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LEAGUE OF EUCHARISTIC GUARDIANSPERPETUAL EUCHARISTIC ADORATIONLeague of Eucharistic Guardians Official Manual for Perpetual Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament | |||||||
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Section 3: Organization | ||
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A chapel of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration (PEA) is open for all people - all of the time. Membership in the League of Eucharistic Guardians, however, is only for people willing to commit to a specific and regular weekly holy hour according to the norms of this Section and the Statutes of the League. Members are known as Guardians, in imitation of St. Joseph, Guardian of the Redeemer. The Guardian's commitment is precisely what allows the adoration chapel to remain open for everyone else, thus membership is truly an apostolate.
Organizational Model #1 and Organizational Model #2 each indicate the hierarchical structure of the PEA program and each Chapter of the League of Eucharistic Guardians. Charts are available from this apostolate to help the officers of the Chapter efficiently manage the program.
At least one Guardian, preferably two, must be scheduled for every hour that the Blessed Sacrament is exposed as it is not permissible for Jesus to be exposed unless we can reasonably assure that somebody will be with Him. On the other hand, the number of Guardians assigned for any given hour should be limited to two, and possibly one alternate. This is important...
To aid in verifying the attendance of Guardians, and so that visitors can immediately see that specific persons are responsible for the exposed Blessed Sacrament, two chairs should be reserved, normally in the front of the chapel, as a duty station for Guardians during their hour of responsibility. Guardians might also wear armbands or scapulars that designate them as such. The duty station and armbands or scapulars are turned over to the succeeding Guardians during the changing of the guard that should occur each hour, on the hour.
Each Guardian makes a commitment for one specific hour each week, i.e., the same hour each week, e.g., Monday from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM. This will be their hour of responsibility -- the hour that they must be in the chapel with Jesus and for which they are accountable.
The following duties belong to each Guardian.
There is a probational period, during which new applicants are known as Probational Guardians. In order to become a full member, the applicant must:
After completing probation, the applicant is known as a Guardian and his/her name is inscribed in the register of the Chapter and at the National (International) Headquarters. Guardians can be dismissed if they repeatedly fail to meet the obligations of their commitment. As a general rule, three incidents of absence or tardiness in one calendar year, without following proper substitution procedures, will be cause for dismissal. Such individuals can reapply for membership after three months but must complete another probation period.
Nocturnal Guardians are those who commit to the difficult hours in the middle of the night. The organizational structure of the night hours may vary, possibly allowing for organizations, groups, families, or individuals to take responsibility for an entire night on a weekly or monthly basis. Any structure adopted by the Chapter, with assistance from the Diocesan Promoter, must maintain individual accountability.
Guardians who must be away from the parish, or with good reason are impeded from fulfilling the obligations of their commitment, for a protracted period of time may request a leave of absence from their Division Leader and will retain membership as a Guardian on Leave provided they exert their best effort to make a weekly holy hour wherever they may be, and that upon returning to the parish, or upon termination of the impediment, they will resume the obligations of their commitment.
Guardians unable to fulfill the obligations of their commitment due to illness may retain membership in the League of Eucharistic Guardians provided they exert their best effort, if possible, to make a weekly holy hour. The Rite of Communion for invalids, in the hospital or at home, allows for a period of adoration, which could be protracted to allow for a holy hour if the Minister of Communion is willing. The Coordinator of each Chapter should appoint a Guardian who is also an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion to minister to these Invalid Guardians.
A Prayer Team is made up of Guardians who have committed to make their holy hour at the same time of day on each day of the week (Model #1) or during the same day and three hour time division (Model #2). Team members are asked to help each other when the need for substitution arises.
Each Captain is a Guardian who, in addition to his/her own weekly holy hour, makes a commitment to be accountable for one or more hours of the day on all 7 days of the week (Model #1) or for a contiguous block of hours on just one day of the week (Model #2). The Captain is, correspondingly, in charge of the Prayer Team committed to these hours. The Captain's responsibility is to ensure that at least one Guardian, or a substitute, is present during all the hours for which he/she is accountable.
The following duties belong to each Captain.
Captains should assist the Division Leader as needed and choose a reliable assistant from within their Prayer Team to help themselves when necessary.
Each Division Leader is a Guardian who, in addition to his/her own weekly holy hour, makes a commitment for a six-hour time division for all seven days of the week (Model #1) or for one entire day of the week (Model #2). The Division Leader is, correspondingly, in charge of the Captains, Prayer Teams, and Guardians committed to these hours. The Division Leader's responsibility is to ensure that at least one Guardian, or a substitute, is present during all the hours for which he/she is accountable.
