I think that if you are near enough to hear someone come in your okay. Perhaps you could lock the chapel door to be safe if you are only out of the adoration room for a minute or two. ( I think I serve at the same Chapel as you and wondered about the same thing.) Sometimes I am there alone for 2 or 3 hrs and that’s a long time without a drink or bathroom.What exactly constitutes being “left alone” in the case of adoration? We frequently have only one adorer at the local chapel. The times I have been there I’ve had to leave the sacrament alone for 2-3 minutes so I can go to the restroom or eat/drink a bit (medically required). Is this considered inappropriate?
Our pastor says to use common sense.What exactly constitutes being “left alone” in the case of adoration? We frequently have only one adorer at the local chapel. The times I have been there I’ve had to leave the sacrament alone for 2-3 minutes so I can go to the restroom or eat/drink a bit (medically required). Is this considered inappropriate?
People get sick, cars break down at the last minute… Reality is a terrible thing when it comes to strict rules.I don’t think the Lord is to be left alone, not even for a minute! We have a strict rule that there must be at least two adorers at all times, just for emergency purposes. I don’t think it’s ever OK.
Unfortunately this is likely impossible, especially for the late-night hours that I try to do. Oftentimes they struggle to have an adorer at all, and I know many times they have had to cover the sacrament due to lack of anyone to be there.I don’t think the Lord is to be left alone, not even for a minute! We have a strict rule that there must be at least two adorers at all times, just for emergency purposes. I don’t think it’s ever OK.
There are two reasons that the Blessed Sacrament must never be left alone: to provide continuous adoration and protection of the Eucharist. Somebody could take the Holy Eucharist so it would be necessary to repose the Monstrance whereby the Eucharist is locked up safely.What exactly constitutes being “left alone” in the case of adoration? We frequently have only one adorer at the local chapel. The times I have been there I’ve had to leave the sacrament alone for 2-3 minutes so I can go to the restroom or eat/drink a bit (medically required). Is this considered inappropriate?
I don’t think this is really possible in the chapel. One, at the late-night hours I go, the building itself is locked. The person would have to obtain the code to open the door or otherwise manage to break into the church. Two, the Monstrance is set into the wall, with what appears to be thick glass over the Eucharist. It’s not accessible at all from the chapel side. I’m not sure what arrangements are on the other side, but I doubt it’s simply open. In any case you’d have to break through another few locked doors to get in. Not something that’s likely to happen in the 2min it takes to use the ladies room.There are two reasons that the Blessed Sacrament must never be left alone: to provide continuous adoration and protection of the Eucharist. Somebody could take the Holy Eucharist so it would be necessary to repose the Monstrance whereby the Eucharist is locked up safely.
I see. I is nothing like the way I have seen it. Normally in the parishes I have been in, the Monstrance is where anyone could touch it.I don’t think this is really possible in the chapel. One, at the late-night hours I go, the building itself is locked. The person would have to obtain the code to open the door or otherwise manage to break into the church. Two, the Monstrance is set into the wall, with what appears to be thick glass over the Eucharist. It’s not accessible at all from the chapel side. I’m not sure what arrangements are on the other side, but I doubt it’s simply open. In any case you’d have to break through another few locked doors to get in. Not something that’s likely to happen in the 2min it takes to use the ladies room.
We have an excellent organization system. Scheduled adorers and substitutes know who to call, and often do, when there is an emergency. I have gotten calls from the local hospitals and one night from a hospital 40 miles away. These calls are from the person accompanying the adorer. We then find a substitute adorer. We have a copy of the roster in the chapel lobby and a phone (outgoing calls only) so that when an adorer does not show up for the appointed time, the present adorer knows who to call and a “substitute” goes to the chapel.People get sick, cars break down at the last minute… Reality is a terrible thing when it comes to strict rules.
-Tim-
We have a keypad on our outside chapel door. Only registered adorers, including visitors, have the code to the keypad. During the day, people can enter the chapel through a connecting door to the main church. When the parish office is closed, the church and the connecting door are locked. On Sundays, during the time frame for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, this connecting door is open for people who wish to pray before or after Mass.I see. I is nothing like the way I have seen it. Normally in the parishes I have been in, the Monstrance is where anyone could touch it.
Exactly. That is why our priest insists there be at least two adorers at all times! Makes perfect sense to me.People get sick, cars break down at the last minute… Reality is a terrible thing when it comes to strict rules.
-Tim-