Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration
INCREASES VOCATIONS
"Bishops are testifying
to the clear relationship between Eucharistic devotion and an increase
of vocations to the priesthood and religious life,"
Archbishop Justin Rigali of St. Louis, Missouri.
"Recently I learned that a chapel for perpetual adoration
of the Blessed Sacrament has been inaugurated in one of our parishes. Particularly
encouraging was the spirit of collaboration which has characterized this
initiative which includes more than 600 people from six parishes, all of
whom have committed themselves to one hour of prayer in the chapel each
week.
"There are already a number of parishes in the Archdiocese
which have offered the opportunity for perpetual adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament...
"Young people, the sick, mothers and fathers of families
and many other categories of God’s people have discovered anew in prayer
before the Blessed Sacrament a wonderful opportunity for ‘praying the Lord
of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest.’
For this reason I have asked that every parish participate
. . ." ("Signs of the Times", Archbishop Justin Rigali,
St. Louis Review, December 15, 1995, p.6).
Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration
INSPIRES VOCATIONS
Stanley Joseph Ott, Bishop of Baton Rouge, Louisiana writes
that he was given the inspiration to begin Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration
over dinner with "Bishops Flynn of Lafayette. Jacobs of Alexandria, and
Speyrer of Lake Charles." In their dioceses priests were inviting Missionaries
of the Blessed Sacrament to begin Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in their
parishes. Among the many blessings which encouraged Bishop Ott was that
of vocations.
Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration
MULTIPLIES VOCATIONS
When his excellency, Bishop Ott, spoke to Mother Teresa of
Calcutta, he asked her "how she got so many women to join her religious
order". She explained: "We were just like other religious congregations
with few vocations. Then at our chapter in the 1970s we made a decision
to have a holy hour in all our convents each evening. Many blessings resulted
from this Holy Hour the Bishop witnessed, for Mother Teresa continued,
"We began to see more clearly our mission to serve the poor in Christ’s
name. We began to live a more fruitful family life among ourselves. We
experienced double the number
of vocations in our
congregation. And we grew personally in our intimacy with the Lord present
in the Eucharist." The Bishop is "confident" that this will occur in his
diocese too ("Bishop’s Notebook", Stanley Joseph Ott,
Bishop of Baton Rouge, The Catholic Commentator, August 5, 1992, p. 4).
"It was not until 1973, when we began our
daily Holy Hour that our community started to grow and blossom...," Mother
Teresa
Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration
DOUBLES VOCATIONS
At St. John Fisher Seminary in Stamford, Connecticut there
is a Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration chapel. According to the rector, Rev.
Stephen M. DiGiovanni, the reason for beginning Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration
was to "encourage young men of the community to find a vocation to the
priesthood." The enrollment at the seminary rose
50 percent within
the first year that the chapel was founded ("Worshipers
find solace in perpetual chapel", Robin Denaro, Connecticut Post, Saturday,
January 6, 1998, C2).
Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration
TRIPLES VOCATIONS
Bishop John Magee of Cloyne in Eire, Ireland reports that
vocations
to the priesthood in his diocese have tripled since he started Perpetual
Eucharistic Adoration.In 1990 there were
16 seminarians and by 1993 the number had risen to 45 (‘By Your Fruits",
Dr. J. F. Boyle. The Link, January 1996).
Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration
CULTIVATES VOCATIONS
Allentown Bishop Thomas Welsh lauded St. Joseph’s PEA program
for its large number of adorers. Msgr. Anthony Wassel of St. Joseph’s Parish
in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania believes that a late vocation to the priesthood
and a contemplative order of nuns are the result of Perpetual Eucharistic
Adoration in his parish. He says, "the power is in the Eucharist" ("God’s
Work!": Perpetual Adoration, John Haut, Soul Magazine, January-February,
1998, p. 16).
Bishop Seamus Hegarty of Derry, Ireland says that when
he was Bishop of Raphoe, there were 20 vocations in 1990, and 19 came from
parishes that had Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration. He believes that PEA
is the greatest contribution he made as Bishop ("By Your Fruits", Dr. J.
F. Boyle, The Link, January 1996).
"Perpetual Adoration
of the Blessed Sacrament is the solution to our problems of declining vocations,"
Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal, Archbishop of Cebu, Philippines
To schedule a Missionary, obtain information, and materials
in starting
Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration contact:
Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament
PO Box 1701, Plattsburgh, NY 12901
Phone: (518) 561-8193 Fax: (518) 566-7103
ACFP2000@aol.com http://www.ACFP2000.com