The Perpetual Adoration Chapel at St. Mary’s Visitation, Elm Grove, was established not along after perpetual adoration began at the parish more than 40 years ago. (Submitted photo)
“He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, ‘So, you men could not keep watch with me for one hour?’” (Matthew 26:40)
Since Oct. 7, 1985, adorers at St. Mary’s Visitation Parish have responded “yes” by sitting before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for an hour or more, praying 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Since perpetual adoration began at the Elm Grove parish, parishioners and others have spent more than 350,000 hours of prayer in continuous Eucharistic Adoration.
An Oct. 23 Mass kicked off a 40-hour Eucharistic devotion to help mark the 40th anniversary celebration of this worship.
According to longtime parishioner Mary Schwarz, the idea for perpetual adoration grew following a conversation between the late Don Riemer and the late Msgr. Joseph Emmenegger, who served as the pastor in 1985. She has continued for the full 40 years but recently had to step back due to a leg injury.
At St. Mary’s Visitation, adoration began in a small room in the west vestibule of the church but was moved to the present chapel, which had served as the baptistery.
From its beginnings, adoration at the parish was 24 hours a day, and Schwarz said some of her friends were regular adorers and have continued for the entire 40 years.
“I went to the anniversary celebration, and it was so beautiful and impressive. It was well attended, and the talks were great too,” she said.
The three-day celebration included a Eucharistic procession, meditations, rosary prayers, vespers, confessions, exposition, Benediction, music and more. The 40 hours concluded with a reception in the parish atrium.
“This has been a fantastic blessing for the parish, and I have benefited a lot, too. It’s nice to be able to visit there and have it open all the time. I hope it continues another 40 years,” Schwarz said.
Fr. Philip Schumaker, Pastor of St. Mary’s Visitation, was pleased with the turnout for their anniversary celebration.
“It is really impressive that this has been going on for 40 years, since it wasn’t a popular devotion in the 1980s. But it is a testament to the people for continuing as well as the grace and will of God that it has been able to go on this long,” he said.
As far as Fr. Schumaker knows, theirs is the longest-running adoration chapel in the archdiocese. St. John the Evangelist in Greenfield established perpetual adoration July 31, 1983, but the parish does not have a dedicated adoration chapel. Theirs takes place in the central area of the church.
Having consistent adorers in the adoration chapel has brought many benefits to the St. Mary’s community.
“We have had many vocations come from our parish, and we currently have three guys in seminary formation,” Fr. Schumaker said. “Dcn. Andy Swietlik was ordained this past spring. We have one in college and one beginning major seminary now. We also have Sr. Ancilla Joy (Anne LoCoco), who joined the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus in Minnesota. We have several other vocations from our parish. This adoration chapel is a wonderful place of prayer, which has blessed the parish and community and brought great growth in the faith.”
For the past 10 years, Kevin Eberle has visited the adoration chapel to pray. It was a practice he learned from his parents, Paul and Paula, who adored weekly for many, many years.
“In high school, I began to pray more regularly. I also had a group of friends that would take some of the graveyard shifts (2-3 a.m.) with me during the summers,” he said, adding, “Now, my wife, Kate, and I go as often as our 6-month-old daughter will allow us.”
Throughout the years, parish pastors referred to the chapel as the center of the community and family life, and Eberle wholeheartedly agrees.
“The adoration chapel is at the center of our parish. I have rejoiced there during happy times and struggled there during difficult times; the chapel is such a beautiful reminder of God’s steadfastness,” he said. “Having such a peaceful space available 24 hours a day is a gift that cannot be understated. We have witnessed countless moments of joy, such as ordinations/vows, weddings and Baptisms, as a direct result of the presence of the chapel.”
Eberle was proud of his father, Paul, who sang with the adult choir for the 40th anniversary celebration.
“It was such a beautiful Mass and Eucharistic procession to be a part of,” Kevin Eberle said. “The Mass was very well attended, and almost everyone stayed for the Eucharistic procession afterwards. It was a true testament to the reverence for the Eucharist throughout the parish.”
