Who are the Apostles of Perpetual Adoration?

The Apostles of Perpetual Adoration were founded by Archbishop Barry James Hickey of Perth and Father Douglas Harris in 2006 as an Association of Christ's Faithful in order to fulfill Mary's mission of having her Son adored perpetually. In 2010 the Apostles of Perpetual Adoration were renewed as an Association of Christ's faithful on a permanent basis by Archbishop Hickey.

What are the Aims and Charism?

Firstly to promote Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, especially Perpetual Adoration in Parishes.

Secondly to strive for the highest level of sanctity for the Glory of God.

Thirdly to strive that all peoples will attain the highest level of sanctity.

Who are the members?

The members include priests, deacons, consecrated non-religious brothers and sisters, single and married lay people. The Association is open to all those 18 and above who agree with the charism of the association.

Priests in APA are vowed to celibacy and promised to obedience.

The non-religious consecrated brothers and sisters make private promises of poverty, celibacy and obedience. As of May 2013 we have one life professed brother and two young candidates about to enter the postulancy who live with our Moderator at St Bernadette's Parish. The consecrated brothers have their own separate Rule of Life based on the approved constitutions of the Association.

Single and married lay men and women make private promises of chastity and obedience.

Our members are found in many countries around the world and some of our priests and other members travel from country to country promoting Perpetual Adoration. Others travel within their country going from diocese to diocese to promote PEA. Others within their own diocese going from parish to parish. Some of the recent places our members have been working to establish chapels of PEA are Indonesia, Latvia, South Africa, Kenya and other countries in Africa, China, the US and Australia.

What are the prayer obligations?

Priests, deacons, non-religious consecrated brothers and sisters are obligated to attend or serve daily Mass and pray the Divine Office. They are also to do a daily Holy Hour. The men must do at least one of their Holy Hours each week between 12 midnight and 6 am. Lay members do a Holy Hour each week on the roster at a parish which has Perpetual Adoration if possible.

Who is the moderator or leader of the Apostles of Perpetual Adoration?

Father Doug Harris in 2006 when he founded the community

Father Douglas Harris is the moderator or leader of APA. He is also the parish priest of St Bernadette's Glendalough in the Archdiocese of Perth. He has also been appointed as the Chaplain (by Archbishop Hickey) in charge of promoting Eucharistic Adoration in the Archdiocese of Perth. He is also the Chaplain of the Divine Will Movement in Perth Archdiocese and the Chaplain of the Disciples of Jesus Covenant Community and a number of other groups.  He has helped open many chapels in Australia and Indonesia.

Father Doug Harris in May 2013 at St Bernaette's Church

What is an Association of Christ's Faithful?

Associations of Christ's Faithful are distinct from the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life in which the Christian faithful, either clergy or laity, or both together, strive by common effort to promote a more perfect life to foster public worship, or to exercise other apostolic works, namely to engage in efforts of evangelisation to animate the temporal order with the Christian spirit. The associations often have within their membership consecrated men and women who are full members of the association and under the governance of the association's moderator. Some examples of non-religious consecrated Brothers and Sisters are - Consecrated Brothers and Sisters of the Emmanuel Community, Regnum Christi, Consecrated Brothers and Sisters of the Beatitudes Community, Focolare Movement, Communion & Liberation.

What is the difference between Religious consecrated brothers and sisters and non-religious consecrated brothers and sisters?

In the Catholic Church only those who are part of an approved religious order or congregation known as Institutes of Consecrated life are called Religious and they make formal solemn public and final vows from which only the Holy See can release them. Non-religious consecrated Brothers and Sisters only make private promises from which they can choose to release themselves or their moderator can release them.

APA desire to have consecrated Brothers and Sisters who are active and those who are contemplative.

Who is our Patron?

We are under the patronage of Our Lady of Blessed Sacrament whose feast day is May 13.

What do they wear 

Brother Gilbert of the Divine Presence in the old APA habit

The APA had a habit that was a white robe with a grey-brown scapular (as mentioned in the Statutes)that is optional especially for priests who may wear ordinary clerical dress. APA is flexible on dress as the priority of promoting and spreading PEA (Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration) and leaves the decision to the member to make based on the situation of where his mission is occurring. 

The Little Eucharistic Brothers of Divine Will are the consecrated brothers within the Apostles of Perpetual Adoration. Their new habit is a white robe with a burgundy red scapular. White to symbolize the Eucharistic host and red to symbolize the Precious Blood.

Brother Gilbert in the new colour in St Bernadette's Church.

Where is the 'mother house'?

The 'mother house' is in the parish of St Bernadette's Glendalough in Perth Western Australia where the Moderator is the Parish Priest.

How can you contact us?

You can visit us at St Bernadette 49 Jugan Street Glendalough Western Australia  or email Father Doug on doug@catholic.org 

New Colour for our Scapular

This is the new colour for the Scapular on the habit of our Consecrated Brothers. It is a kind of Burgundy red to symbolize the Precious Blood of Jesus. The change of colour has been approved by our Moderator. We have two candidates to the consecrated life who will take their first temporary promises in May and enter the postulancy for one year. The new name for the consecrated brothers within the Apostles of Perpetual Adoration is the Little Eucharistic Brothers of Divine Will. Please keep our candidates in your prayers.

