FENNIMORE — Queen of All Saints Parish in Fennimore will celebrate its 25th Anniversary of Perpetual Adoration on Sunday, Aug. 15.
Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison will concelebrate the 11 a.m. Mass with Fr. Miguel Galvez, former pastor of Queen of All Saints Parish.
Immediately following Mass, a dinner and short program will be held in the parish hall adjoining the church.
Everyone is invited to attend the Mass and dinner to celebrate love for the True Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist and show how we value adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Persons who have spent holy hours in the chapel will be thanked and honored.
In addition, parish couples who had a 50th, 55th, 60th, etc., wedding anniversary in 2021 will also be recognized.
Notify the parish office at 608-822-3520 or maryann@stmaryfennimore.org to add names to the list.
History of the Adoration Chapel
In 1995, Jeff Jackson proposed the idea of perpetual adoration to the pastor, Fr. George Horath, who welcomed the idea.
In fact, Father Horath revealed that he had been praying for 20 years to have an Adoration chapel opened in his parish.
A group of seven parishioners under the guidance of Father Horath began the planning process a full year prior to announcing to the parish that St. Mary would be establishing a Perpetual Adoration Chapel.
The Core Group decided to place the chapel in one of the classrooms in the lower level of the parish hall building.
This space is located immediately inside the entrance and is handicap accessible.
The chapel entrance faces Lincoln Ave., but is half a block off this main street, providing security for adorers and visibility for visitors.
The chapel was designed to be simple so that the focus would be entirely on the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance.
The chapel needed a name. Father Horath was known for his personal devotion to Mary.
His suggestion, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament Adoration Chapel, was the name selected.
During 1995 the Core Group committed to pray for the chapel and have a Mass said every day somewhere in the world for the intention of establishing the chapel.
Announcements about Perpetual Adoration were placed in the bulletin; Father Horath included the topic in his homilies; and brochures about the Real Presence, Perpetual Adoration, and the Holy Eucharist were distributed to parishioners.
In May 1996, each parish family received a personal letter of invitation to sign up for holy hours. Letters and bulletin announcements were sent to surrounding parishes to invite their participation as well.
Many persons responded to the letter of invitation and committed themselves and their families to take weekly holy hours.
The response from surrounding parishes was, and still is, remarkable and greatly appreciated.
Some adorers drive 10, 20, or even 30 miles to take their holy hours.
Phyllis Doan constructed the calendar of adorers and substitutes so that someone would be with Jesus every hour of each week.
Doan continues this communication process today, assigning substitutes and finding new adorers as needed.
Bishop William H. Bullock officially opened the chapel on August 15, 1996, and returned to celebrate several chapel anniversaries.
Since its inception, the chapel has been operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. (Out of respect for the solemnities of the Easter Triduum, the chapel is closed every year from Holy Thursday night until Easter Sunday morning.)
Bishop Robert C. Morlino also supported the chapel, celebrating the anniversary Mass several times between 2011 and 2018.
All the priests assigned to St. Mary, now Queen of All Saints Parish, have heartily encouraged chapel participation through the years.
Those priests are Fr. George Horath (deceased), Fr. John Sasse, Fr. Miguel Galvez, Fr. Alex Navarro, and Fr. Faustino Ruiz.
The faithfulness of the Core Group to this initiative has had great influence on the establishment and continuous operation of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Perpetual Adoration Chapel.
When the chapel became operational on August 15, 1996, the Core Group decided to continue the practice of having a daily Mass said for the continuation of the chapel.
Alice Hrubes drew up a list of missionary priests who agreed to say the Masses for the chapel. She communicated with them and sent the Mass stipends, $5 each at that time.
When Mass stipends were increased to $10, Core Group donations rose as needed — all on an individual, voluntary basis.
Time spent in Adoration
Questions that some people may have about participating in adoration are answered below using comments made by adorers in the chapel.
What does one do in the chapel for a complete hour?
Adorers pray from the heart; talk to Jesus as a friend; adore and praise God; meditate on the Blessed Trinity — Creator, Savior, and Sanctifier; thank God for blessings; ask for favors for the living; intercede for souls in Purgatory; and offer the hour in reparation for sin.
People use prayer books; say the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, litanies, etc.; read the Bible, lives of the saints, the Catechism, other Catholic periodicals and books; and walk to pray the Stations of the Cross.
A library is provided outside the chapel. On top of all this, one adorer said it best, I look at Jesus and He looks at me.
Does the time just drag by slowly for the entire hour?
The time seems to fly not to drag. Many times the next person is arriving “too soon” signaling the end of an hour
. . . when the first adorer hasn’t yet finished with the intended prayers, readings, meditations, etc.
Do people dread their chapel hour because it interrupts daily life?
People do plan their schedules around the holy hour and may occasionally have to give up something else to be in the chapel each week.
However, adorers continuingly express an attitude of anticipation much more than one of regret for taking hours of Adoration. In fact, many persons who must get a sub often ask to trade for another hour so that the week does not go by without an hour of Adoration.
How can anyone take those night hours?
According to adorers, taking an hour in the middle of the night requires a special sacrifice, dependence on guardian angels, and a good alarm. Jesus Himself spent many nights alone in prayer — what better example can one have.
Adorers with those night hours have experienced answers to prayer and blessings beyond their hopes.
Gratitude for this blessing
The parish expresses its gratitude to every faithful adorer in the chapel for these 25 years of service.
The parish is grateful for all the extra work that Jeff and Phyllis do to keep the chapel operating and schedule adorers every hour.
Adorers commit to take the same holy hour in the chapel each week.
Many persons who started in 1996 still honor the Blessed Sacrament by continuing the holy hour 25 years later.
Many souls who have passed away took the graces of many holy hours spent in the chapel into eternity.
Other persons stepped forward to become adorers in the chapel so that Jesus is never left alone.
Adorers will find out in eternity how many graces were procured in these first 25 years for individuals, for families, for the parishes involved, for the Church, for the cities, for the counties, for the diocese, for the nation, for the world.
An invitation
Call 608-822-PRAY (608-822-7729) to schedule an hour or to become a sub in Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament Adoration Chapel.
For more information, call the parish office at 608-822-3520 (9 a.m. to 12 noon, Monday to Friday) or email maryann@stmaryfennimore.org