November 11, 2026

By Mary Beth Bracy, consecrated virgin
North Country Catholic

On Thursday, October 1, a special Mass was offered at St. Peter’s Church to commemorate the 39th anniversary of Eucharistic Adoration in Plattsburgh. Father Tyler M. Fitzgerald celebrated the Mass and Father Douglas A. Schirmer cantored.

Since the day also marked St. Therese’s feast, a blessing of the roses followed. Several adorers shared their thoughts about how spending a weekly Holy Hour with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration has impacted their lives.

“Did you know that for (nearly) 40 years, Plattsburgh Catholics and visitors have had the privilege of kneeling to pray before the consecrated Eucharist? Here at Holy Cross Parish we are blessed with the opportunity to be with God our Father, to pray, to meditate, to simply spend quiet moments in His presence,” commented Anne Marie Holleran who, along with her husband, Paul Spilman, are weekly adorers.

John Hanosek, a graduate student at SUNY Plattsburgh, testified, “One of the greatest gifts of being Catholic is our access to Jesus in the Eucharist …. That is what makes Eucharistic Adoration so special. In Adoration, the Holy Eucharist is displayed so that we can physically rest our gaze on Christ in the Sacrament and spend time in His presence. Since becoming a regular adorer last year, I have personally experienced so many spiritual gifts and growth from just spending an hour each week with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.”

David Ellsworth and his wife Fabiany make their weekly Holy Hour in the evening.

“Doing a weekly Holy Hour of Adoration has brought us closer together and to Our Lord,” David Ellsworth said. “We would recommend anyone who wants to have some silence and peace in this ever-changing world to spend time with Him and receive this unique gift.”

“Being able to spend time with God, our Father, while in the midst of his glorious presence is the best thing we can do for our souls,” elaborated David Ellsworth. “This time spent with Him can lead to necessary inner changes of the heart that we may not ever have otherwise. Honoring our Lord and having a conversation with Him is something that not just only changes our lives but can also change the world around us as it brings us closer to the real truth of why we are here on earth in the first place.”

Another married couple, Ken and Kathy Racette, have long been weekly adorers.

“Several years ago, thanks to the example of my wife Kathy, I began to attend daily Mass,” said Ken Racette. “Later I began to act as a substitute at Eucharistic Adoration but remained reluctant to make a weekly hourly commitment. After a few months I realized that God was asking me to take the next step in being with Him and began Adoration on a weekly basis. I have never regretted it.”

“Daily Mass and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament are now the highlight of my day and week and when I miss one or the other I feel like something is lacking in my life,” continued Ken Racette. “Several times Eucharistic Adoration hours have provided me with unusual experiences or opportunities to meet someone I would not have met otherwise, once a second cousin I had never known before, another time, a young doctor who has now become a good friend and recently a person who needed help but was reluctant to ask. Once, my Adoration hour convinced me to visit a dying friend and I was privileged to witness a conversion in his life a week before his death. Beyond this, Adoration always brings me peace and a good feeling of having drawn closer to the Lord through my visit with Him.”

“I didn’t know what to expect when I was asked to consider signing up for a weekly Holy Hour at St. John’s Church here in Plattsburgh,” added Holleran. “I feel Eucharistic Adoration is important because it deepens our relationship with Jesus, and that has certainly been the effect on my prayer life… the midst of our busy lives, God invites us to pause, to be still, and to recognize His presence. I find that my time spent in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is often spent being still and listening to Jesus as he speaks to me.”

“At St. John’s we have a beautiful, cozy and safe chapel in which the Blessed Sacrament is exposed from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday,” added Ken Racette. “I encourage you all to spend some time there with Jesus.”

Sometimes people wonder what to do during their Holy Hour of Adoration.

“If you are new to Adoration and wondering what to do there, don’t worry,” Ken Racette said. “Jesus doesn’t have expectations. He just wants to be with you and you to be with him. You can pray the Rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the Liturgy of the Hours, read a book on Faith, meditate on Scripture or just rest in Jesus’ arms. Many people just sit quietly looking at Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and think thankfully about their lives and the great love Jesus has shown to them. It’s all good in God’s eyes.”

“There is no one right way to spend your time in Adoration; it is simply an invitation to spend time with our Lord,” echoed Hanosek. “For some that can be saying specific prayers, reading spiritual books, or sometimes just talking to God and listening in the silence.”

Holleran noted, “At Adoration, I usually pray the rosary for my family. Each bead representing an individual, from my parents and in laws, to my great nieces and nephews. Oftentimes I think about my day or work out problems, sitting quietly always helps me clarify my thoughts, it’s a chance to ask Him for grace and to thank Him for it too. I never regret the time I spend in Holy Hour. It’s a real gift.”

“Prayerfully consider spending an hour each week at Adoration,” Holleran suggested. “Participating in this has enriched my prayer life, and I am confident that it will have a similar impact on you.”

The graces of Adoration radiate far beyond the chapel.

“Parishes with active Adoration communities are vibrant, because the more time we spend with Jesus the more we become like Him,” emphasized Hanosek. “Adoration is a great place for us to draw nearer to Christ and rest in Him. It is a time when we can put away the distractions of the world and simply pour our attention towards the God that loves us so deeply. I know in my own life how important it is for me to set aside that time. I often get so overwhelmed with the busyness of life and struggle to make the time for God that I should. Adoration is the place where I do not have that worry. I know for that hour I am exactly where God wants me to be – with Him.”

“A Holy Hour not only benefits ourselves, but the entire world,” reflected Hanosek.” St. John Paul II said that every time we go before Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, we draw the whole world with us and raise it to God. When we come before Christ in the Eucharist, we can bring our families, our parish, our community and all those who are suffering with us in prayer.”

“Saint Carlo Acutis said, ‘To always be close to Jesus, that’s my life plan.’ I think that should be the goal for all of us: to make Christ the center of our lives and to keep growing closer to Him. So, if you have been looking for a way to strengthen your relationship with God, I encourage you to consider signing up for a Holy Hour,” concluded Hanosek.