Father Pat in the Record

Father Patrick Barry (APA)

There was an article on our priest Father Patrick Barry in the Perth Archdiocesan newspaper last year. Father Patrick is an amazing man and no article could do justice to him and his mission of spreading Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration around the world. As a young man he worked for many years in Melbourne and Perth doing street ministry to the poor, homeless kids and prostitutes with a Catholic lay community. This is when I first met him in Melbourne when he was about 19 and I was 23 years old. At this time he was a worker with Open Family in Melbourne.  After meeting a Christian Brother Frank Feain who also joined Open Family Patrick felt called to a more spiritual ministry of reaching out to Street people than was offered within Open Family. He and Frank and a few others including myself began the Spirit of Freedom Community as a Catholic Charismatic lay Community that served the poorest of the poor on the streets. 

On that first meeting I knew that Patrick was someone special and he had a certain anointing of goodness and divine favour about him. 27 years later I have no reason to question my first impression. His trust in Divine Providence and the miracles of provision that God works for him would equal any lives of the saints.  At times he has been assisted by angels.

I remember us meeting and chatting with a group of secular Israelis at the Bangkok airport when I was off to Jerusalem to open a chapel of Perpetual Adoration with three others and he was going to Sri Lanka. After Father Patrick left the Israelis asked me who he was as they felt he was someone very special and they sensed his holiness. Father Patrick had been in civilian clothing and they had no idea he was a priest.. He is a kind and loyal friend.

Mark Reidy in the Record writes: "Despite the daily challenges of time zones, languages, cultural adaptations and Church politics, Fr Pat Barry wouldn’t live any other way, he tells The Record’s Mark Reidy.

You only need to look at Father Pat Barry’s passport to know that he takes Jesus’ words, “Go forth and make disciples of all nations …”, very seriously. He has endured many hardships over the past 16 years as he has taken the Blessed Eucharist to all corners of the earth, but he is determined to continue until every parish in the world has a chapel of Perpetual Adoration.

From believing he would be beaten and abandoned in treacherous mountain terrain on the Kazakhstan–Kyrgyzstan border to hiding in the back seat of a car entering into prohibited zones in Burma to being robbed at machete point in Guatemala, Fr Pat is prepared to lay his life on the line to introduce the 24-hour availability of the Eucharist to churches across the globe...".(click here for the rest of the article in the Record)

African Mission of APA

PROGRESS REPORT OF THE SPREAD OF PERPETUAL EUCHARISTIC ADORATION IN EAST AFRICA IN 2012 by Father Michael Kithusi

In the wake of the Blessed Pope John Paul II appeal for Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration when he said “Every member of the Church, especially bishops and priests must be vigilant in seeing that this Sacrament of Love shall be at the Centre of the life of the people of God, so that through all manifestations of worship due it, Christ shall be given back love for love; and truly become the life of our souls.” (Redeemer of Man) and also
when he expressed his deepest desire for the whole Church with the words "I hope that this form of Perpetual Adoration, with permanent exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will continue into the future. Specifically, I hope that the fruit of this congress results in establishment of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in all Parishes and Christian Communities throughout the world" (Pope John Paul II's homily at the 45th Eucharistic Congress in Seville, Spain), so far and for the first half of this year, we have done the evangelization that has led to the opening of 6 Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapels. Three of them are in Hoima Diocese, Uganda, one in Nairobi Archdiocese, Kenya and
two in Bukoba Diocese, Tanzania.

The main promoters of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in the above Dioceses were, Joseph Karuga Kariuki, Emmanuel Okello, Nicholas Maina all from Kenya, and Deusdedit Tusiime, from Ugandan. Joseph and Emmanuel are in the process of opening Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration chapel in a third parish in Bukoba and also have an invitation in August in another Diocese inTanzania while Deus has an invitation to start evangelization in Hoima at the end of July and in Kasese Diocese in September.


From last year January up to March this year I worked by opening upto 3 chapels of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in Fort Portal Diocese, in the same period I met Deusdedit Tusiime, Emmanuel Okello and Godfrey Kanyambwe. When they expressed their interest to promote Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration on a full time basis I embarked on training them on its evangelization and organization each at his own time. Deus and Emmanuel have now participated in the opening of seven Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapels inclusive of the chapels opened last year.

This year each has participated in the opening of two chapels of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration (Please see name of main evangelizers in the pictorial part of this report). Also for a long
time when in Kenya I have been working with Nicholas Maina who for the first time and single handedly evangelized for the opening of the Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration chapel in a Parish in Nairobi Archdiocese.

 Between January 17th and April this year, I, Joseph Karuga, Emmanuel Okello and Godfrey Kanyambwe made trips from Kenya to Tanzania and then Rwanda. During this period we knocked the door for Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in Mwanza, Kahama and Bukoba dioceses of Tanzania. And later in Rwanda, where we requested the Priests permission to promote Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in their parishes in Kibungo and Kigali Dioceses. 

Joseph and Emmanuel were allowed to work in Bukoba Diocese by the Bishop and have already assisted in the Evangelization and Organization that has led to the opening of two Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration chapels there. Right now they are two weeks working for Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in a third parish in the diocese. In February this year we visited Kigali and Kibungo Diocese in Rwanda. I found three Priests who were ready to allow me to promote Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in their parishes located in these two diocese but they asked me to get permission from the Bishop.

