Archbishop John leads over 100 children in Eucharistic adoration
Primary school children join the Archbishop of Southwark, John Wilson, in prayer at St George’s Cathedral
Over 100 children from primary schools in South London were led by Archbishop John Wilson in Eucharistic adoration at St George’s Cathedral in Southwark.
Eucharistic adoration is a practice of worship in the Catholic Church before the Eucharist, which is the Body of Christ. It is a deeply spiritual act of prayer that encourages people to build a closer relationship with Jesus.
The children joined the Archbishop on Thursday 13 March to learn more about Eucharistic adoration and what the Catholic Church teaches about the Eucharist, so they can build their faith in the Lord Jesus.
In a short reflection during the period of prayer, Archbishop John explained the importance of the Eucharist to the children gathered. Pointing to the Bible (Matthew 26:26-28; Luke 22:19-21), the Archbishop explained that when Jesus broke the bread and took the cup of wine, and said “this is my Body” and “this is my Blood” the Lord Jesus was telling us: “that in the Eucharist – which is His Body and His Blood – he is with us. He is really and truly there.”
The Archbishop added “that is why the Eucharist is so important to us as Catholics. Because Christ is really and truly there. The Eucharist is Jesus himself”.
Encouraging the children to regularly return to Eucharistic adoration, Archbishop John said adoration is a “time of prayer, before the Lord Jesus” and it is “our chance to talk with him, to see him and to be with him”.
Catherine McLoughlin, the headteacher of St Joseph's Primary School who took part in adoration, said:
“Christ is at the heart of all we do at St Joseph’s, so for the children to get the chance to be supported in building a closer relationship with the Lord was a joy to see. They came away inspired to speak to the Lord in prayer.”
Sue Oram, headteacher of St Stephen’s Catholic Primary School said:
“Adoration is a key part of our prayer life at St Stephen’s. This beautiful service with the Archbishop helped our children to better understand the importance of the Eucharist for our Catholic faith and will help them in their prayer life”.
Justin Dachtler, headteacher of St Teresa's Catholic Primary School said:
“Helping our children to grow closer to Christ and build a strong formation is our priority at St Teresa’s. Services like this one with the Archbishop really help our children on this journey of faith and it was wonderful to see how much our pupils got out of spending time in prayer before the Lord.”
Near the end of the prayer, Archbishop John said to the children:
“The Lord Jesus gave us the gift of himself in the Eucharist. He is calling us to him in the Eucharist, to be with him.
“That is why we must all constantly return to Eucharistic adoration. To spend time with him here. Because the Lord wants us to. And when we do, we will feel our hearts fill with the hope, love and peace that Jesus offers us.”
The adoration service was held as part of the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year of Hope. In the Year of Hope, Archbishop John is encouraging people to make Eucharistic adoration a cornerstone of their prayer life. To help people make adoration a part of their life, the Archdiocese of Southwark is running a campaign called Hope in Adoration, which includes teaching and resources on adoration. This includes interviews with clergy, which are being published every month on their YouTube channel (RCSouthwark1).
The schools which took part were St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School in Merton, St Jospeh’s Catholic Primary School in Rotherhithe, and St Stephen’s Catholic Primary School in Bexley.
The adoration service with school children is building on other prayer initiatives by the Archdiocese, which included a virtual rosary last year – led by Archbishop John – with over 10,000 children from across South London and Kent.
You can watch the full service on YouTube and find out more about the Hope in Adoration campaign at rcaos.org.uk/hopeinadoration
