Adoration Chapel - what do I do in case of danger?

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SecretaryMonday

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I’ve signed up for an hour a week in my parish’s Perpetual Adoration chapel. I know that I am there, in part, to protect the Host; out of curiosity, and assuming that I had the presence of mind, what can I do if such a danger arises (besides hope that my cellphone works so I can call for help)? Am I allowed to consume the Host by myself, in an extreme circumstance, in order to prevent desecration? I know that ordinarily, only a priest may self-communicate.

:confused:
 
SecretaryMonday said:
I’ve signed up for an hour a week in my parish’s Perpetual Adoration chapel. I know that I am there, in part, to protect the Host; out of curiosity, and assuming that I had the presence of mind, what can I do if such a danger arises (besides hope that my cellphone works so I can call for help)? Am I allowed to consume the Host by myself, in an extreme circumstance, in order to prevent desecration? I know that ordinarily, only a priest may self-communicate.

:confused:
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Based on the immediate danger common sense must kick-in at some point. If I was adoring the Blessed Sacrament and the room began to shake (I live in California) I would immediately take cover – with the monstrance holding the Blessed Sacrament it at all possible. If I wasn’t incapacitated afterwards and it made sense to (building now not secure and/or seismically sound, no one else around etc.), I would then very carefully and reverently consume the Blessed Sacrament. In such situations I would not worry for a moment about “self communion” or anything else some might dredge up.
 
Many rubrics call for at least two to be present. Check with the person who arranges the adoration hours to see if two are scheduled during your hour. If not, then ask if someone may be called to accompany you. Take a friend or fellow parishioner. Take someone who doubts the presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist.

Your primary purpose is to adore our Lord Jesus Christ. If there is anything that tends to take away from that deeply spiritual experience, that is what needs to be addressed. Ask the person before you to stay 30 minutes, and the one following to arrive 30 minutes a=early. There are many ways to address this, but Jesus came that we might have peace, not concern, or trepidation.
 
I’m glad to see this being brought up. Even though I love going to Adoration, I’ve never signed up for a set hour because I suffer from anxiety and scrupulosity and the “What if’s” get to going in my mind - “What if I had a panic attack during Adoration” “What if there’s a tornado warning” etc. :o Embarrassing questions to have to ask but now that someone else has broken the ice it helps. And the answers themselves are already enlightening, things I hadn’t known. Keep 'em coming! Thanks!
 
SecretaryMonday said:
I’ve signed up for an hour a week in my parish’s Perpetual Adoration chapel. I know that I am there, in part, to protect the Host; out of curiosity, and assuming that I had the presence of mind, what can I do if such a danger arises (besides hope that my cellphone works so I can call for help)? Am I allowed to consume the Host by myself, in an extreme circumstance, in order to prevent desecration? I know that ordinarily, only a priest may self-communicate.

:confused:
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We attend Eucharistic Adoration to spend time with Jesus, to keep Him company, to show our love, etc…
We are not there to protect Him but rather to prevent any desecration that may arise,
.there is a difference!
Yes one can consume the host, that is not self communicating. I can think of no instance that would require such a drastic action as you described?
You need to immediately contact the chapel leader or the priest overseeing the Adoration to be properly trained. I suggest you find a friend to go with you to adoration.
 
I would suggest that Parishes who have Perpetual Adoration Chapels have at least one security guard that can keep guard along with the adorers.

The Adoration Chapel must have doors that lead into the Sacristy or the Main Altar, where in case of any danger it may be relocked in the Tabernacle, or even better that a tabernacle be installed in that Chapel that they can be reposed/exposed.

Some other Chapels also have a bulletproof glass box keeping the ostensoria/ciborium safe. This may be secured with a lock.

But all in all, making sure that the Lord is secure is also an act of adoration and reverence to the Divine Mystery of the Eucharist.
 
SecretaryMonday said:
I’ve signed up for an hour a week in my parish’s Perpetual Adoration chapel. I know that I am there, in part, to protect the Host; out of curiosity, and assuming that I had the presence of mind, what can I do if such a danger arises (besides hope that my cellphone works so I can call for help)? Am I allowed to consume the Host by myself, in an extreme circumstance, in order to prevent desecration? I know that ordinarily, only a priest may self-communicate.

:confused:
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Yes, if consuming the host will protect Our Lord, by all means, do it. In fact, if you have a strong belief that there is a serious and immediate danger of desecration, you need to do so.
 
SecretaryMonday said:
I’ve signed up for an hour a week in my parish’s Perpetual Adoration chapel. I know that I am there, in part, to protect the Host; out of curiosity, and assuming that I had the presence of mind, what can I do if such a danger arises (besides hope that my cellphone works so I can call for help)? Am I allowed to consume the Host by myself, in an extreme circumstance, in order to prevent desecration? I know that ordinarily, only a priest may self-communicate.

:confused:
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Saints have died to protect our Lord Jesus in the form of the Holy Eucharist from desecration. We should only hope to be able to imitate them if it comes to that. But if we fail, the Lord will forgive us; Jesus can take care of Himself. Remember Peter himself denied the Lord three times when Jesus was going to the cross, yet later was crucified for standing up for Christ.

If it makes you feel more comfortable then please ask your parish priest about it. It is good to be prepared; but also remember that the apostles when approaching a difficult situation where they needed to speak did not prepare by coming up with the exact words; rather they prayed for guidance and let the Holy Spirit speak through their mouths. Ask the priest, but also pray amongst your other prayers to be given the strength and knowledge to protect our Lord both in adoration and in life.
 
kiapokspika said:
I would suggest that Parishes who have Perpetual Adoration Chapels have at least one security guard that can keep guard along with the adorers.