Around first of March this year through a letter, I applied to the Bishop of Kigali who is also the Apostolic Administrator of Kibungo Diocese asking for permission to promote Perpetual
Eucharistic Adoration in both Kigali and Kibungo Dioceses in Rwanda. He is yet to let me know his decision. In May I visited the Bishop of Kasese in Western Uganda who allowed me to work with Godfrey Kanyambwe and also to promote Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in his Diocese if I get a willing Priest. I got one Priest in Kasese diocese who wants Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration and introduced him to Deudedit Tusiime. These two have agreed that they begin Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration evangelization in September.

I came back to Western Kenya around early June and between the last week of June and now I have been working with Godfrey Kanyambwe in a small place called Migori in South Westen Kenya near Lake Victoria. I met and introduced Godfrey to Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in December last year. I worked a little with him in December last year in Kagoma Parish of Fort Portal Diocese in Uganda.

For now I can say that he is going on well and I feel that by the end of this year he will be able to Evangelize on Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration individually. The three Joseph, Godfrey, and Emmanuel have committed themselves to spreading Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration on a full time basis and are ready for the God's call to any state in life including the Priesthood. I am now working with Godfrey in mastering the Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Evangelization. He has already mastered two Sunday Evangelization and we are left with two more Sunday Evangelization and the Seven New Evangelization presentations. After these we will do scheduling and organization for Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration. We may do what is left in about 6 weeks and theoretically Godfrey will be ready to evangelize for Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in two months.

Please note that we have also made applications for promoting Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration to other Bishops and Priests in Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. I am waiting to get their response on whether they have
accepted my application....

Thank you very much for your prayers and financial support. May Our Eucharistic Lord bless you.

Note: Those who would like to help financially with our missionaries both in Africa and Latvia please contact Father Doug Harris.

Congregation of The Clergy wants Adoration

Promotion Of Continuous Eucharistic Adoration In Diocese For The Benefit Of Priests And Priestly Vocations

CONGREGATIO PRO CLERICIS

Explanatory note to help promote the practice of continuous
Eucharistic adoration in dioceses (parishes, rectories, chapels, monasteries, convents, seminaries) for the benefit of priests and priestly vocations.

In his Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI concretized the perennial teaching of the Church on the centrality of Eucharistic
adoration in ecclesial life by a direct appeal addressed to all pastors, bishops, priests, as well as the People of God, for perpetual Eucharistic adoration: "With the Synod Assembly, therefore, I heartily recommend to the Church's pastors and to the People of God the practice of Eucharistic adoration, both individually and in community. (194) Great benefit would ensue from a suitable catechesis explaining the importance of this act of worship, which enables the faithful to experience the liturgical celebration more fully and more fruitfully. Wherever possible, it would be appropriate, especially in densely populated areas, to set aside specific churches or oratories for perpetual adoration. I also recommend that, in their catechetical training, and especially in their preparation for First Holy Communion, children be taught the meaning and the beauty of spending time with Jesus, and helped to cultivate a sense of awe before his presence in the Eucharist. (Sacramentum Caritatis, n. 67)

In order to support the Holy Father's appeal, the Congregation for the Clergy,in its own solicitousness for the presbyterate, proposes that:

1.Each diocese appoint a priest who will devote himself full time – as far as possible – to the specific ministry of promoting Eucharistic adoration and coordinating this important service in the diocese. Dedicating himself generously to this ministry, this priest will be able to live this particular dimension of liturgical, theological, spiritual and pastoral life, possibly in a place specifically set aside for this purpose by the bishop himself, where the faithful will benefit from perpetual Eucharistic adoration. Just as there are Marian Shrines, with rectors in charge of that particular ministry and suitable for its specific needs, it is also possible to have "Eucharistic shrines" – with priests in charge of them – which radiate and foster the special love that the Church has for the Holy Eucharist, worthily celebrated and continuously adored. Such ministry within the presbyterate will remind all diocesan priests, as Benedict XVI said,that "the secret of their sanctification lies precisely in the Eucharist.(…)The priest must be first and foremost an adorer who contemplates the Eucharist" (Angelus, 18 September 2005);

2.Specific places are to be reserved for continuous Eucharistic adoration. To that end, parish priests, rectors, and chaplains are encouraged to introduce the practice of Eucharistic adoration in their communities, both personally and communally,in a collective effort to enhance prayer life. Let everyone be involved, beginning with children preparing for First Holy Communion;

3.The dioceses that are interested in this project might look for appropriate donations in order to organize continuous Eucharistic adoration in the seminary, in parishes, rectories, oratories, shrines, monasteries, and convents. Divine Providence will surely assist in finding benefactors who are willing to contribute toward suitable works to set in motion this project of Eucharistic renewal for the particular Churches, specifically: the construction or adaptation of a place of worship for adoration within a large worship building; the purchase of a solemn monstrance or a noble liturgical vestment; and the funding of liturgical-pastoral-spiritual material for such promotion;

4.Initiatives directed at local clergy, especially those relating to the continuing formation of priests, should be always permeated by a Eucharistic spirit, specifically devoting a suitable time to the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, so that it may become– together with the Holy Mass – the driving force for each individual and communitarian undertaking;

5.The modalities for Eucharistic adoration in different places may be diverse, according to the circumstances. For example:

·perpetual Eucharistic adoration throughout the 24 hour day;

·extended Eucharistic adoration, beginning in the early hours of the morning and continuing until the evening;

·daily Eucharistic adoration during specific hours;

·Eucharistic adoration during one or more days of the week during specific hours;

·Eucharistic adoration for special circumstances, such as feast days and anniversaries.

