Pray, Reflect, or Simply Rest in Our Lord’s Presence
“We become like that which we gaze upon. Looking into a sunset, the face takes on a golden glow. Looking at our Eucharistic Lord for an hour transforms the heart.”
— VENERABLE FULTON J. SHEEN
Eucharistic Exposition hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 7am-8am, in the church. On Thursdays, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament is held 9am-9pm, in the church. All are invited to spend time with our Lord here during these hours. We also encourage all to commit to one hour each week as a scheduled adorer. Please call the Parish Office at 515-266-2226, or email lstarnold@stjosephcatholicdsm.org. Se habla español, call David Ortega at 515-201-1472.
EUCHARISTIC ADORATION: JESUS IN BODY, SOUL, BLOOD & DIVINITY
What is Eucharistic Adoration? We look to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
It is highly fitting that Christ should have wanted to remain present to His Church in this unique way. Since Christ was about to take His departure from His own in His visible form, He wanted to give us His sacramental presence; since He was about to offer Himself on the cross to save us, He wanted us to have the memorial of the love with which He loved us “to the end,” even to the giving of His life. In His Eucharistic presence He remains mysteriously in our midst as the one who loved us and gave Himself up for us, and He remains under signs that express and communicate this love: The Church and the world have a great need for Eucharistic worship. Jesus awaits us in this sacrament of love. Let us not refuse the time to go to meet Him in adoration, in contemplation full of faith, and open to making amends for the serious offenses and crimes of the world. Let our adoration never cease. (CCC, 1380)
HE SAID TO PETER, “SO YOU COULD NOT KEEP WATCH WITH ME FOR ONE HOUR?” (MT 26:40)
An hour here, an hour there—every day, we spend our time in a multitude of ways that can rejuvenate our deplete our overall energy. Receiving Jesus in the Holy Communion of the Mass and making time to visit Him in Adoration—whether for an hour or just a few minutes on your way here or there—is always time well spent.
In his first encyclical titled Redeemer of Man (Redemptor Hominus), Pope St. John Paul II wrote, “Our communal worship at Mass must go together with our personal worship of Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration in order that our love may be complete.”
BEYOND THE MASS: COMPLETING YOUR LOVE THROUGH EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
There’s no right or wrong way to spend your hour before the Blessed Sacrament. You can pray, reflect, read, write, or simply rest in our Lord’s presence. Our chapel is a quiet, peaceful space with a variety of books and prayer guides, as well as Mass Missals and songbooks. Here are a few other resources for new or regular adorers:
A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO ADORATION
8 WAYS TO PRAY DURING ADORATION
Print Bulletin
St. Joseph’s weekly print bulletin is available at the church entrances. In addition to the campus activities calendar and ads for current events, each bulletin features parish and diocesan news; a column by the pastor or principal; and the Mass readings, observances, and intentions for the week. Bulletins are archived through ParishesOnline, and you can even sign up to receive an email notification when the bulletin is officially published online. To have a news item published, please mail or email your submission to the Parish Office by Friday at 9:00am, one week in advance of the date you wish to have your item featured. Approved items will be featured in 1-3 issues as space allows, and may be edited for grammar and clarity.
E-Communications
St. Joseph’s E-Connection is sent to your email inbox every Thursday, highlighting the weekend’s fellowship opportunities and special collections, and providing convenient links to faith-building events in the parish and diocese. By simply replying to the E-Connection, you can request prayer support through our Prayer Chain Ministry. Registered parishioners with an email address on record will automatically receive the E-Connection as well as special notices for funerals and other time-sensitive issues that occasionally arise during the week. Non-parishioners are welcome to sign up for St. Joseph’s e-communications by contacting the Parish Office at 515-266-2226 or sending an email. Please note that St. Joseph School and our Youth Faith Formation department send separate e-communications to their own lists of active families.
ST. JOSEPH CATHOLIC 