Perpetual Adoration - Question

[Orans]

Hi Phamily,

I'm interested in how communities with Perpetual Adoration have it organized.

These are some of my questions [img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/think_chin.gif[/img] , but I would appreciate any information around it especially if you know how specific communities handle the practical aspects:


Do they actually have 24/7/365 day and night adoration? (excepto for Mass time only...?)

Do all the Sisters (in good health, of course) interrupt their sleep for adoration during the night?

Does the community as a whole have some daily time of adoration?

How many hours / half-hours do each Sister have and when (day/night)?

Are there some turns covered by Associates or other people who are not full members of the community?

Is Adoration always open to the public?


Thanks a lot.

[zunshynn]

I can tell you how it works for Our Lady of the Angels Monastery. Different PCPA monasteries do it differently, depending on how many sisters they have.

OLAM has adoration 24/7 every day of the year, except, of course, during the Triduum when adoration of the exposed Blessed Sacrament is forbidden. And they do not have adoration during Mass.

Pretty much all the sisters do interrupt their sleep once or twice a week during the night. There are "easy hours" which are 9-10 pm, 10-11 pm or 5-6 am. Then there are "hard hours" which are an hour and a half at either 11-12.30, 12.30-2, 2-3:30, 3.30-5. Most sisters have one of each, and they are never two days in a row. Some sisters who are older might only have one a week (or sometimes younger sisters that stay with Rev. Mother during the night will only have once a week, so they don't lose too much sleep). The much older sisters do not have assigned hours, although sometimes they will volunteer to cover for a sister when she is sick or otherwise unable to take her regular hour.

Other than communal prayer (like the Divine Office, etc) OLAM does not have a holy hour for the whole community at once (I'm not sure if that's what you meant), but every sister does have one hour each day for adoration. Adoration hours during the day change each day. There is a board just outside the chapel where the superior assigns everyone a time. When sisters have appointments or some time that they cannot take adoration they write it down for her so she knows not put them at that time.

OLAM doesn't have any time when the adoration is covered by anyone outside of the community. The chapel is open on the public side though from 6 am-9:30 PM (6 PM on Sundays).

Most of the smaller PCPA communities do not have perpetual adoration. In fact the consitutions will only allow a community to have perpetual adoration when there are 12 sisters. Some of them will have one or two days a week when they have adoration all through the night. All PCPA do have at least one hour daily (sometimes it is at the same time as Office or another communal prayer, and that counts as her adoration.) So even on days when she has night adoration, she will still have a separate hour scheduled during the day.

Hope that answers some of your questions!

[Orans]

That was excellent! Thank you very much Zunshynn.

And of course now I have more questions [img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/lol.gif[/img]

[quote]OLAM has adoration 24/7 every day of the year, except, of course, during the Triduum when adoration of the exposed Blessed Sacrament is forbidden. And they do not have adoration during Mass.[/quote]
The Triduum is a "one Mass in three days" so to speak, so I asume there is no adoration during it.

[quote]Other than communal prayer (like the Divine Office, etc) OLAM does not have a holy hour for the whole community at once [i](I'm not sure if that's what you meant[/i]), but every sister does have one hour each day for adoration. Adoration hours during the day change each day. There is a board just outside the chapel where the superior assigns everyone a time. When sisters have appointments or some time that they cannot take adoration they write it down for her so she knows not put them at that time. [/quote]

Yes, that's what I meant, the whole community in adoration at once.

So I understand that every Sister has at least ONE hour of Adoration daily during the day -plus some night time per week as explained. Is this right?

Is there only one Sister at a time in Adoration? Or maybe two or more at a time? Does this depend on the number of Sisters in the Community?

Do the Extern Sisters participate the same as the Choir Sisters in the turns? That is, they also have ONE daily Hour and some night Hour during the week?

Are there free times when the Sisters can do Adoration of their own choice besides their turns? (I'm thinking of feast days or Sundays, or free time during a week day)

About how long takes the comunal community prayers daily -including Mass? -I don't know if they sing the Office or recite it, have many devotions like Rosary, Stations or whatever ...

Thanks again

[Orans]

Does anyone know how the Pink Sisters have their Perpetual Adoration organized?

Or some other communities that may have P.A.? Sacramentines?? Others?

Thanks

[zunshynn]

[quote name='Orans' date='28 October 2009 - 06:33 PM' timestamp='1256776423' post='1992982']
That was excellent! Thank you very much Zunshynn.

And of course now I have more questions [img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/lol.gif[/img]


[quote]The Triduum is a "one Mass in three days" so to speak, so I asume there is no adoration during it.[/quote]

Correct... What actually happens at OLAM is at about 3 PM on Holy Thursday, the Blessed Sacrament is reposed. One of the friars brings the Blessed Sacrament from Ephesus House (where the Friars live while they are in Hanceville) and the chapel in the Barn (where the Knights of the Holy Eucharist live) to the Altar of Repose, which is on the cloistered side of the large parlor. The sisters set up a very nice altar and put up curtains against the grille (although the public can see just the back of the tabernacle from their side.) Then he reposes the Blessed Sacrament from the Lower Church, the Upper Church tabernacle, and the cloister tabernacle, and finally from the monstrance. The sisters do continue adoration until mass (though not exposed).

That night until about 8 AM (if I remember correctly) each sister does have an "adoration" hour where she gets up to pray at the Altar of Repose (although again, Our Lord is reposed)... like being there with Him as He suffers in Gethsemane and in prison. After 8 AM, the Altar of Repose is stripped of most decorations, and of all flowers, and the sisters are allowed to make private visits to the Blessed Sacrament, but there is no scheduled time. Rev. Mother did also encourage us to not spend ALL of our time on Good Friday at the Altar of Repose, (which is hard when that's what your life revolves around!) because she wanted us to experience His absence... so we could see how much we need Him and everything. Divine Office, is still in the chapel, and its chanted in a low tone.

