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January 7, 2021On Nov. 12, Bishop Kagan celebrated Mass and consecrated the altar in the new adoration chapel at the Pro-Cathedral of St. Mary in Bismarck.
The Sacred Heart Adoration Chapel is in the parish office center across the street to the south of the church (formerly a Pizza Hut restaurant). A complete remodel of the building gained the parish the chapel and new office space for the staff, as well as Fr. Jared Johnson and Fr. Jarad Wolf.
Adoration takes place Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 6 p.m. with hopes of expanding those hours as adorers volunteer. Each adorer holds an electronic key card to access the chapel during adoration hours.
Father Jared Johnson addressed his parishioners at St. Mary’s in Bismarck in early November to announce the opportunity for Eucharistic Adoration. These are words from that homily.
“As Catholics, we know, profess and believe that Jesus is present in the Eucharist—His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. The practice of reserving the Eucharist in a Church in a tabernacle has its origins in the earliest centuries of the faith. In most Catholic Churches, the door is unlocked many hours of the day for anyone to come spend time in the presence of Jesus, who is present in the tabernacle.
However, in addition to praying in front of the Eucharist in the tabernacle, the Blessed Sacrament may also be exposed on the altar in a monstrance for adoration. It comes from a Latin word, which means ‘to show.’ The Blessed Sacrament is placed in the monstrance and Jesus then ‘shows Himself to us’ during adoration.”
So, what is the difference between praying in the Church and praying in our new chapel during adoration? Father Johnson continued, “During Mass, immediately before we come forward for Holy Communion, the priest holds up the Sacred Host and says, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world.’ If we were to push pause at that very moment, what are we being invited to do? To behold, to look, to adore Jesus. It’s a kind of snapshot. That is what is taking place in Eucharistic adoration.”
Father Johnson also commented on the choice of the name for the Sacred Heart Adoration Chapel by saying, “First, the Sacred Heart devotion represents the love of Jesus for all of humanity, and it is my primary hope that our new chapel is a place where we may both grow in our awareness of Jesus’ love for us, as well as deepen our love for Him. Second, our parish is in the ‘heart’ of Bismarck, and the Eucharist is the heart and center of our parish, and thus Sacred Heart Adoration Chapel is a fitting name for a Eucharistic adoration chapel at a parish located in the ‘heart’ of Bismarck. How exciting it is to envision our Sacred Heart Adoration Chapel as the heartbeat of both our parish and our city?”
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Sacred Heart of Jesus, make our hearts like yours.