A possible modification to the organizational structure, if (Model #2) is chosen, is to appoint an eighth Division Leader whose commitment is for the nighttime hours for all seven days of the week. This allows for the possibility of scheduling parish organizations, prayer groups, families or individuals to take responsibility for an entire night on a weekly or monthly basis. However, any such modification must maintain individual accountability. The Diocesan Promoter can help you discern whether this might be advantageous for your parish.
The following duties belong to each Division Leader.
Division Leaders serve, also, as channels of communication; disseminating information from the Coordinator down through the chain, or vice-versa. They should assist the Coordinator as needed and choose a reliable assistant from amongst their Captains to help themselves when necessary.
The Coordinator is a Guardian who, in addition to his/her own weekly holy hour, makes a commitment for the entire schedule and is, correspondingly, in charge of all Division Leaders, Captains, Prayer Teams and Guardians. The Coordinator's responsibility is to ensure that at least one Guardian is present whenever the Blessed Sacrament is exposed. They are accountable to the parish priest and to the Diocesan Promoter if one has been appointed.
The following duties belong to the Coordinator.
The Coordinator is a liaison with the parish council and the parish priest to whom he/she is accountable in all matters of the program. The Coordinator will be asked, annually, by the National (International) Headquarters of the League of Eucharistic Guardians for a status report, including a current list of members.
The Coordinator and Division Leaders, along with the Chief of the Fishers of Men (discussed in PART IV of this PEA Kit) are officers of the parish Chapter of the League of Eucharistic Guardians and, together, constitute its Core Group.
Because the PEA program requires teamwork and consistency, monthly meetings of the Core Group should be convened by the Coordinator, who serves as chairperson, to review, coordinate and plan efforts. At least one member of the Core Group should attend any diocesan meetings of the League of Eucharistic Guardians and report back to the Core Group. The Core Group should also set policies, with guidance from the parish priest, regarding funds to be collected and allotted for the maintenance of the chapel.
Because of the importance of these positions, and the commitment required, it is strongly urged that these individuals free themselves, as much as possible, from obligations related to other parish organizations and apostolates. For the PEA program to work, each of the officers must be single-minded and focused. This should not be difficult because, according to Pope St. Pius X, PEA is the apostolate of apostolates!
The officers of each Chapter of the League of Eucharistic Guardians are normally selected from the group of individuals who are active in establishing the PEA program. Their selection must be approved by the parish priest.
The two determinants in selecting these Servant Guardians are desire and ability. Succession, when necessary, should be handled by holding an election amongst the current officers and with guidance by the parish priest. Annual elections are not encouraged as there is an old adage that: If it is not broken, don't fix it!
The parish priest is, ultimately, responsible for the Blessed Sacrament and the proper observance of adoration in his parish. Thus it is imperative to have his approval for PEA and to keep him informed regarding the program.
The Core Group should hold regular meetings with the parish priest, not only to give him updates but also to receive guidance and formation. One excellent way to accomplish this is to schedule a special Mass each month in the adoration chapel, at which the Core Group will assist. This is also a practical way to fulfill the obligation to renew the Sacred Host regularly.
The parish priest may also want to deputize the Coordinator and Division Leaders as extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist so that they may assist in exposing and reposing the Blessed Sacrament if necessary.
In order to guarantee a strong PEA program, parish priests are asked to encourage the parishioners to participate and to demand adherence to the norms of the League of Eucharistic Guardians, which constitute a structured approach to PEA that satisfies the directives of the Church regarding exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Because accountability is a vital part of the PEA program, a registry must be kept. The easiest way to do this is to provide a Log Book in which each Guardian signs upon entering and leaving the chapel for his/her assigned hour. In this way, there is a permanent record to show that the exposed Blessed Sacrament is never left alone, and the Captains, Division Leaders and Coordinator can easily verify that all of the assigned Guardians, or a scheduled substitute, were present for each hour.
Each Captain should review the Log Book twice weekly (during their own weekly holy hour and before or after Sunday Mass) to verify attendance for the hours for which his/her Prayer Team is responsible. If the name of a scheduled Guardian does not appear for his/her hour, and if the Captain was not previously notified, the Captain should contact that Guardian to politely inquire as to whether everything is "ok" and to discuss the matter. Often the Guardian was present and forgot to sign the Log Book, or had made arrangements for a substitute but forgot to notify the Captain. A friendly inquiry shows genuine concern for the well-being of the person and reminds the Guardian that he/she is an important and appreciated member of the Prayer Team. Also, it often provides an opportunity to discuss and share the blessings this hour has brought to his/her life.
Similarly, each Division Leader should review the Log Book twice weekly and notify the appropriate Captain if there are absences for any of the hours for which he/she is responsible.