The Congregation for the Clergy expresses its gratitude in advance to those Ordinaries who will become promoters of this project, one that is certain to renew the spirituality of both the clergy and the People of God in their particular Churches.

In order to more closely follow the development of this important appeal of the Holy Father, the individual Ordinaries interested in the initiative are kindly requested to keep this Dicastery informed of developments related to continuous Eucharistic adoration in their dioceses, indicating especially which priests and places are involved in this important apostolate.

Should further clarification on this matter be necessary, the Congregation for the Clergy stands ready to provide it.

From the Vatican, 8 December 2007

Solemnity of the of the Immaculate Conception of Mary

St Joseph and Perpetual Adoration

St Joseph and Perpetual Adoration

This from the latest edition of "Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Newsletter"for November 2010

St Joseph and Eucharistic Adoration

Father Doug Harris recently spoke on Perpetual Adoration at all the Masses at the Yangebup Parish and 39 generous souls volunteered to adore Jesus at Christ the King Beaconsfield. These generous people are the apples of God’s eye in an era when even many practicing Catholics have become so much of the modern world of instant satisfaction that they will not sacrifice or put themselves out for Jesus. If they do adoration they want it on their terms when they feel like it. So those generous souls who volunteer to do a set hour each week are the treasures of our time, those who have a heart for Jesus abandoned in so many tabernacles. They sacrifice for him so that others will be blessed and so they may have a chapel to come to 24 hours 7 days a week. Even more blessed are the jewels of the heavenly crown who volunteer for the late night hours- the blessings reserved for them are beyond our earthly understanding.

Our own Father Doug is Joseph-like quietly and patiently persisting in his mission of promoting Perpetual Adoration under the patronage of St Joseph. Our own Father Joseph R here at St Bernadette’s lives up to his name of Joseph by volunteering to do a late night hour on two different nights. What graces they win for the people of God! How transformed is this parish of St Bernadettes and the surrounding area since Perpetual adoration began here.

The theme of this newsletter is St Joseph who is always present mystically with Jesus and Mary in every holy hour. In the Old Testament times he was mystically present represented by the Cloud and Our Lady by the fire when the Divine Son as the Divine Word spoke out of the midst of the Divine Manifestation of God in cloud, smoke and fire. The God of Sinai is this Divine Son. The same one that gave us the Torah himself took on flesh and came as a man and then as God and Man he also became the Eucharistic bread and wine for us.

Joseph in eternity was also one of the four cherubim in the Garden of Eden- who were represented in the Temple by the two golden cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant and the two large olive wood cherubim that stood in the holy of holies either side of the Ark. The two on the Ark represent Jesus and Mary. Joseph is represented by the male olive wood cherubim.

Wednesday is the traditional Catholic day in honour of St Joseph which is linked to the fourth day of the Creation week where the two great lights appear. This of course makes us think of the vision of the Patriarch Joseph of the sun, moon and stars. There are of course many valid interpretations at the mystical level of reading scriptures. For example the Sun can represent the Divine Will. It can also represent the Messiah son of Joseph who is “the sun of righteousness who rises with healing in his wings”. Symbolised as a created mystical Sun it can represent Joseph himself. Joseph is so surrounded by the rays of the uncreated Mystical Sun that he becomes the created mystical Sun or icon of the Divine Sun. As Abba (Daddy/Father) to Jesus he is the created icon of the Father. It is in this manner that joseph is referred to as the Shadow of the Father.

The wonderful little prayer book entitled “The Holy Cloak in honour of St Joseph” has a beautiful prayer that says:

“O Glorious Patriarch St Joseph, prostrate, before you and your Divine Son, Jesus, I offer you with heartfelt devotion, this precious treasury of prayers, being ever mindful of the numerous virtues which adorned your sacred person. In you, O glorious patriarch, was fulfilled the dream of your precursor the first Joseph, who indeed seemed to have been sent by god to prepare the way for your presence on this Earth. In fact, not only were you surrounded by the shining splendour of the rays of the Divine Sun, but you were splendidly reflected in the brilliant light of the mystic moon, the Blessed Virgin Mary. O glorious Patriarch, if the example of the ancient Jacob, who personally went to congratulate his favourite son, who was exalted on the throne of Egypt, served to bring all his progeny there, should not the example of Jesus and Mary, who honoured you with their greatest respect and trust, serve to bring me, your devoted servant, to present you with this precious cloak in your honour...”


The full glories of St Joseph were not to be fully unveiled until the latter days according to St Isadore of Seville in the 8th century. St Joseph is the hidden saint. The new Testament calls him a Tzadik (A righteous man)- he is the hidden Tzadik who is the foster-father of the ultimate Tzadik the Messiah son of Joseph who would come riding on a donkey. The concept of Joseph ha Tzadik and the Hidden Tzadik as well as the Messiah son of Joseph is rich in Jewish mystical tradition. Joseph is present with us in each holy hour leading us in adoration with Our Lady to their Divine Son.

