome to come and pray.”
• The perpetual adoration chapel at Holy Redeemer Church, Evansville, is named after St. John Vianney. It’s located in the former rectory behind the church.
Parishioner Cecilia Phillips said, “We are blessed to have 186 regularly scheduled adorers and 123 substitutes who faithfully cover the 168 weekly hours.” The chapel has an average of over 40 visitors every day.
In less than a year, over 13,000 “adorers, substitutes and visitors” have visited the chapel.
The door locks automatically from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. “If anyone wishes to register to be a scheduled adorer or substitute, he/she is given an ID number that is used to ‘sign in’ on the touchscreen as well as open the door during the nighttime hours. (Otherwise, the adorer present has the option to unlock the door — we do not encourage admitting an unknown person).”
She added, “We will celebrate the first anniversary of the opening of our chapel on Nov. 1 – the Feast of All Saints. Mass will begin at 6 p.m., followed by Benediction, a procession to the chapel, and a Soup and Bread Supper in the cafeteria. All are welcome. Please RSVP (for the supper) by calling (812) 449-0092.
• Father Phil Kreilein, pastor at Resurrection Church, Evansville, said his parish “has had a Eucharistic Adoration Chapel since 1983.
“Our hours are Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., and Sunday noon to 10 p.m.
“The entrance to the chapel is the door under the church canopy and to the left once inside the church.
“We have approximately 150 adorers. You can be put on the regular schedule by calling the Resurrection Church Office at (812) 963-3121 and you will be put in contact with the chairperson of a day that fits.”
• Blessed Sacrament Sister Jane Nesmith, pastoral life coordinator at St. John Church, Evansville, said, “We have Eucharistic adoration from 3 to 6 p.m. on Fridays. The chapel or prayer room is across from the sanctuary.”
• Benedictine Father Gregory Chamberlin, pastor at St. Benedict Cathedral, Evansville, said his parish “has an adoration chapel located in the ‘cry room’ just off the right side of the sanctuary as you face the altar.
“Adoration is from noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, except on holidays. Our sign up person is Louise Mehringer.”
• Father Steve Lintzenich, pastor at St. Mary Church, Evansville, said, “Our chapel is a ‘Blessed Sacrament chapel.’ It is open every day from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m.
“It is called ‘Our Lady’s chapel.’”
GIBSON COUNTY
• Father Tony Ernst is the pastor at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Haubstadt, Holy Cross Church, Fort Branch, and St. Bernard Church, Snake Run. “We are going to start having adoration at Sts. Peter and Paul Church every Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. Saturday.
“This is a combined effort with Sts. Peter and Paul, Holy Cross and St. Bernard parishes. We also have adoration at Holy Cross every First Thursday and at St. Bernard every First Friday.”
• Patty Maurer, resource/business manager at St. James Church in Haubstadt, said, “Here at St. James, we have monthly first Saturday adoration, which starts 24 hours the day before: 7 a.m. on Friday morning to first Saturday mornings.”
She added, “The closing lasts one and a half hours with Mass concluding,” and suggested “calling the rectory for times needed or just come anytime. We have adoration all night on those weekends.”
• Susan Williams is the DRE at St. Joseph Church in Princeton. She said, “Eucharistic Adoration is held in the Day Chapel on the 16th of each month from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m.
“When the 16th falls on a Sunday, Eucharistic Adoration begins at noon. Benediction follows at 5 p.m. Sign-ups are coordinated by Jerry and Judy Marx and Gilbert Karcher; however, the Day Chapel is open to the public during adoration hours. Those who visit the chapel are asked to pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood, diaconate and religious life as part of their meditation. For more information, contact the parish office at (812) 385-2617.”
LOOGOOTEE
Father Joseph Erbacher is the pastor of the four Martin County parishes. He said, “We do not have a Eucharistic Adoration Chapel; however, we do every Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at St. John in Loogootee, have a day of Eucharistic Adoration.”
NEWBURGH
Benedictine Sister Jeanne Voges, pastoral associate at St. John the Baptist Church in Newburgh, said, “We have a chapel and Eucharistic adoration each weekday from noon to 6 p.m.
“First Friday Adoration is all day and through the night. I believe that K of C members take this responsibility.
“The Society of St. Clare is the organization that recruits volunteers and schedules daily times in chapel. The chairperson is John Hancock
“Our church is opened each morning at 6:30 a.m. and is locked after the final group leaves in the evening — sometimes as late as 10 p.m.”
SCHNELLVILLE
Eileen Hauser, office manager at Sacred Heart Church, Schnellville, said, “Eucharistic Adoration has been ongoing since January 7, 2002. Beginning at noon, four days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday) and at 1 p.m. Thursday, and ending at 11 p.m. on Monday and Thursday, and at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, people from our parish and several surrounding parishes are present before the Blessed Sacrament exposed in the small chapel in the rear of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church.
“Each has chosen one hour per week as their ‘select space’ for prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Others are welcome to come and participate.”
Coordinators are Manda Leonard, Eileen Hauser, Sandy Turner and Joni Wagner. “All are welcome to spend time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.”
VINCENNES
A Eucharistic Adoration Chapel opened at St. Vincent de Paul Church, Vincennes, in July of 2010. It is named “Jesus King of Angels,” and it was organized by a core group of representatives from St. Philip Neri Church in Bicknell, and Sacred Heart, St. Vincent de Paul, St. John the Baptist, St. Thomas and St. Francis Xavier churches, all in Vincennes.
The chapel opens each week on Tuesday at 9 a.m. following the Mass and is open until 11 p.m. On Wednesday and Thursday, the schedule is 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.
“In a three day period, an average of 45 visitors drop in for prayer in addition to the 126 Adorers committed to an hour each week,” said Zoe Cannon, Sacred Heart parishioner. “We hope very soon to add another day with a commitment from our members of the Knights of Columbus and the Ladies Auxiliary.”
WASHINGTON
Fred and Joyce Schwenk are volunteers at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Perpetual Euch-aristic Adoration chapel at Our Lady of Hope Church in Washington. The chapel is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, according to Fred.
It’s located in the back of the main church building, and there’s a small computer that enables people to sign in and out. There are 268 adorers and 120 substitute adorers, and “most hours we have at least two people in there,” Joyce said. “We have people who go in once a day.”
In its almost five years of existence, 74,000 people have signed in on the chapel’s computer. Joyce believes the chapel “has helped our Catholic community” especially the “joining of the two parishes.”
It’s open to anyone, and “it’s a nice, quiet place to sit and be with God — because he’s there.”