The Adoration Chapel must have doors that lead into the Sacristy or the Main Altar, where in case of any danger it may be relocked in the Tabernacle, or even better that a tabernacle be installed in that Chapel that they can be reposed/exposed.

Some other Chapels also have a bulletproof glass box keeping the ostensoria/ciborium safe. This may be secured with a lock.

But all in all, making sure that the Lord is secure is also an act of adoration and reverence to the Divine Mystery of the Eucharist.
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We have had 24/7 Devotion for years. We have a separate small Adoration Chapel. It is open from 6:00 a.m. -6:00 p.m… Between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., the Chapel is locked, and there is a code that must be punched in.

There is no security guard. This would cost a lot. Obviously we want to protect the Lord, but we also want to be good stewards of the offering money. There are so many needs in the parish that must be paid for. Our neighborhood is in a “safe” section of the city, and as far as I know, there have never been any acts of violence. There have been homeless people who occasionally wander into the chapel and sleep, but they don’t hurt anyone.

There are signs up in the Chapel about what do in the event of various emergencies. There is a phone in the chapel in case someone needs to call and doesn’t have a cell phone.

Usually there are two adorers scheduled, but this isn’t always possible, especially during the wee hours. There is a list of substitute adorers, and most people are friends or at least acquainted with someone that they can call, even at the last minute, to take their place if they find themselves unable to make it to Adoration.

It is such a privilege to visit and adore the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament!
 
thomas_jd said:
I can think of no instance that would require such a drastic action as you described?
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I can’t either. Even if such a scenario occured, I wouldn’t be able to figure out how to open the monstrance anyway. (Maybe I could use it to bash somebody, I don’t know? Sorry…no sleep, feeling silly.) 😛
You need to immediately contact the chapel leader or the priest overseeing the Adoration to be properly trained. I suggest you find a friend to go with you to adoration.
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Yes, I’ll ask the overseer, I’m sure there is a protocol in place that I just need to make myself aware of. I’m scheduled on a wee hour of the morning, so there isn’t anyone else there with me. The entrance IS locked to everyone except scheduled adorers, however, so there’s that security.
 
3DOCTORS said:
I’m glad to see this being brought up. Even though I love going to Adoration, I’ve never signed up for a set hour because I suffer from anxiety and scrupulosity and the “What if’s” get to going in my mind - “What if I had a panic attack during Adoration” “What if there’s a tornado warning” etc. :o Embarrassing questions to have to ask but now that someone else has broken the ice it helps. And the answers themselves are already enlightening, things I hadn’t known. Keep 'em coming! Thanks!
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Thanks for sharing, its nice to know I’m not the only embarrassed one. 😃
 
At the perpetual adoration chapel which is adjacent to a parish, they have signs up reminding people what to do in case of emergency: take the monstrance and go to a designated safe place until the danger passes. The place has scheduled adorers, and also people who drop in whenever they can to spend time with Lord.

I remember going to the chapel after a stressful work day, and just sat there with a prayer book. A woman looked at me anxiously not long after my arrival, and said will you be here a while, I said yes. She said the next person who takes the chapel key had not arrived, and asked me to keep it by me for that person. I agreed to do so. Perhaps she was waiting for the scheduled person and/or hoping for someone to stop in so that the Lord was not alone. The lady thanked me profusely for not leaving Jesus alone. The scheduled adorer came a few minutes later after the lady left, she then took the key from me and apologized for being late as her alarm clock did not go off for some reason.
 
Your first duty is for your safety. Let me repeat that, your first duty is for your safety. The Holy Eucharist will take care of It’s self.

In the MOST Extreme (and Rare) situation and if time allows — terrorists coming to storm the Church, catastrophic Emergency AND if there is time, consume the Most Scared Host.

Your first duty is for your safety. Let me repeat that, your first duty is for your safety. The Holy Eucharist will take care of It’s self.
 
Kevin812 said:
Your first duty is for your safety. Let me repeat that, your first duty is for your safety. The Holy Eucharist will take care of It’s self.

In the MOST Extreme (and Rare) situation and if time allows — terrorists coming to storm the Church, catastrophic Emergency AND if there is time, consume the Most Scared Host.

Your first duty is for your safety. Let me repeat that, your first duty is for your safety. The Holy Eucharist will take care of It’s self.
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I wonder what St. Tarcisius would say about that…

:D:D:D [ducks and hides]
 
The only difficulty I’ve encountered is bats flying around the chapel in the wee early am hours. Have no idea how they got in there, but I certainly wasn’t going to leave. But my ducking was less than reverant…
 
superamazingman said:
I wonder what St. Tarcisius would say about that…

:D:D:D [ducks and hides]
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I like that kid. 😃

Unfortunately, all day long I’ve had the recurring idea of beating the bad guy with a monstrance. Its pointy and it would hurt. There is a song called “Give Me Jesus”…I’d give them Jesus, all right…:nunchuk:
(NO I WOULDN’T, absolutely not. It definitely isn’t something to joke about. I’d remove the host first…:tsktsk:)
 
Kevin812 said:
Your first duty is for your safety. Let me repeat that, your first duty is for your safety. The Holy Eucharist will take care of It’s self.

In the MOST Extreme (and Rare) situation and if time allows — terrorists coming to storm the Church, catastrophic Emergency AND if there is time, consume the Most Scared Host.

Your first duty is for your safety. Let me repeat that, your first duty is for your safety. The Holy Eucharist will take care of It’s self.
Click to expand...
Agree, the God Lord will save you, like he already has, you do not need to save him.
 
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