Is this modern Eucharistic Adoration?

[Holland]

While traveling I went to Mass one morning in a small town. After Mass I wanted to stay and say the Rosary. The priest escorted me to their “Prayer Room”. They had a tabernacle with the Eucharist elevated above it, sealed in glass. There were two women present, praying out loud and rubbing small drops of oil in the palms of their hands. Pretty soon they are asking me all kinds of questions and would I like to pray with them. I said no thanks I will stick with my Rosary. The question is, what was going on here? Is this how Eucharistic Adoration is done in some places or what?

 

[SingtotheLord]

Where was this?
Maybe you can go back and ask the priest!

 

[Holland]

Where was this?
Maybe you can go back and ask the priest!

The church is in northern Ohio. I wanted to ask but the priest was gone when I came out. Not much of a chance for me go back and ask him unless I fly there.

 

[Dirk_Skene]

Sounds just plain weird :ehh: I will be following this thread. I’d like to know what was going on too

 

[az_4_faith]

What other kinds of questions were they asking you?

 

[1ke]

An Adoration chapel is not unusual. And, typically, you would find people there praying.

Perhaps these were just talkative women. In small towns, strangers are easy to spot and gossip is hard currency. So, maybe they wanted to be able to tell everyone about the out-of-towner who stopped in at adoration.

As for the oil, I know people who do use oil as a sacramental. Not usually in the Adoration chapel, however.

 

[Holland]

What other kinds of questions were they asking you?

Just where I was from, that kind of stuff. In the end when I said I would stick with my Rosary they asked me if I wanted them to pray for some special intention. The thing I am concerned about is whether the Eucharist displayed in this manner signifies Eucharistic Adoration taking place. I am used to a very silent, reverent Eucharistic Adoration. I was just thinking that something entirely different might be going on that I knew nothing about.

 

[az_4_faith]

Most of the people I’ve encountered in Adoration are very quiet and pray either silently or very quietly to themselves.

Sometimes, a group will pray the rosary together in the Adoration Chapel before morning Mass.

Every now and then, someone will be a little more vocal with their prayers. I have a hard time concentrating when someone says their prayers out loud, because their prayers are personal in nature, but I try my best to ignore them and concentrate on what I am praying.

In all the hours I’ve spent in Adoration, I’ve never met anyone, by themselves or with anyone else, who has asked me to join in prayer with them. Interesting.

And I’ve never seen anyone rubbing oil on their palms, either in the Adoration Chapel or anywhere else in the Church for that matter, outside of Confirmation, Baptism or Anointing of the Sick. I didn’t even know one could have their own vial of holy oil for private use.

Learn something new every day.