This is exciting news for the Oratory of the Holy Family as we prepare to welcome the Blessed Sacrament in continuous reservation in the Tabernacle! 

Starting with Bishop Kevin Rhoades’s first Mass offered in the Oratory of the Holy Family in August 2022, he envisioned that Our Eucharistic Lord would reside here.  It has taken us two years to get ready.  In discussion with Bishop Rhoads, we outlined the tradeoffs and changes to the facility needed to provide a prayerful place for Eucharistic Prayer.  It isn’t straightforward because we also have large groups that visit here, and the Oratory is the only space large enough space to present to them.  The solution agreed upon was establishing a Eucharistic Chapel to the right of the Sanctuary.  This will provide a prayerful and appropriate side chapel for Eucharistic prayer and the Tabernacle.   We are in the process of completing the final changes.

We hope this is only temporary and that the Eucharist will again be front and center in the Sanctuary. We pray that a convocation center will someday be built to accommodate large groups for presentations and speakers. This would return the Oratory to a place dedicated to prayer, and the Tabernacle would be central to the Sanctuary.  While we work with what we have, we always look to the future and how to accommodate Our Lady’s unfolding works. 

The presence of Our Eucharistic Lord is a great gift to Our Lady’s Pilgrims.  She desires always to bring us to her Son.  With Jesus Christ present, the fulfillment of her desire will be possible in the Oratory.

This is also a great gift for our staff and volunteers.  Going to work and visiting Our Lord at the beginning and end of each day is an extraordinary gift that I hope will never be routine but always held in great esteem and awe, helping us grow in love for Our Lord.

Reservation will be in conjunction with the First Saturday Mass and devotions. We will begin August 3 with the Patriotic Rosary at 10:30 a.m. At 11 a.m., Father Louis Fowoyo will celebrate the Holy Mass. Afterward, please join us for lunch and community on the plaza.