When I became a Catholic in 1987 I took the name Joseph in honour of St Joseph of Arimathea. At that time I had no interest or devotion to what I then thought of as the ‘boring’ Joseph married to Mary (may heaven forgive me). In 1994 the Vicar General of Manila in the Philippines- Monsignor Josefino (Pepe) Ramirez wrote a book entitled “Letters to a Brother Priest” to promote Perpetual Adoration.

In one of those letters he linked me (I am now a layman assisting Father Doug with PEA), Doug Harris (now Father Doug), Patrick Barry (now a priest who has started PEA chapels all over the world mentioned in last month’s newsletter) and Adam Hayward (now Father Charbel the superior of the Franciscans of the Immaculate in Perth) with St Joseph. It is interesting that the letter also mentions Bethlehem as Father Patrick went to Bethlehem when he was still a seminarian in the 1990’s to see if he could find a place there for PEA (Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration). Each religious house said they had no room and to try elsewhere. Patrick couldn’t help but think of St Joseph trying to find a room for Jesus and here 2000 years later Patrick (whose middle name is Joseph) was getting the same response for the Eucharistic Christ Child. I was also in Bethlehem in 2003 with two future priests (Father Robert R and Father Patricio H) trying to find a place for Jesus to be adored perpetually with the same response after we had been forced to close down Perpetual Adoration in Jerusalem. While Perpetual Adoration occurred all the bombing stopped in Israel. The last time I was in Israel in 2008 I learnt that finally a chapel of PEA had been established in Bethlehem and the decreased bombings of recent years I believe is due to this chapel. When I arrived in Israel in 2002 there were bombings in Jerusalem every day or two and I was almost a victim of one of them. When we began Perpetual Adoration at the Armenian Catholic church of Our Lady of the Spasm on the Via Dolorosa in the Muslim Quarter all the bombs stopped and did so for the next few months, so much so that the unusualness of it was commented on in the media.



“Letters to a Brother Priest” by Monsignor Pepe

A Room In The Inn –Feast Day of St Joseph, husband of Mary- March 19 1994 JMJ

Dear Fr. Thomas,

Today is the feast of St Joseph. There is not much said about St Joseph in scripture. He was a just and faithful servant, and a quiet figure in the history of salvation. St Joseph reminds me of the vast majority of Catholic priests in the world today. They are just, faithful and totally dedicated to god and service of the Church.

Because they are not disruptive, they do not get any publicity. They are so pastorally oriented, busy taking care of the people in their parish, that nothing is ever said or written about how much they do for God and his people. Like St Joseph, they quietly go about their life working for the glory of God. Look to St Joseph, Thomas, as your model. He represents spiritual and apostolic maturity. By maturity, I mean he was dedicated to the interest of Christ. He put the interest of Christ ahead of his own.

In his love for Jesus and Mary, his thought process focused on their needs, rather than his own. In theory, every priest would agree to this. In practice, however, it may be a different matter. For example, I have asked many priests to consider having perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Many of them say that they cannot find a place for a prayer room. Did not St Joseph search until he found a place for Christ to be born? “There was no room for them in the inn.”(LK 2:7). But St Joseph kept searching until he found a place. And this place he found in Bethlehem became the first chapel of perpetual adoration where even the shepherds in the region, living in the fields, came to adore Him.

A priest whose mind is primarily on the interest of Christ would give up his own bedroom, if there was no other place available, if it meant finding a place where the Blessed Sacrament would be adored day and night. I know such a priest. He came to Manila for the ordination of Fr. Brian Morgan. His name is Fr. Brian Ahern. Fr. Brian Ahern is pastor of St Gerard’s Catholic Church in Geraldton, Western Australia. Fr. Ahern wanted perpetual adoration in his parish, but there was no room anywhere for a prayer chapel. Fr. Brian Ahern did what St Joseph would have done. He gave Jesus his bedroom. It makes an ideal chapel because it has a separate, outside entrance. One does not have to go through the rectory to come into the chapel. The privacy of the rectory is maintained as the people use the outside entrance to come into the chapel, which was formerly Fr. Brian Ahern’s bedroom...Fr Brain Ahern’s prayer chapel inspired Brian Morgan to become a priest and to dedicate his priesthood to spreading perpetual adoration. Brian Morgan is now a priest. His holiness and love for the Eucharist has already attracted six other vocations to the priesthood. Five of them are now studying here in Manila at St Vincent’s in Tandang Sora for a new community of priests, ...founded to spread perpetual adoration. These young men are Patrick Barry, Doug Harris, Vincent Cherry, Athol Bloomer and Adam Hayward. .. I am writing you this letter, dear Thomas, so that you may be the next one; the next St Joseph priest to find a room in the inn for the Lord...Msgr Pepe”

This weekend Father Doug will be visiting Father Brian Ahern’s new parish in Dongara to speak on Perpetual Adoration. Accompanying him will be Brian Milne who in the past was one of the pillars of late night adoration at the chapel in Mirrabooka. This was the church that Father Patrick Barry, Father Charbel and I first heard the preaching of Father Brian Morgan and learnt of PEA. Brian Milne  is now assisting us with the late night adoration at Highgate for a number of hours on two late night shifts. Another hero of mine is also from the late night hours at Highgate and that is Patrick Galway  who has been doing many late night hours for many years while working and rearing a family. Another wonderful example is Gerry Evangelista from the Glendalough chapel who has faithfully done late night hours twice a week for many years.

