Is there any ceremony in Adoration?

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I’m not sure what you mean by ceremony, but depending on your location it might be common to genuflect on both knees as opposed to one knee. In some places the monstrance is behind a door or curtain and you are supposed to open and close it while someone is there.

All that said, there is no specific liturgical action on is expected to do. You can simply walk in and sit down,but I’d still genuflect to Christ in any case.
 
It’s pretty much expected that you do the genuflect on 2 knees when you enter and at other times if you pass the exposed Host (like if you’re walking through a church). Unless you are not physically able to do that, in which case just do something you’re able to do like bow. If the Host is not exposed (like in the closed tabernacle) then one knee is proper.

Also when the priest has the monstrance or tabernacle open, kneel. I spaced on doing that last week because I was concentrating on praying and i felt like an idiot when I realized I was the only one not kneeling.

Some people will back away from the monstrance for about ten steps to avoid turning their back on Jesus. I have mixed feelings about that because it seems too easy to trip or bang into something. I think Jesus would like us to be careful where we are going.
 
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Interesting. At my church I have seen mainly 1 knee, bows, and very rarely two knees.

I use the hour of adoration prayers out of Blessed be God, after that.
 
2towers said:
Interesting. At my church I have seen mainly 1 knee, bows, and very rarely two knees.

I use the hour of adoration prayers out of Blessed be God, after that.
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I think that given sports injuries and old age there are probably a limited number who can do 2 knees even if they knew it was best.

I cannot…I might look healthy but I had joint damage as a child and kneeling in any way is painful. It’s best not to do it.

One could argue that wrinkled old ladies do it, so I could, too, but as I have obligations that wrinkled old ladies don’t, I have to keep myself together as much as possible.
 
Huh? Two knees?? Seems like touching one knee to the ground is what genuflecting is. Going down to the ground with both knees is just kneeling. Or?
 
JamalChristophr said:
Huh? Two knees?? Seems like touching one knee to the ground is what genuflecting is. Going down to the ground with both knees is just kneeling. Or?
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It is basically kneeling for a minute. Some people take it a step further and bow on their knees so it’s a semi-prostration. You do have to be in good shape to do this stuff and many of the older people are not, so they just bow standing or do a small genuflect. I also get the impression some people were taught generally to bow deeply rather than genuflect.
 
Generally, what I do is clap my hands together and now towards the monstrance, like a Shinto bowing to an altar; before I enter the chapel and genuflect as normal. A friend of mine, she’s West African; prostrates on the floor before the monstrance and I do that occasionally as well.
 
Yes, I think it’s mainly in our heart what matters. I always genuflect on one knee. Nothing wrong with a bow for those who can’t easily bend the knee.
 
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It’s interesting how cultural things tend to be. Most of the Hispanic members tend to prostate totally… flat on the ground. Both coming in and leaving.

Others genuflect. Some bow. Some, down on both knees.

I bow deeply on entering. I have a problem that if I kneel in an open space with no support to get back up, I can’t get back up without looking like some kind of circus act. Fortunately there is a chair near the door, so upon leaving, I will kneel and deeply bow, then use the chair to help get me back up.

Blessings,
Stephie
 
CeaselessMedik said:
Oh, so they just open the curtain, okay. Thanks. 🙂
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It is not supposed to be that simple.

There should be at least some ceremony to beginning and ending Adoration.

The Adoration itself can go on for a very long time, weeks even.

It depends on what is happening at whatever moment you personally happen to arrive.

So for example:

A parish has Adoration from 10 AM to 10 PM

If you arrive a little before either 10 o’clock, there will be some ceremony to Exposing (bring out) and Reposing (putting back) the Most Blessed Sacrament.

There might be a Litany at 11 AM. There might be Rosary at Noon.

There might be silent prayer from 1 to 3.

That’s what I mean by saying that it all depends on when you arrive–and of course, whatever is scheduled.

Benediction (a special Blessing of the people with the Most Blessed Sacrament) will usually occur at the end.

If the Adoration is scheduled for only a short time, maybe a half hour or an hour, then there are typically prayers already scheduled, along with at least some time for silent prayer.
 
Thanks, Father. Since Adoration at my parish is essentially perpetual, I seldom get an opportunity to attend the opening and closing ceremony. In the middle of the night, generally there is only one person per hour. If the next hours assigned person doesn’t show, you stay until someone else gets there. I figure the few times I stayed for 2, 3 or 4 hours was those times God needed me there foe extra cleaning. 😊

Blessings,
Stephie
 
@StephieNorthCo

Have you really stayed for that many hours?? At perpetual adoration at my parish, and I’m sure this PA chapel is not the only one that does this…people often leave. A veil (or there is some fancy word for it, I’m sure) is placed over the monstrance. This happens more often than it should. I know in theory it’s not supposed to happen, but it still happens.

(I generally do my adoration before the tabernacle, most of the time, however, and I’m not a scheduled adorer for the adoration chapel, itself. Generally, there are enough people to fill slots.)
 
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I sometimes stay for an hour and forty five minutes; depending on my needs and what Jesus tells me.
 
Max I’ve stayed is 4 hours. My slot is 1 to 2AM. Several times the 2 AM person didn’t show. A couple times the 2 and 3 AM didn’t show, and once the 2, 3 and 4 AM didn’t show. That one time, the 5AM person came in, noticed the sign in sheet, and exclaimed, oh my, you have a big halo around you.

Blessings,
Stephie
 
My personal routine when going to adoration goes like this:
  1. Walk in, bless myself with Holy Water to remind myself of my baptism and who I belong to
  2. Walk towards a pew and stop before entering
  3. Get down on both knees, bow down semi-prostrate, and recite the Jesus prayer three times.
  4. Get up and enter the pew
  5. Spend time in silence with the Lord
When it is time for me to leave, I reverse the process.
 
AveOTheotokos said:
My personal routine when going to adoration goes like this:

Walk in, bless myself with Holy Water to remind myself of my baptism and who I belong to
Walk towards a pew and stop before entering
Get down on both knees, bow down semi-prostrate, and recite the Jesus prayer three times.
Get up and enter the pew
Spend time in silence with the Lord

When it is time for me to leave, I reverse the process
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Same here. We do have a perpetual adoration chapel with the Blessed Sacrament exposed 24/7/364 (It is reposed on Good Friday and exposed again on Saturday.)

I love my hour, we tend to call it holy hour or chapel hour. It’s at the end of the work week so I can often go in earlier and stay later if I choose. The last few weeks I’ve spent my time reading the bible. I can concentrate on what I’m reading without any distraction.
 
At our church, we have it week days from 6am until just before the 8:30am mass. I usually go from 6-6:30 before I have to head to work. It has been truly life changing for my prayer life.
 
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