by Jill Ragar Esfeld
jill.esfeld@theleaven.org
LENEXA — Holy Trinity Catholic Church here is hoping that what worked for Wea, will work for them.
This past spring, Queen of the Holy Rosary parishioners in Wea invited Father Joseph DeLuca, of the Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament, from the Apostolate for Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration (APEA) to help them celebrate their 10th anniversary of perpetual adoration.
After Father DeLuca’s appeal, 44 new adorers signed up to spend an hour with Jesus in eucharistic adoration.
Paul and Rose Guetterman, adoration co-chairs for Queen of the Holy Rosary were so impressed with his presentation that they sent out a flyer to other areas of the archdiocese, informing them about Father DeLuca and how he inspired their community.
“We wanted to share our excitement with you,” the flyer stated.
When Holy Trinity adoration coordinators Katie Schroeder and Ernie Boehner read about Father DeLuca, they knew they wanted him to speak to their parish and give their adoration program a “boost renewal.”
Pastor Father Tom Dolezal was happy to extend the invitation.
Father DeLuca will speak at all the Masses at Holy Trinity on Sept. 15 and 16. On Sept. 17, he will begin a three-day eucharistic mission entitled, “The Healing Power of the Eucharist Through Faith, Hope and Love.” The mission will take place from 7 to 8 p.m. each evening.
Schroeder enlisted the aid of adoration participant Dave Daly to help spread the word about the mission. Daly wanted to make the message available beyond the parish boundaries, hoping other churches might be interested in starting adoration chapels. An invitation was sent out to neighboring parishes in Johnson and Wyandotte counties.
“We would like to get as many people from Holy Trinity as possible to attend this event, but we would also like to invite anyone from the diocese that would be interested in getting perpetual adoration started in their parish to come as well,” explained Daly. “I believe that this is a great opportunity for our archdiocese to really make this gift blossom and grow.”
Father DeLuca, with other priests of the APEA, travels throughout the world, helping to establish perpetual eucharistic adoration in parishes. The missionaries have experienced great success — so far more than 1,000 adoration chapels have been established in the United States.
A dynamic speaker, Father DeLuca has been called an animated combination of Joe Pesci, Jim Carrey, and Mother Angelica. His message teaches that the grace received during adoration begins in the heart, but extends to all areas of life.
“The potential in adoration is mind-boggling,” he instructs. “As your love grows for our Lord in the Eucharist, so does your ability to give more fully of your time and talent.”
After hearing Father DeLuca speak, thousands of people have been inspired to pledge an hour a week to adoration.