Recently I was told of a Eucharistic miracle that occurred in the Highgate chapel where two ladies who didn’t know each other saw Jesus appear from the host and waved at them. One of the ladies thought she must be imagining things until the other lady started to cry out that she could see Jesus.

The other week Anthony T (a young man who does two late night hours each week) was driving me to Adoration at Highgate before he went to do his adoration at Glendalough. On the way a car pulled out when we where almost on top of them and somehow our car seemed to leap to the right and smoothly go round the end of the car and back onto the lane. As another car was coming from the other direction we would have been hit if we had gone too far right. It was a strange experience as time seemed to speed up and slow down at the same time. Anthony and I both remained very calm through the whole experience and felt that we had been spared from death by a God moment. Jesus knew he couldn’t take us both out when we were due to do adoration at two chapels.

I am sure there are other wonderful stories to be shared from all the chapels. So please feel free to contact me at the Glendalough parish to share your story or send me an email on atholbloomer13@hotmail.com so we can share them in future newsletters.

The Eucharist and the Shekhinah

The Eucharist and the Shekhinah

The latest edition of the "Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Newsletter" for October 2010.


'The Eucharist and the Shekhinah' by A Bloomer a Hebrew Catholic who is the assistant to Father Doug Harris in promoting Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration.

In the Middle Ages there were a number of Jewish converts to the Church who had become convinced Christians by studying and practicing the Jewish Mystical Tradition. These Jewish converts wrote a number of books which explored the Jewish Mystical traditions in the light of Catholic belief. Pope Sixtus IV along with some other Popes approved of this movement and ordered seventy books of Jewish mysticism to be translated into Latin and to be studied by all Divinity students. However with the rise of a more rationalistic generation this field of research was neglected by Catholic scholars.

Shekhinah is the central concept of this mysticism. Father Elias Friedman [founder of the Association of Hebrew Catholics] in his writings mentions this understanding of Shekhinah in regards to the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus in the Tabernacles of the Catholic Church. Just as the Shekhinah dwelt in the Temple of Solomon so the Shekhinah in the flesh was Jesus and now dwells in the tabernacles of the world. Thus the central concept of both Jewish and Catholic mysticism is the Divine Presence (Shekhinah). A study of the Jewish Mystical tradition in the light of the Eucharist is, in my opinion, essential in the future development of a Hebrew Catholic spirituality that would enrich the whole Church. Adoration of the Shekhinah is the central activity of the Jewish mystics just as Eucharistic Adoration is the central activity of the Catholic mystics. These adorers in the Jewish traditions are called the Reapers of the Field or Comrades/Friends (haverim).

Shekhinah is the feminine form of the word meaning ‘to dwell’ and shekhen is the male form. The more accurate term for the uncreated male Divine Presence is Shekhen Y-H-V-H who is Jesus as the uncreated male Wisdom and the uncreated female Divine Presence Shekhinah Elohim is the uncreated Divine Wisdom the Holy Spirit. The created male presence and wisdom is the Shekhen who is Joseph who manifests out of Eternity as Cloud and Shadow and the created female presence is Shekhinah and Wisdom who is Mary/Miriam who manifests out of Eternity as fire. These different manifestations of the Presence of God are called in the Hebrew mystical tradition (based on the Bible) the Shekhakim [see the Jewish mystical book called the Bahir]. Shekhakim is the mystical (but not literal) plural for Shekhinah and Shekhen.

St Augustine also distinguished between the uncreated Wisdom who was the Divine Word (Logos) and the created Wisdom (Sophia). Some Fathers and Doctors of the Church also described the Holy Spirit as Wisdom or the uncreated Sophia. St Maximillian Kolbe described Mary united to the Holy Spirit in eternity as Wisdom (Sophia). Jewish mysticism refers to the male Wisdom as Hokhmah (wisdom) and Abba(father) and to the female wisdom as Binah (understanding) and Imma (mother). This is associated with the closed and open letters 'mem'[the Hebrew letter for M] in the name Miriam and mayim (waters). In Rabbinic tradition the term Shekhinah became used for all mentions of the Divine Presence whether male or female. The development in understanding of the connection between Sophia and Our Lady is found strongly in the Russian Orthodox tradition. This understanding in the Russian Church has received theological development by Serge Bulgakov and in the Western Church by Father Louis Bouyer. This is closely connected to the nuptial mysticism of John Paul’s “Theology of the Body”.

It is significant that it was in 1993 in Spain, where the population is very Jewish in ancestry, due to the mass conversions of Jews in 1391 and 1492, that Pope John Paul II expressed a desire for Perpetual Euchatistic Adoration in every parish and community. It is in Spain that many Catholics believe that a future Eucharistic miracle in connection with the Shekhinah Presence of God will occur at Garabandal.


The Old Testament speaks of a similar event to happen on the mountain where Moses died in the last days. In the Second Book of Maccabees (2:4-12), it describes how the Prophet Jeremiah hid the Ark of the Covenant in a cave. He prophesied that the Ark of the Covenant would remain hidden until the time of the return of the Jews and their receiving of God’s mercy. Then the Ark will be revealed and the Presence of God will manifest himself just as he did in the time of Moses and Solomon. In this passage of Scripture our attention is drawn to the two figures of importance in a reflection on the Jewish origins of the Eucharist. They are Moses (Moshe) and Solomon (Shlomo). This short passage is like a capsule hiding many interesting treasures.


