217 York Street, Bangor, Maine 04401
Phone: (207) 217-6740
The Real Presence of Faith at St. Paul: The Adoration Chapel at St. Mary Church (768 Ohio Street) is now open. We need the commitment of two (2) adorers for each hour that the Chapel is scheduled to be opened, which is why the Lord Jesus extends the same invitation to you and me that he once offered to Peter and the other disciples, “Could you not keep watch with me for one hour?” (Matthew 26:40).
“The hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him” (John 4:23).
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is an extension of our community’s Sunday worship. Jesus invites every Catholic and others who are drawn to adoration to consider spending an hour with him each week. During adoration, we can meditate on Sacred Scripture or other spiritual writings, we can pray popular devotions like the Most Holy Rosary or the Divine Mercy Chaplet, or we can simply sit in silence and “watch the Lord as the Lord watches us” (cf. St. John Vianney before the Blessed Sacrament).
A History of Loving Adoration at St. Paul: Our Adoration Chapel opened on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, December 8, 2012. But on the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary (March 19, 2020), after more than 50,000 hours of adoration, the Chapel had to close, indefinitely. Like many other protocols enacted during the past year, this sacrifice was made by, for and on behalf of our community of faith, in a spirit of Christian charity and solidarity, to keep one another safe. We are so grateful for the hundreds of adorers who once prayed for the needs of our Church and world before our Eucharistic Lord in the Blessed Sacrament; we also thank both Fr. Augustine and Fr. Tony for offering a weekly Holy Hour while the Adoration Chapel was closed.
A Future of Hope for Adoration at St. Paul : How appropriate that we should reopen the Adoration Chapel during this year that our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has dedicated to St. Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Patron of the Universal Church, and Guardian of the Lord Jesus. We invoke the intercession of St. Joseph to bless, protect, and guide our parish family’s devotion to and adoration of the Son of God who is truly, really and substantially present in the Sacred Species.
If you were once an adorer, we welcome you back. If you have not been an adorer previously, please ask the Lord which hour each week that he desires to draw nearer to you by spending personal time with him at our Adoration Chapel.
Peace and blessings,
Msgr. Andrew
An Introduction to Adoration