You have by now received an invitation from us via Flocknote to sign up for 50/50 (50 hours of adoration for 50 years). As we cross the threshold of our Golden Jubilee, this initiative is not merely a scheduling milestone, it is a profound testament to our journey as a community of faith. 

In Sacred Scripture, the number 50 carries the weight of a Jubilee – a sacred season of restoration, profound thanksgiving, and spiritual renewal. Offering 50 continuous hours of prayer to celebrate 50 years as a parish perfectly symbolizes our history. Every hour represents a year of graces received, sacraments celebrated, and community forged in the heart of Sun City. For us as faithful Catholics, it centers our celebration where it truly belongs: at the feet of Jesus Christ.

Eucharistic Adoration is the act of worshipping the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. When we sit before the monstrance, we are not looking at a mere symbol, we are gazing upon the physical reality of Christ’s body, blood, soul, and divinity, hidden under the appearance of bread. 

The benefits of this practice are boundless. In a world full of noise, anxiety, and constant distraction, Adoration provides a sanctuary of profound peace. It is a spiritual incubator where our relationship with Christ deepens, our prayers are answered, and our souls find deep interior rest. Sitting in His presence heals our spiritual wounds, clarifies our minds, and transforms our hearts so that we can better love those around us.

I warmly invite and encourage you to sign up for an hour of adoration, beginning Friday, November 20 at 9am, and continuing seamlessly through the beginning of 11am Mass, Sunday, November 22. It will be two days of perpetual adoration, being in the presence of Jesus. Swing by the office to ask questions or ask to be signed up. We are here to assist with that. Or simply follow the link provided in our last Flocknote to sign up - St. Elizabeth Seton Sun City: 50 Hours of Adoration for 50 Years of Jubilation 

Thank you to the many parishioners who have already signed up. We need many more to claim the remaining hours that are yet to be filled. My deepest hope is that individuals and families in our parish will claim an hour to spend with the Lord in heartfelt thanksgiving for five decades of blessings.

When you sit before Him, you walk a path paved by the great clouds of witnesses before us. Think of St. Theresa of Calcutta, who made a daily holy hour the absolute anchor of her grueling mission to the poor, or St. John Paul II, who wrote encyclicals on his knees before the Blessed Sacrament. Consider St. Alphonsus Liguori, who reminded us that of all devotions, adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest after the sacraments themselves. Let us emulate these saints who made the Eucharist the sun around which their entire lives revolved.

Our 50 hours of continuous adoration will lead us directly into a special moment in our parish life and history: the Mass of consecration of the Altar and the blessing of our beautifully renovated church on November 22. However, our devotion must not end when the Jubilee weekend concludes. I strongly encourage you to make Eucharistic Adoration a permanent, lifelong habit. We would love to see our parishioners consistently picking up hours in our chapel to remain close to the Lord week after week. 

To foster this quiet intimacy, our chapel has been beautifully upgraded with brand-new, comfortable chairs designed specifically for your extended prayers and quiet moments of reflection. We owe a debt of immense gratitude to a parishioner who generously donated these new chairs to immortalize his beloved wife, beautifully weaving a legacy of human love into this space of divine worship.

As we look to the future, let us embrace the unique season of life that many of us share here. In our retirement age, the hectic pace of the working world naturally slows down. This is not a time for spiritual coasting, but a providential gift - an opportunity to free up our schedules and devote more quality time to being with the Lord. 

The chapel is truly the place to be. Let us fill those seats in the chapel with faithful hearts, ensuring that our parish remains a powerhouse of prayer for the next 50 years and beyond. 

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for his love endures forever.