Verse 8 of this chapter links us to the Manna of the Old Covenant in Exodus as a type of the Eucharistic bread, and verses 10-11 with the institution of the Old covenant sacrificial priesthood (Leviticus 9). This passage also draws our attention to the Tabernacle (Exodus 40) and the Temple (1 Kings 8) showing the connection between the Shekhinah and the sacrificial system.
The Jewish mystical tradition as recorded in the Zohar (an important work of Jewish Mysticism published by Moses de Leon), relates that all Scripture has a hidden mystical meaning as well as the literal historical meaning. The earthly meaning is only a shadow of the true heavenly or mystical reality.



Blurred Cloudy Lens

It is through the use of the earthly language of symbols that man can get a glimpse of the heavenly reality as through what the Rabbinic tradition calls a blurred, cloudy lens (as also mentioned by St.Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:12). Thus in one sense we could say that the Eucharistic species is that blurred, cloudy lens through which we see the Real Presence of the Divinity. Paul states that one day the full glory of the Eucharist will be revealed when we see God face to face. This dwelling of God’s Presence in time and space is called in Judaism the Miniature Presence or Shekhinah. The Jewish Artscroll Siddur-Sefard (p.391) states in the commentary:

“Although God’s Presence is everywhere, it is not readily discernable on earth where events can be understood as a result of natural causes rather than emanating from Him. The lack of clarity in our perception of His Presence is as if we observed an event through ‘me-iy-rah is-pak-lar-ya she-ey-nah’, a blurred, cloudy lens. The result is that we have a diminished appreciation of God’s greatness. This is the unclear lens through which we attempt to perceive His influence and is referred to as the miniature Presence of God.”




The Miniature Presence

The Shekhinah or Miniature Presence of God is also called in the Jewish Mystical Tradition the Holy Apple Orchard or the Field of the Sacred Apples. This terminology comes from the Song of Songs where the Bridegroom (in Hebrew, Hatan) is associated with the Apple Tree (Song of Songs 2:3;8:5). The fruit of the apple tree is associated by the Rabbis with the Torah. They interpret Song 8:5 as:

“How worthy she is who rises from the desert bearing Torah and His Presence, clinging to her beloved.”
The Bride and the Bridegroom

In this interpretation the Bride (Kallah) is called the Kehal (the Community, Church, Assembly, Synagogue, Ekklesia) and is the bearer to mankind of the Torah and the Divine Presence. Thus the Jewish tradition proclaims that the Torah which is the Word of God (Dabar), and the Divine Presence are the possession of the Community (Kehal or Kehilla) of God’s People. In the Catholic sense this is the bride of St. Paul’s writings the Church which is the bearer of the Word of God and the Sacraments that make the Divine Presence really present in the life of the believer. That the Song of Songs is a mystical writing is proclaimed by both the Jewish Tradition and the Church Fathers. The Mystery of the Church (or Body of Christ) is explained in symbols through the love of the Bridegroom (Hatan) for his Bride (Kallah).

Jesus himself drew on this imagery and referred to himself as the Bridegroom and His disciples as the children of the Huppah (the Marriage Canopy). This is why the Blessed Sacrament, when it is processed, is covered by the Huppah (Canopy) of the New Covenant. Paul also explains the mystery of the Church in this mystical language drawn from the Jewish tradition. As the Jewish bride circles round the bridegroom, so the Church revolves around Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.




The Shekhinah Presence

St. John the Beloved also uses this tradition. John links the Incarnation of the Divine Word (Dabar in Hebrew, Memra in Aramaic and Logos in Greek) in John 1:14 with the Shekhinah/Shekhen in the Tabernacle (or Tent) and Temple of the Old Covenant. John 1:14 states literally that “the Word was made flesh and pitched his tent among us.” This can be translated also as “the Word was made man and tabernacled or shekhen-ed amongst us.” Thus Jesus is the ‘Miniature’ Presence of God which in the Old Covenant was veiled by the cloud but in the New Covenant was veiled by Jesus’ human flesh and also by the veil of the Eucharistic species of the bread and wine.

John 1:14 continues in the second part: “and we saw his glory (Kavod in Hebrew closely associated with the concept of Shekinah), the glory (Kavod) that is his as the only begotten Son of the Father, full of Grace (Hesed) and Truth (Emet).” The Jerusalem Bible commentary on this states that:

“The ‘glory’ is the manifestation of God’s Presence (Ex 24:16+), but the human nature of the Word now screens this glory as the cloud once did. Yet at times it pierces the veil, at the transfiguration, for instance, cf Lk 9:32,35 (alluded to in Jn 1:14?) and when Jesus works miracles ‘signs’ that God is active in him. The Resurrection will reveal the glory fully (cf Jn 17:5+).”

The Kavod or Glory of God is closely associated with the concept of Shekhinah, as it is Shekhinah that allows the Kavod to manifest in time and space through the power of the Holy Spirit (Ruach haKodesh) in a veiled form that man can perceive as through a blurred cloudy lens. It is the Kavod or Dabar (Word), also known as Wisdom or Primordial Torah, through the power of the Holy Spirit, that manifests himself in time and space. This process is what Shekhinah is. Thus the Shekhinah came to be seen in the Jewish tradition as a simile for the Divine Presence itself.