Finally, the Coordinator should review the Log Book in similar fashion, informing the appropriate Division Leader of any absences. This simple approach insures that attendance for every hour will be verified six times each week.
A second register should be available, for other visitors who may wish to sign, so that the Log Book, which is for verification and accountability, can be reserved for use only by the Guardians on duty or their designated substitute.
Guardians who have completed probation are encouraged to wear the insignia of the Guardian, a gold-colored monstrance pin, as a sign of their commitment.
Reparation brings about Restoration! The sacrifice that Nocturnal Guardians make to adore Jesus in the middle of the night draws down the Precious Blood of the Lamb upon the world and will usher in the New Day! The insignia for these men and women of sacrifice is the gold-colored monstrance pin with red highlights, the color of the Precious Blood of Jesus.
In addition to the monstrance pin, the insignia that Captains and Fishers of Men, discussed in Part IV of this PEA Kit, are encouraged to wear as a sign of their commitment is the Lamb Medal, a Cross that bears the image of the Paschal Lamb. The neck cord varies in color; green (St. Joseph) for Captains, red (Precious Blood) for Nocturnal Captains, and blue (Blessed Mother) for Fishers of Men.
The insignia for the officers of the Chapter - the Coordinator, Division Leaders and Chief of the Fishers of Men - is the emblem of the League of Eucharistic Guardians. Again, the neck cord varies in color; green for Division Leaders, red for Nocturnal Division Leaders, blue for the Chief of the Fishers of Men, and gold for the Coordinator.
Prices and ordering information for the above items can be found on the products page of this web site.
In some dioceses an individual -- whether priest, deacon, religious or lay -- may be trained and, with the approval of the local Ordinary, appointed as the Diocesan Promoter for the League of Eucharistic Guardians.
The following duties belong to the Diocesan Promoter:
New Chapters of the League of Eucharistic Guardians are on probation until the Diocesan Promoter and parish priest certify that the PEA program has been established according to the norms of the League, such period being at least three months. During this time the Diocesan Promoter should be in frequent contact with the officers of the Chapter, encouraging them in their their efforts and reviewing their procedures.
Any Chapter which experiences a desecration due to negligence, especially due to the exposed Blessed Sacrament being left unattended, or in which three incidents of the exposed Blessed Sacrament being left unattended are reported by the parish priest or Diocesan Promoter in one calendar year, may be suppressed by the Moderator, such suppression being lifted only after a careful review and reorganization of the Chapter is conducted by the Diocesan Promoter, certified by the Moderator, and approved by both the parish priest and local Ordinary.
There may not, initially, be enough Guardians and/or leaders in the parish to have perpetual (continuous and uninterrupted) adoration for all seven days and nights of the week. The solution for this is evangelization.
However, until evangelical efforts do yield enough Guardians and leaders, it is strongly urged that the parish opt for two, three or four days of continuous and uninterrupted adoration, the number of days to be determined by the number of nights that can be covered. As the evangelization continues, nights are added, and then days, until the whole week is covered. This is preferable to any other arrangement for the following reasons.
St. Augustine explains that, in the spiritual life, one never stands still; he is either progressing or, if not progressing, he is regressing. Such is true also for our PEA program. If we do not challenge ourselves and our parish to make a real commitment, which is absolutely required if we really want to have PEA, we will find that our efforts bear little fruit and the program will regress with each passing day.
We all know that the pursuit of excellence brings out the best in people whereas the pursuit of mediocrity brings lackluster results. By establishing a strong program, even if initially for two or three days and nights each week, we set high standards and goals that will motivate our brothers and sisters in Christ to greater levels of commitment so that our program will continue, strengthen, grow and flourish!
Whether you are establishing PEA for the first time, or revitalizing your adoration program, please contact this apostolate. We stand ready to help with every step of the program.
Do not be afraid. Open, indeed, open wide the doors to Christ!
Order the LEG MANUAL |
Tell a Friend about this page! |
Printer-Friendly PDF Version |
 Back to the top of this page | |
| Click here for DONATION FAQ |
Please help us by making a donation now (as low as $1.00) using your Credit Card or Checking Account and Paypal's free online service. You may also help us by ordering our products. Your generosity is much needed and greatly appreciated! |
|
LEAGUE OF EUCHARISTIC GUARDIANSPERPETUAL EUCHARISTIC ADORATIONLeague of Eucharistic Guardians Official Manual for Perpetual Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament | |||||||
|
HOME |
Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration |
| ||||||
| NEW EVANGELIZATION | MISSIONARIES | PRODUCTS | CHAPELS | LIBRARY | LINKS | FAQ | ||