June 2024 

Abigail Fortado: 
In the beginning of senior year, I had a deep desire to spend time with our Lord in the most Holy Sacrament and luckily St. Catherine’s is blessed to have an adoration chapel that’s open twenty-four hours. One day, I looked at the bulletin and saw they needed adorers for certain nights, but I knew it was such a big commitment and I didn’t think I could fulfill such a big role. So, I asked my friends if they would be willing to do it with me and they all agreed. I signed up for a Holy Hour on Saturday Night and invited my friends. This was a way that we were each able to grow in a personal relationship with Jesus and have some of our best friends by our side. Watching not only my friends, but also seeing myself grow in relation with the Lord has been one of the many blessings that Holy Hour has given me.

Lola Overstreet:
Going to Adoration has changed how I view my faith. I used to go just to find some peace after a long day, which it still gives me, but it's become so much more. Just having that time to sit with the Lord, chat after a tough day, it's everything to me. And when I open my Bible and hear His words, it's like getting a dose of serenity for the whole week.

Andrew Rooney:
I started to go to adoration mostly because my friends were going.  After a while though, I really started to see the beauty in spending time with the physical presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.  I feel that my understanding has grown and I look forward to being with Jesus every week.

Briana O’Brien:
Adoration is something that is so special and personal with God. I absolutely love going to adoration, especially going with kids my age who share the same love of God. I still remember the day Abigail and I decided to get a group together. It was so exciting to see how many people would be interested in doing it with us. I believe everyone should go to adoration at least once a week. It is the perfect place to sit with your thoughts and be with God. Whether you are having a bad day or even a good day, adoration is the best place you could be. 

Katie Scuderi:
Blessed Carlo Acutis once said, “When we face the sun we get a tan, but when we stand before Jesus in the Eucharist we become saints.” Having this weekly routine on Saturday nights, with a group of supportive friends behind me to keep me accountable to it, has changed my heart little by little each time I’ve gone. Just as Carlo Acutis said, the choice of regularly visiting Jesus in His true presence has affected me and my soul with every encounter. We cannot hope to become beautiful friends with Jesus without coming face to face with Him, and like a normal friendship, the more we encounter and spend time with Him, the more we become like Him - and become Saints. This weekly Holy Hour is such a small fragment of our week. Yet, with even just a fragment of our week, the Lord can take the smallest bit of time in His true presence and transform it into a monumental step towards our goal of getting closer to Heaven. We may not see the work the Lord is doing in the small moments, but simple steps - like going to Adoration for one hour on a Saturday night - can give the Lord so much room to work in your heart over time. 

Jack Walker:
As Catholics, we often forget that we can be in the true presence of God whenever we want to be. In the adoration chapel, we are face-to-face with the Body of Christ in such a beautiful way second only to the Mass itself. I use my adoration time to read books about different topics of the faith, continue my reading through scripture, or to just grow my relationship with God through prayer. Any amount of time in adoration, no matter if you go for an hour a week or an hour a day, is time you will never regret. Spend time with the Lord in adoration, and your faith can blossom into something wonderful.

Josh Cook: 
I take time out of my night to go to adoration on Saturdays because the chapel feels like a place I can go to think about anything that is on my mind. It is somewhere I can be comfortable and spend time with God no matter how much I feel him or not. Just knowing that I am in the presence of our Lord is enough for me.

Adam Roevens:
I decided to start going to adoration on Saturday nights after I was asked by one of my friends if I wanted to join them. I was looking for a way to deepen my faith life in a way that I hadn't tried before and this seemed like a great opportunity. Since going to adoration weekly, I have felt my relationship with Christ has flourished. Sitting in his presence for an hour every week has allowed me to see His true presence in the Eucharist. This has allowed me to enjoy mass on Sundays more knowing that He is truly present in the Eucharist that we consume every week.

Patrick Matthews:
I find time to go St. Catherine’s adoration chapel to find a much needed peace and serenity that can only be found in the presence of the Lord. I used to tell myself that I did not have an hour to spend in prayer because I had too much on my plate; however, I did not realize that because I was so overwhelmed I needed to spend time with the Lord. The time I spent in the chapel eased my burdens because I could talk to a loving God about the struggles I faced and challenges I feared. By talking about these problems directly to God in adoration, I gained peace knowing his presence was there to aid and walk with me every step of the way.

For more information about the SCS Adoration Chapel or to become a committed adorer, contact Mary Jeandron at 504-835-9343 ext. 1554.