Anyway... Same on Holy Saturday. Then after the Easter Vigil mass, Father puts Jesus back on his throne (I think while the Sisters sing the Regina Caeli, or they might start right after, I can't remember exactly). That night the sisters who would normally have adoration that day still do, but it's shifted around a bit and shortened to accomodate the shorter amount of time. Then in the morning adoration resumes as normal.

[quote]

Yes, that's what I meant, the whole community in adoration at once.[/quote]

No not at OLAM... just the times everyone is together for communal prayer, and also the televised Benediction on Sunday. (although in the cloister, because the sisters are off to the side, they can't really see our Lord during Benediction.)

[quote]So I understand that every Sister has at least ONE hour of Adoration daily during the day -plus some night time per week as explained. Is this right?[/quote]

Yep!

[quote]Is there only one Sister at a time in Adoration? Or maybe two or more at a time? Does this depend on the number of Sisters in the Community?[/quote]

At night there is only one sister scheduled for adoration at a time. During the day, however, there is at least two, usually three scheduled at any time. It probably would depend on how many sisters there are, like in Portsmouth, I think they only have one at a time scheduled.

[quote]Do the Extern Sisters participate the same as the Choir Sisters in the turns? That is, they also have ONE daily Hour and some night Hour during the week?[/quote]

Yes, extern sisters still take one hour, although they are not assigned a certain hour during the day, because their work is less flexible. They pick their own time that works and try to take it then. They are discouraged from changing it once they've made it (just because you don't want to get into a mentality that adoration has to totally revolve around work, and you want to be willing to drop things so as to be at your holy hour.) There are, of course, times when it does need to be moved, they just try not to make a habit of it. The externs take their adoration during the day on the public side of the chapel. They also pray office and attend mass on the public side.

They also have night adoration once a week. When I left, they were taking night adoration in the cloister... in other words they were scheduled a certain time to go. That was sort of unusual though, because they were short sisters in the cloister to fill all the hours. Normally, the externs would take two "night" hours a week one from 8-9 and another from 9-10 (or 9:30-10:30, if they wanted to take it after the Shrine closed). Mother originally didn't want the externs taking very late adoration because they do a lot of driving, and didn't think it would be safe for them to lose too much sleep. I don't know if that's still how they do night adoration, but I would assume so.

[quote]Are there free times when the Sisters can do Adoration of their own choice besides their turns? (I'm thinking of feast days or Sundays, or free time during a week day)[/quote]

Every day the sisters have free time after lunch (or after dishes, if they have them) until 2pm, when they can go to adoration on their own, as well as in the evenings after recreation until 9.30. Sundays are also free, as are most solemnities when they can go anytime. (Except of course, during meals... and some sisters would still have some necessary work which would need to be done).

[quote]About how long takes the comunal community prayers daily -including Mass? -I don't know if they sing the Office or recite it, have many devotions like Rosary, Stations or whatever ...[/quote]

Let's see... they are in the chapel for community prayer for approximately... 3 hours and 45 minutes.

Morning prayer is about 45 minutes, Mass and thanksgiving after mass and the Rosary is a little less than 2 hours, daytime prayer (including the chaplet of St. Michael) is about half an hour, and evening prayer is about a half an hour (with the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

Edited October 29, 2009 by zunshynn

[Orans]

Great post Zunshynn [img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/clap.gif[/img] Lots of information that gives the idea. Thank you very much.

I love Perpetual Adoration. If we really had faith ....

[HisChild]

I will second everything Zunshynn said. When I was in Portsmouth, in the PCPA monastery, we each had an hour during the day and some time at night (but not every night). There were times that our Lord was reposed because we were only 7 (with 4 of us in formation) at the time with one of those sisters rather elderly. But now, there are 6 in vows and I see there is another novice and a new postulant which will bring their numbers up to 8. So they're getting up there to the point where they'll be able to do 24/7. It'll take a little while longer, but eventually...

[GraceUk]

I'm sure these sisters will have been mentioned before on this website but here are two links.

http://www.adorationsisters.org/index.html

http://www.mountgraceconvent.org/

[DameAgnes]

[quote name='GraceUk' date='29 October 2009 - 08:03 AM' timestamp='1256817796' post='1993266']
I'm sure these sisters will have been mentioned before on this website but here are two links.

http://www.adorationsisters.org/index.html

http://www.mountgraceconvent.org/
[/quote]

I've always wondered; do postulants take their own hours, or do they do their hour of adoration with a sister in tow?

[HisChild]

I did my own hour, but that could have been because we were so few. And I was asked if I was okay with doing a night hour or should they wait. I opted to do my night adoration because I felt I was ready to do so.

[AccountDeleted]

When we had Exposition, I did my adoration during the time I would normally have had Novitiate. We didn't have perpetual adoration though. We did do two hours of mental prayer every day in choir with the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle in the Chapel, which we could see through the grille. Now I do my adoration in the city, where they have Exposition every day in between their Masses, which run about five or six times a day.

[zunshynn]

[quote name='DameAgnes' date='29 October 2009 - 08:29 AM' timestamp='1256826552' post='1993306']
I've always wondered; do postulants take their own hours, or do they do their hour of adoration with a sister in tow?
[/quote]

At OLAM postulants have their own hours. They might wait a week or two before they start night adoration though.

Although, when the community is full, it might be awhile before a slot opens up for her to have her own hour. In that case, she'll substitute for sisters that are sick, but will not have a regular hour.

Edited October 29, 2009 by zunshynn

[DameAgnes]

I have to say, after making a retreat with some Dominican nuns who have perpetual adoration, it really does seem like Heaven on Earth to me. What a privilege.