EUCHARISTIC Adoration was once referred to as “the best, the surest, and the most effective way of establishing everlasting peace on the face of the earth” by Blessed Pope John Paul II.
In Perth, there are four perpetual Adoration centres – St Bernadette’s in Glendalough, Holy Spirit Parish in City Beach, St Joseph’s in Bassendean, and now St Lawrence’s in Balcatta.
But many other parishes offer long periods of Adoration during the week, including Sacred Heart Parish in Highgate, St Jerome’s in Spearwood, and St Gerard Majella’s in Mirrabooka.
Chaplain of the Apostles of Perpetual Adoration and parish priest at Glendalough, Fr Doug Harris, told The Record why it is important to spend time in Adoration.
“It’s very simple. Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament,” he said.
“He himself is there. St John the Baptist leapt for joy when he was in the Real Presence of Our Lord in the womb of his mother.”
A year ago, Whitford parishioner Marina Herlihy had no idea what Eucharistic Adoration was. Now she cannot speak more favourably of it.
“I was at the point where I wanted to go further with my faith but I didn’t know how,” she explained.
“The more I started to go, the happier I was feeling and the more positive my life started to become.
“I think it was because I was spending more time talking to God, which is a lot more quality time than what you would have at home … just being in complete silence at church makes all the difference.”
Mrs Herlihy said taking time out of a busy schedule to contemplate Christ in the Blessed Sacrament was the highlight of her day.
“This is my extra step towards knowing God more, this is what I wanted,” she said.
“The beauty of going to Adoration is that you are spending personal time with the Lord, and he is listening.
“When you leave there after doing Adoration, you feel the graces and they become evident in your life and in the lives of the people you’re praying for.”
The mother of four said she was saddened to learn that it was primarily elderly parishioners who were filling the Adoration time-slots at her parish.
She encouraged fellow Catholics to “go and try it”, even if they are not sure what Adoration is or are unsure what to do during Adoration.
“Don’t think, just do it, because you’re going to get so much out of it,” Mrs Herlihy said.
“What an amazing amount of graces can be poured onto them, which can then overflow into the world, if they just spent this one hour with the Lord.
“People just need to go and try it and I promise if people did it once, just that one time, they will come back, because it’s addictive in a good way.”