March 12, 2025

By Mary Beth Bracy, consecrated virgin
Contributing Writer

“The Eucharistic Adoration at St. Mary’s Cathedral started before COVID,” shared Dan Washburn. “Mary Wood and the other members of the Legion of Mary came and asked Father Joe (Morgan) if they could have the Adoration on Friday. And Father agreed to have it before the noontime Mass at the Cathedral. It was very slow at the beginning. They struggled to come in for Adoration on a regular basis. But they continued it anyway.”

The number of people gathering to spend time with Jesus has since increased.

“Now, from the three people that started out, it became 15 people and more (who) wanted to come in for Adoration,” noted Washburn. “They are all staying for the Mass.”

Initially, Eucharistic ministers were exposing and reposing the Blessed Sacrament. Father Michael Marzan has since taken on the role.

“Since Father Mike (Marzan) started (leading) it, there is more reverence; as we do the traditional way of the Eucharistic Benediction,” said Washburn. “It has made a huge difference. And now we integrate the Rosary. People really love the focus on the Blessed Sacrament, the focus on prayer, the reverence.

The use of the incense is something special. Incensing the Blessed Sacrament at the Benediction is a sign of adoration and worship given to Christ who is truly present upon the altar. It becomes a visible sign of our prayers rising to heaven.”

The Holy Hour also includes adoration hymns, bells and candles.

“(Attendees) said, ‘It’s wonderful that Father Mike is doing all of that.’ It gives us such a deep prayer feeling because we’re in front of the Blessed Sacrament and we wanted it,” Wood recalled. “I had the feeling that Jesus himself called us to do what he wanted us to do. What he was asking us to do – to worship him in the Eucharist.”

God blessed their fidelity, reflected Wood.

“We were able to add Wednesday Adoration after the outcome of the Friday Adoration…. The first time I came in and saw Father Mike, I thought, ‘What is he doing? This is wonderful.’ And then I knelt down. It could become more powerful. I was able to become more prayerful in the presence of Jesus. And that’s hard to do. It’s hard to clear your mind and really believe that we are in the presence of Jesus Christ. But we’re in the presence of him all the time. Some of us do know that. But there’s a more special way to be in the presence of Jesus. We just got to commit, like doing the regular Holy Hour.”

Amy Schirmer explained why Eucharistic Adoration is important to her personally. “Because I love Jesus and I want to be with him and this is a beautiful way to do that quietly,” she said. “Well, I think the first time I came in, seeing the candles and everything was dark except for the altar, it draws you. It draws you into devotion and it’s just lovely. It’s like being with your best friend in the place where everyone’s relaxed and it’s so intimate, it’s so beautiful. I don’t know how to explain it.”

“If you take scripture literally, and some of it has to be taken literally, when he said your garment will overflow, the hem of your garment will overflow,” added Donna Merreck. “He is so generous with his gifts. We have been blessed beyond measure. And we have to attribute it to adoring the Lord for one hour, whether it’s daily or on Friday or how often you can adore the Lord. He will not be outdone in generosity. And when you look back, hindsight is the greatest teacher because we can say, you know, this was totally the hand of God who worked.”

Merreck is grateful for the countless graces and blessings in her life from Eucharistic Adoration.

“When children can see particularly their father and mother praying and that it’s done quietly, it does preach the Gospel,” she said. “Our three children are practicing Catholics. Their spouses are practicing Catholics. That’s to give him the honor and glory. That is how we have been blessed. So there is an impact on the family.”

Merreck’s suggestion: “just try it.”

“Give him 15 minutes the first time and then after a week or two weeks you’ll be going back for 20 minutes, a half an hour,” she said. “Then it’ll increase until you give him an hour. Sometimes, there is always a struggle of giving time in adoration. If you think you haven’t got the time of the day, you don’t have enough time, that’s a struggle. You’ll find time and you have to do it.”

“I think it’s a blessing to the whole parish,” Wood noted. “I see more people at Mass now. There’s something that’s bringing people in. It’s the fact that Jesus is blessing us and calling us, and more people are hearing him now.”

Our faith in the Holy Eucharist is at the heart of what makes us Catholic, explained Wood.

“To bring the power of the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ into our hearts. There’s this mercy, there’s this love,” she said. “The Eucharist is the summit of the Catholic Church, the source of Christian life. That’s what makes us different. And when you sit here in front of the exposed Blessed Sacrament and you really look, and you say the prayers, especially the reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (it is powerful). I do like the litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We pray for the reparation of sins, for the forgiveness of sins to everyone. As you look around, there are so many things to be prayed for, the culture of abortion, the kind of hate that you see and murder and bloodshed, you see all of these things and only Jesus can change it. So yes, that’s part of adoration. You know, for me, one hour of personal silent prayer is not enough, it would be better if it was two hours.”

Father Michael Marzan contributed interviews for this article.