The Shekhinah is often referred to in the feminine form because in the Jewish traditions the Holy Spirit and wisdom are at times referred to in the feminine gender. Understanding (Binah) which is closely linked to Wisdom (Hokmah) is also referred to in feminine terminology. Jesus (Yeshua) also gives himself feminine imagery when he describes himself as a mother hen who gathers her chicks under her wings this is a direct allusion to the concept of the ‘wings of Shekinah’ found in Rabbinic literature.

The Heavenly Portal

The Jewish Mystical tradition teaches that the portal or gateway to the mystical realm of the Heavenlies is through the Holy Apple Orchard or Shekhinah. Thus we can say that the Eucharistic Presence in the Tabernacle is the portal or gateway to ascending to the Heavenlies and the mysteries of the Holy Trinity. The following prayer-praise is recited during the Jewish Sabbath evening meal.

“Prepare the feast of perfect faith, the joy of the Holy King. Prepare the feast of the King. This is the feast of the Field of Sacred Apples. And the Miniature Presence and the Holy Ancient One come to feast with it. I will cut away (the accusers) with praises, bringing them up through the portals that are in the Apple Orchard, for they are holy. Let us now invite (the Shekinah) with a newly laid table.”

This links the earthly Sabbath meal with the Heavenly Wedding Feast. The Sabbath itself is called the Sabbath Bride or Queen in the Jewish liturgy for the Sabbath. Thus we see that the Sabbath meal is associated with the Heavenly banquet or Wedding Feast in connection with the Shekhinah as the kingly bridegroom and the Sabbath as the queenly bride the linking the Sabbath meal with the Song of Songs. In the New Covenant the Sabbath meal along with all the festival meals is transformed into the Mass as the Wedding Feast of the Eucharistic King. Thus the Jewish Sabbath Meal is a type of the Mass and Eucharist.

All the festival meals of Judaism including the Passover have their roots in the weekly Sabbath Evening Meal. These meals all find their fulfilment or culmination in the meal of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, which we call the Holy Mass.


The Sabbath Queen

The Sabbath Bride or Queen is an image or type of Our Lady and the Church. Our Lady is the Sabbath Queen for whom Catholics honour each Saturday as a feast day of Our Lady, and the Jews unknowingly invoke her in song as the Sabbath Queen. The Orthodox Jews sing the song Lechah Dodi (Come my Beloved) each Sabbath to welcome the Sabbath Queen. The title alone links in to the Song of Songs. It concludes with:

“Enter, O bride! Enter, O bride, enter O bride, the Sabbath Queen, Come my Beloved to greet the bride the Sabbath Presence, let us welcome!”.

Thus the concept of Shekhinah is also the concept of the Incarnation in Eternity as the first thought of God outside himself. God the Father manifests in the Creation through the manifestations of the Divine Son and the Holy Spirit. These manifestations of God is accompanied by a mystical Presence of Our Lady and St Joseph out of Eternity often represented as Cloud and Fire as the perfect Adorers of the Divine Presence. In our Holy Hours of Adoration this same manifestation of the Shekhinah flows forth perpetually from the Eucharistic Host and we are mystically united with Our Lady and St Joseph in Adoring the Triune God. These mysteries are hidden in the Jewish Mystical Tradition and help us deepen our understanding of the teachings of our own Catholic mystics and illustrates that the source of all authentic Mysticism has its origins in the mystical reading of the Biblical text.

Some other News

At the recent Marian cenacle here at St Bernadette’s Father Hugh Thomas who does wonderful work promoting Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration mentioned that in 1979 there were about 10 chapels in the world that had PEA but today there are over 3000. This is very encouraging news as sometimes with all the struggles in promoting Adoration we forget that so much has been achieved in the last 21 years. Both Father Hugh and Father Doug have assisted in starting PEA chapels in Indonesia in recent years. I believe there are now 15 chapels of Perpetual Adoration in Indonesia whereas a few years ago there were none.

Another stalwart of PEA is Father Patrick Barry who has been responsible for starting many chapels of PEA all over the world. Father Patrick is presently in Latvia working to establish the first chapel of PEA in which the local Catholics and Lutherans will do PEA together. The Lutheran Pastors have been desiring this for at least 12 years and finally the Catholics [with the gentle nudging of Father Patrick] have decided this is also a great idea. This is true Ecumenism at work and part of the new evangelisation which must be Eucharistic Evangelisation. Please keep this important project in your prayers and holy hours.

Importance of a set hour

Some people like to just do holy hours whenever the Spirit moves them and won’t commit to a set hour. What then are the benefits of the Adorer who takes a set hour? If one just does any old hour then one only gets the graces of that hour. However the person who takes a set hour allows Perpetual Adoration chapels to exist and they not only get the graces of the hour they attend but they share in perpetual graces from all the hours- 24 hours 7 days a week- from that chapel of PEA for themselves, their family and all those close to their hearts. They not only receive the graces of that chapel but they are mystically joined in the perpetual graces of all chapels of PEA that have been, are and will ever exist in human history. And the person who takes two set hours has double all these graces and the Adorer who takes three hours receives triple the amount of all these graces flowing from the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus present in all these chapels which mystically dwell in Eternity itself.


For further information contact
Father Doug Harris-Chaplain for the Promotion of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration for Archdiocese of Perth on 0894446131.