Prayer in the Chapel of
St. Francis & St. Claire
Eucharistic Adoration by: Msgr. Timothy Cronin
“O come, let us adore Him” is the familiar antiphon which resounds on Christmas morning and throughout the Christmas season. In our time the Church continues to call out, “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” by inviting us, her sons and daughters, to believe, to hope, to love and to adore the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
As Chaplain of the Archbishop’s Committee on Eucharistic Adoration and the Legion of One Thousand Adorers at the Carmelite Monastery and Mt. Grace Convent (Pink Sisters), it is my privilege to encourage our priests, deacons, consecrated religious, seminarians, and lay faithful to come to our churches, chapels, and oratories for silent prayer with the Lord.
None of us is immune from a culture that bombards us with stimuli, noise, and distractions. The clatter of the world is pervasive. It is difficult to slow down. Silence can be unsettling. And the Devil loves this. He hates the Holy Name of Jesus and is good at spreading lukewarmness about prayer, liturgy and the Sacraments, which Satan abhors. Yet “wisdom begins with wonder,” as Socrates said. It may seem impossible to add anything extra to our busy lives, but this is precisely why God draws near to us, more intimate with us than we are with ourselves, to strengthen His divine life within us.
God hears our prayers anywhere, of course, but those who visit Him in the Tabernacle will obtain abundant measures of grace. This wisdom is affirmed by the saints and anyone who has spent time in Eucharistic adoration. What a gift we have from God, and yet how easily forgotten Jesus’ Real Presence in the tabernacles of our churches has become. It is no wonder that a recent Pew Research Center (February 2019) found that nearly seven-in-ten Catholics (69%) did not believe that the bread and wine actually become the Body and Blood of Jesus at Holy Mass. To them, it is just a symbol.
Many parishes have Eucharistic exposition with our Lord in the monstrance, but is He left alone? The Blessed Sacrament must never be left exposed when no one is present. The use of drapes, or veils, or doors, or glass to shield the monstrance is not the required reposition of the Blessed Sacrament. If there are no worshipers, the Blessed Sacrament is to be placed in the tabernacle for security and respect.
Wisdom begins with wonder. Recently this sense of wonder filled my heart when I was praying quietly in the front pew before the manger in our Church on New Year’s Day morning, gazing at the Tabernacle where our Lord is hidden, yet very present. One by one, parishioners arrived early to Holy Mass for prayer. The world had just celebrated the arrival of 2020 at the midnight hour, and some of them celebrated at that time too, to welcome a new year. But now they were kneeling in stillness before the Creator of the world to honor Him and the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. Our Blessed Mother continues to speak the words she said to Her Son at Cana, “They have no wine.” Our Lady, Mother of the Church, and Mother of the Eucharist, is still leading us, Her children, to be filled with the abundance which comes from Her Son at Cana, at Calvary, at every Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in every Tabernacle of the world. May we heed her call: Venite Adoremus!
Our Prayer Chapels are open 24/7, however you will need a code to enter the chapel area. Please call the parish office at 903-463-3275 to obtain a code to the gate/chapels.
Stations of the Cross
Along with the prayer chapels, and thanks to some generous donors, St. Patrick also has available a walking Stations of the Cross available within the Chapel grounds available 24/7.
Why pray the Stations of the Cross?
1. They allow us to place our trust in Him
“The Cross of Christ contains all the love of God; there we find his immeasurable mercy. This is a love in which we can place all our trust, in which we can believe…. let us entrust ourselves to Jesus, let us give ourselves over to him, because he never disappoints anyone! Only in Christ crucified and risen can we find salvation and redemption.” —Address, World Youth Day, Way of the Cross, July 26, 2013
2. They put us into the story
“And you, who do you want to be? Like Pilate? Like Simon? Like Mary? Jesus is looking at you now and is asking you: do you want to help me carry the Cross? Brothers and sisters, with all the strength of your youth, how will you respond to him?” —Address, World Youth Day, Way of the Cross, July 26, 2013
3. They remind us that Jesus suffers with Us
“The Cross of Christ bears the suffering and the sin of mankind, including our own. Jesus accepts all this with open arms, bearing on his shoulders our crosses and saying to us: ‘Have courage! You do not carry your cross alone! I carry it with you. I have overcome death and I have come to give you hope, to give you life’ (cf. Jn 3:16).” —Address, World Youth Day, Way of the Cross, July 26, 2013.
4. They compel us to action
“But the Cross of Christ invites us also to allow ourselves to be smitten by his love, teaching us always to look upon others with mercy and tenderness, especially those who suffer, who are in need of help, who need a word or a concrete action.” —Address, World Youth Day, Way of the Cross, July 26, 2013
5. They help us make a decision for or against Christ
“[The Cross] reveals a judgment, namely that God, in judging us, loves us. Let us remember this: God judges us by loving us. If I embrace his love then I am saved, if I refuse it, then I am condemned, not by him, but my own self, because God never condemns, he only loves and saves.” —Address, Good Friday, March 29, 2013.
6. They reveal God's response to evil in the world
“The Cross is the word through which God has responded to evil in the world. Sometimes it may seem as though God does not react to evil, as if he is silent. And yet, God has spoken, he has replied, and his answer is the Cross of Christ: a word which is love, mercy, forgiveness.” – Address, Good Friday, March 29, 2013.
7. They give us the certainty of God's love for us
“What has the Cross given to those who have gazed upon it and to those who have touched it? What has the Cross left in each one of us? You see, it gives us a treasure that no one else can give: the certainty of the faithful love which God has for us.” – Address, World Youth Day, Way of the Cross, July 26, 2013.
8. They Guide us from the cross to the resurrection
“O, Our Jesus, guide us from the Cross to the resurrection and teach us that evil shall not have the last word, but love, mercy and forgiveness. O Christ, help us to exclaim again: ‘Yesterday I was crucified with Christ; today I am glorified with Him. Yesterday I died with Him, today I live with Him. Yesterday I was buried with Him, today I am raised with Him’”.” – Address, Good Friday, April 18, 2014
We recommend if you are reading the following options for Stations:
http://www.scripturalrosary.org
or if you are praying with kids or teens try these:
The Stations of the Cross for Teens
Stations of the Cross for Children with Coloring Pages
Or, you can pray the Stations of the Cross with St. Patrick!