Corpus Christi parish is home to a perpetual adoration chapel. The Blessed Sacrament is exposed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the chapel of St. Philomena which is located in the Parish Center at 31-31 60th street. The chapel has been a great spiritual blessing to the parish and to the hundreds of people who spend time in prayer there each week. Many of our parishioners as well as people from all over the city visit the chapel daily. You are invited to take part in the spiritual blessings that Eucharistic Adoration affords us by visiting the chapel. You are also invited to become a member of the Confraternity of the Holy Eucharist. An explanation of the Confraternity of the Holy Eucharist follows.
Please note that the chapel remains open all year (except from Holy Thursday night until the celebration of the Easter Vigil has ended), but there are times that we close the chapel because of snowstorms. We do not want to have our adorers traveling during significant snowfalls. In the event that we have to close the chapel you can visit our website or use our smartphone app to
Confraternity of the Holy Eucharist
MISSION: “… KEEPING OUR EYES FIXED ON JESUS, THE LEADER AND PERFECTOR OF OUR FAITH.” Hebrews 12.2
The Confraternity of the Holy Eucharist is a private association of the faithful in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn for the express purpose of fostering a deep relationship with our Eucharistic Lord through devotion to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, through promotion of and commitment to Perpetual Adoration of the Eucharist, and growth in a Eucharistic spirituality marked by study of the teachings and traditions of the Church and a devotion to Christian service in communion with the Holy Father and the Diocesan Bishop under the direction of the Moderator/Spiritual Director of the Confraternity.
The Confraternity assures the local bishop and pastor that all the appropriate requirements for perpetual adoration are fulfilled and that there are sufficient number of adorers to ensure that adoration is conducted in a manner in accord with liturgical and Canon Law and the requirements of the local Church.
It is further the obligation of the members to seek to invite as many people as possible to share in perpetual adoration and to develop an ever deeper appreciation of the Mystery of the Eucharist.
Spirituality of the Confraternity
The fundamental spirituality is none other the fundamental spirituality of the Gospel which calls people to the following of Christ and the living out of the theological and cardinal virtues in a Christ-like manner.
The specific characteristics of the spirituality of the Confraternity are Eucharistic, Marian and diaconal.
A Eucharistic spirituality is first centered on the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This is the hearts of the life of all members of the Confraternity. Members of the Confraternity come together with all the members of the parish and celebrate Christ’s presence in His Word, in the midst of the congregation and in the presence of the sacred ministers. The multiple expressions of the presence of Christ need to be celebrated in accord with the teaching of the Church.
Members of the Confraternity, along with others members of the parish community, and never apart from them, do all they can to enrich the beauty and the prayerfulness of the Eucharist.
Members of the Confraternity must strive to attend the Liturgy of the Eucharist as often as possible.
In addition to the celebration of the Eucharist, members of the confraternity who wish to serve as Eucharistic Guardians devote one hour a week to Eucharistic Adoration. Guardians will be responsible to provide a substitute when they are unable to fulfill their commitment. They will see in this action a prolongation and echoing of the Liturgy which must always remain the central Eucharistic action. In adoration they will live out the “pleasant duty” (Pope Paul VI) of adoring the presence of Christ.
Along with sharing in perpetual adoration the members’ will take responsibility of assuring the local bishop and pastor that adoration is proceeding in a proper and reverent manner.
The members will organize, under the guidance of the moderator/spiritual advisor, regular days or evenings of reflection on the Mystery of the Eucharist and what a “Eucharistic life-style” is about.
Devotion to the Mother of God is essential to the life of all Catholics and certainly to members of the Confraternity as she is the Mother of the Eucharistic Christ, Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament.
Members shall see that they daily recite at least five decades of the Rosary. They are encouraged to pray the Chaplet of Adoration daily.
Members will seek opportunities during the day to invoke the assistance of the Mother of God for their own needs and for all who have asked for or are in need of the prayers of Mary.
Further, a Eucharistic spirituality must be “diaconal”. This means to say that the fruit of Eucharistic devotion must be expressed in the works of charity and justice. It means that having been fed with the “bread from heaven’, members and indeed all Catholics are called to feed those in need by performing the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. They will keep in mind the teaching of our Lord in Matthew 25, that if we fail to serve the needy, we fail to serve Christ. Members will familiarize themselves with the encyclical, “Deus caritas Est” of Pope Benedict XVI on the place of charity in the life of the Christian.
Members should see to it that they regularly celebrate the sacrament of Penance.
Members are encouraged to make time for an annual retreat.
Membership
16. AII baptized Catholics are invited to become members. Since the Confraternity is a “private association of the faithful”, membership is open to clerics, people in consecrated life and lay people, married and single.
17. Membership could be very advantageous for priests and deacons as it would
Deepen the devotion to the Eucharist that is paramount in their lives. The same would be true of consecrated people.
However, the assumption would be that the Confraternity is primarily for lay persons who would take the role of leadership within the Confraternity.
While all people are in different stages in their relationship with Christ, it is the expectation that members of the Confraternity are to seek a life of constant conversion to the Gospel.
All members, upon acceptance into the Confraternity would undergo a period of formation.
During the year of formation, candidates would attend periodic instructions and formation on the way of life within the Confraternity, including the practices and statutes.
Benefits of Membership
Members share in the spiritual benefits of all the prayers and Masses offered in the Chapel of Saint Philomena.
Members share in the graces flowing from their growth in a Eucharistic way of Life and leading others to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.
Administration
The Administration of the Confraternity is guided by the Moderator/Spiritual Advisor, the pastor of the local parish (if separate from the Moderator), and a Board of governors consisting of the directors of Perpetual Adoration, the Division Coordinators, and others members of the Confraternity, for a total of twelve.
They will be responsible for organizing Day of Prayer and other opportunities for spiritual growth and formation.
They will meet at least six times a year and organize at least an annual meeting of all members.
They are responsible to oversee the care of the chapel.
They will be responsible to maintain the Adoration Website and the library of approved materials
They will keep all necessary records and archives in an orderly fashion.
With the approval of the pastor they will be responsible to maintain financial records of all income from donations and expenses.
They will provide an annual Spiritual and Financial Report to the pastor, the moderator, and the Diocesan Bishop or his representative.
32.lf the need arises, they will oversee the organization of additional Chapters of the Confraternity insuring the Statues and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
They will review and amend the statutes, as necessary, at least annually.
We place ourselves under the protection of Our Blessed Mother, who is our inspiration and who has brought us to this moment.
Perpetual adoration makes the Eucharist become more central in the lives of people. ” Every member of the Church must be vigilant in seeing that this sacrament of love shall be at the center of the life of the people of God so that through all the manifestations of worship due it, Christ shall be given back ‘love for love’ and truly become the life of our souls.” (Redemptor hominis)
“Let us never forget that an age prospers or dwindles in proportion to its devotion to the Holy Eucharist. This is the measure of its spiritual life and its faith, of its charity and its virtue. May the glorious kingdom of Jesus Eucharistic come! Too long, much too long, have impiety and ingratitude ruled the earth.
Adveniat regnum tuum!” (St. Peter Julian Eymard)