L
Liz_Smith
Guest
Hello,
A few months ago, I discovered a chapel near work which has Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 9-7, M-F. I began going often, as my scheduled allowed. However, one day I was the only person there. I had always been taught that the exposed Eucharist cannot be left alone, so I stayed until someone else arrived. I asked her where the schedule for adorers was (I had also been taught that if I am alone, I should call a sub or the next scheduled adorer) and she told me that there was no schedule.
I was very troubled. Our Lord would have been alone if I had not happened to be there. I emailed the woman in charge of Eucharistic Adoration, and she said she knows there are times when no one is there, but that Church doctrine only “suggests” that someone is always present during Exposition.
I emailed her back, and as politely as possible, I told her that I was still concerned, and quoted from the liturgical instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum, issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacrament:
[138.] Still, the Most Holy Sacrament, when exposed, must never be left unattended even for the briefest space of time. It should therefore be arranged that at least some of the faithful always be present at fixed times, even if they take alternating turns.
She never responded, so I called a priest I had known through college, and he was very troubled. He said I should email the priest of the parish to bring it to his attention.
When I emailed the priest, I explained that I loved the chapel, but that I was concerned because I when I arrive at the chapel I occasionally find no one there, or I end up there alone. Since the building is unlocked, and away from the main church, I was especially troubled for the security and reverence for the Eucharist.
The priest emailed me back, thanked me for my concern, but said that while there are gaps, there’s not that many, and that the chapel was easily visible from the other church buildings (across the street).
I needed advice, and since the priest I called before is quite busy, I asked the monseigneur at the church we recently began attending. They have a perpetual Adoration chapel, so I figured he would know more about the regulations.
Instead, he told me that there are “hours where no one is there” (in his Perpetual Adoration chapel) and that the faithful place a veil over the monstrance before leaving. He said the chapel is unlocked 24/7, but in ten years they’ve never had an incident.
This is very different from what I had experienced in my hometown! When I was in college, there was a church near campus that had Perpetual Adoration, and the door was locked after a certain time. There were always two adorers scheduled, and signs explained that our Lord must never be left alone. Signs were also posted on the door, with instructions to call emergency subs whose numbers were listed by the one-way phone.
Are these situations something to be concerned about? Please advise!
God bless,
-Liz
A few months ago, I discovered a chapel near work which has Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 9-7, M-F. I began going often, as my scheduled allowed. However, one day I was the only person there. I had always been taught that the exposed Eucharist cannot be left alone, so I stayed until someone else arrived. I asked her where the schedule for adorers was (I had also been taught that if I am alone, I should call a sub or the next scheduled adorer) and she told me that there was no schedule.
I was very troubled. Our Lord would have been alone if I had not happened to be there. I emailed the woman in charge of Eucharistic Adoration, and she said she knows there are times when no one is there, but that Church doctrine only “suggests” that someone is always present during Exposition.
I emailed her back, and as politely as possible, I told her that I was still concerned, and quoted from the liturgical instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum, issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacrament:
[138.] Still, the Most Holy Sacrament, when exposed, must never be left unattended even for the briefest space of time. It should therefore be arranged that at least some of the faithful always be present at fixed times, even if they take alternating turns.
She never responded, so I called a priest I had known through college, and he was very troubled. He said I should email the priest of the parish to bring it to his attention.
When I emailed the priest, I explained that I loved the chapel, but that I was concerned because I when I arrive at the chapel I occasionally find no one there, or I end up there alone. Since the building is unlocked, and away from the main church, I was especially troubled for the security and reverence for the Eucharist.
The priest emailed me back, thanked me for my concern, but said that while there are gaps, there’s not that many, and that the chapel was easily visible from the other church buildings (across the street).
I needed advice, and since the priest I called before is quite busy, I asked the monseigneur at the church we recently began attending. They have a perpetual Adoration chapel, so I figured he would know more about the regulations.
Instead, he told me that there are “hours where no one is there” (in his Perpetual Adoration chapel) and that the faithful place a veil over the monstrance before leaving. He said the chapel is unlocked 24/7, but in ten years they’ve never had an incident.
This is very different from what I had experienced in my hometown! When I was in college, there was a church near campus that had Perpetual Adoration, and the door was locked after a certain time. There were always two adorers scheduled, and signs explained that our Lord must never be left alone. Signs were also posted on the door, with instructions to call emergency subs whose numbers were listed by the one-way phone.
Are these situations something to be concerned about? Please advise!
God bless,
-Liz