Adoration Etiquette Question

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During RCIA, I was instructed that when a Church has an adoration service (not perpetual adoration in a chapel, but scheduled adoration) that once the adoration is begun, you are not to enter or leave. Should you arrive for Mass and adoration is taking place, you should wait quietly outside until the Eucharist is placed back inside the tabernacle.

Our Parish has Adoration before some masses, and people trot right in whenever they arrive – they actually look at me in a strange way for waiting outside the glass doors like “why are you just standing here”? This is not a liberal Parish, and I wonder if I was instructed in error…

My question is it okay to enter during “non-perpetual” Adoration or not?

Thanks
 
Though not an expert in this area by any means, I can try to answer from experience. At our parish, Adoration is held on Sunday afternoons. My mother-in-law, who is a Third-Order Carmelite, is in charge of the Sunday Adoration, and works to ensure that it is celebrated properly. During the four-hour period, people come in and out all the time. As long as you are quiet and respectful, I see no problem with entering and exiting the church/chapel, and I do not believe there is a rule prohibiting such movement. This would be a wonderful opportunity for you to spend some time with the Blessed Sacrament before Mass, if you happen to get there early.

Also, in case you’re not familiar practices during Adoration, when one does enter or leave the room in which the Blessed Sacrament is exposed, the tradition is to genuflect on both knees (rather than just one).

God Bless!
 
To further clarify, the Adoration I’m referenceing here is for approx 30 minutes before one Mass.
 
My unofficial guess…God would be happy to have you stop by anytime and adore him. Only the scrupulous would comment.

Just come in quietly and reverently and start your adoration.
 
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kage_ar:
During RCIA, I was instructed that when a Church has an adoration service (not perpetual adoration in a chapel, but scheduled adoration) that once the adoration is begun, you are not to enter or leave. Should you arrive for Mass and adoration is taking place, you should wait quietly outside until the Eucharist is placed back inside the tabernacle.

Our Parish has Adoration before some masses, and people trot right in whenever they arrive – they actually look at me in a strange way for waiting outside the glass doors like “why are you just standing here”? This is not a liberal Parish, and I wonder if I was instructed in error…

My question is it okay to enter during “non-perpetual” Adoration or not?

Thanks
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Yes, you can enter or leave as necessary with as little noise or interuption as possible.

The requirement of kneeling on both knees instead of a simple genuflection is no longer specified in the documents regarding the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. However if you wish to please do so.
 
If your parish has a specific rule for the brief adoration period you describe, there should be a sign so stating at every entrance, and preferably an usher to remind people to wait outside. For periods longer than that, people are free to come and go, but the number one rule of etiquette is sacred silence. We are catechising the youth to appreciate and participate in holy hours, and we are practicing genuflecting, and lowering the kneelers and replacing missalettes without banging. If you have children with you, please explain to them what is going on and what behavior you expect BEFORE you enter the church or chapel. During my scheduled hour at may last parish, one father regularly brought his toddler in to visit Jesus, she would say cheerfully “Hi, Jesus, it’s me, Marcy” then knee next to her dad and tell everyone to “Shhh” what a great dad and lucky child.
 
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