Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

Last Friday, my little parish of St Rita of Cascia took a small step towards the “Reform of the Reform”.

For perhaps only the second time in this century, for one hour last Friday night, we were allowed Eucharistic Adoration.

It was glorious.

The first time was last month, and the differences between the two events is instructive.

Last month, after repeated requests, Father agreed to schedule Adoration. It was not printed in the bulletin, and little mention of it was made. Mostly, information spread through word of mouth.

On the night in question, we had a small group of people there. More than for most daily Masses, but by no means a crowd.

Father simply removed the ciborium from the tabernacle and placed it on the altar. An hour later, he restored it to the tabernacle. No muss, no fuss.

Three small tea-lights were placed atop the tabernacle by way of decoration.

Afterward, many of us approached Father to thank him, and he seemed genuinely pleased by both the size of the group and their devotion and gratitude.

This month, there were even more people. We had chant, incense, and candelabras on the altar flanking a monstrance I’d never seen before.

Father also gave us Benediction in a Roman chasuble and matching cope. He struggled a bit to put on the cope himself. We spoke afterward, and he asked if I wouldn’t help him with it next time. I said I’d be delighted.

He said he rarely wore the cope because good help never seemed to show up as scheduled. He’d gotten used to doing everything himself, but some things were just difficult.

Father has been reluctant to embrace a “new” liturgical paradigm based on tradition, not from being stuck in the 70s or 80s of the last century himself, but perhaps from a perception that this was where his parishioners were. This may have been true once, but it is certainly not true now, and I think Father is coming to understand it, and to understand that there are people in the parish who will support him in restoring traditional devotions.

Father is no spring chicken – we recently celebrated his sixty-fifth year as a Jesuit – and he will need energetic and committed help to lay the groundwork of the new “Benedictine” reform at St. Rita.

Brick by brick, as they say.