Eucharistic adoration is time spent in prayer before Jesus, truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. You can adore him in the tabernacle of any church, or when the Host is exposed in a monstrance for adoration or Benediction. Begin with this short act, which has been prayed before the tabernacle for generations:
O Sacrament most holy! O Sacrament divine! All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine.
Below you will find a simple plan for a Holy Hour, the hymns and prayers of Benediction, the Divine Praises, and short prayers to use when you do not know what to say.
What the Church teaches about adoration
The Catholic Church believes that in the Eucharist Jesus Christ is present “body and blood, together with the soul and divinity” (CCC 1374). For this reason, the Catechism says, “the Catholic Church has always offered and still offers to the sacrament of the Eucharist the cult of adoration, not only during Mass, but also outside of it” (CCC 1378). It quotes St. Paul VI: “To visit the Blessed Sacrament is… a proof of gratitude, an expression of love, and a duty of adoration toward Christ our Lord” (CCC 1418).
St. John Paul II wrote that “it is pleasant to spend time with him, to lie close to his breast like the Beloved Disciple” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 25).
A simple plan for a Holy Hour
A Holy Hour is an hour of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, inspired by Jesus’ question in Gethsemane: “Could you not watch one hour with me?” (Matthew 26:40, Douay-Rheims). A simple way to divide it uses the four ends of prayer, sometimes remembered by the letters A-C-T-S:
| Minutes | Part | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5 | Arrive | Genuflect, kneel, make the Sign of the Cross. Pray the act of adoration above. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you pray. |
| 5–15 | Adoration | Praise Jesus for who he is. Pray the Divine Praises or the Glory Be slowly. |
| 15–25 | Contrition | Examine your conscience and tell him you are sorry. Pray an Act of Contrition. |
| 25–40 | Scripture and silence | Read a Gospel passage, such as John 6 or the day’s Gospel, and then sit in silence. Let him speak. |
| 40–50 | Thanksgiving | Thank him for specific blessings. Pray the Anima Christi. |
| 50–58 | Supplication | Bring him your intentions and the people who asked you to pray. See what is intercessory prayer. |
| 58–60 | Close | Make a spiritual communion, genuflect and leave in peace. |
You do not need to fill the hour with words. Silence before the Lord is prayer. If you only have fifteen minutes, keep the same order and shorten each part.
Prayers at Benediction
Benediction is a short service in which the priest or deacon exposes the Host in a monstrance, the people adore in song and silence, and he blesses them with the Blessed Sacrament. The hymns below were written by St. Thomas Aquinas for the feast of Corpus Christi; the English translations are those printed in Father Lasance’s With God (1911).
O Salutaris Hostia (at exposition)
O saving Victim, opening wide
The gate of heav’n to man below!
Our foes press on from every side;
Thine aid supply. Thy strength bestow.
To Thy great name be endless praise,
Immortal Godhead, One in Three;
Oh, grant us endless length of days.
In our true native land with Thee. Amen.
Tantum Ergo (before the blessing)
Down in adoration falling,
Lo! the sacred Host we hail!
Lo! o’er ancient forms departing,
Newer rites of grace prevail;
Faith for all defects supplying,
Where the feeble senses fail.
To the everlasting Father,
And the Son Who reigns on high,
With the Holy Ghost proceeding
Forth from each eternally,
Be salvation, honor, blessing,
Might, and endless majesty. Amen.
V. Thou hast given them bread from heaven.
R. Replenished with all sweetness and delight.
For the Latin words of both hymns, their meaning and a pronunciation guide, see Tantum Ergo and O Salutaris.
Let us pray.
O God, Who hast left us in this wonderful sacrament a perpetual memorial of Thy passion; grant us the grace, we beseech Thee, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of Thy body and blood that we may ever feel within us the fruit of Thy redemption. Who livest and reignest world without end.
R. Amen.
The Divine Praises
After the blessing, the Divine Praises are prayed, the leader saying each line and all repeating it. They were composed in 1797 by Father Luigi Felici, S.J., as an act of reparation for blasphemy, and four lines were added in the twentieth century: St. Joseph (1921), the Assumption (1950), the Precious Blood (1960) and the Holy Spirit (1964).
Blessed be God.
Blessed be His holy name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Blessed be the name of Jesus.
Blessed be His most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, virgin and mother.
Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints.
Short prayers for adoration
These prayers were written for this guide. Use them when your mind wanders.
Jesus, I believe you are here.
I adore you, I love you, and I thank you for waiting for me.
Lord, I give you this hour.
Take my distractions, my worries and my weakness,
and give me your peace.
Jesus, you see the people I carry in my heart.
I place them before you now: (name them).
Do for them what I cannot.
Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like yours.
Etiquette in the adoration chapel
- Genuflect on one knee when you enter and leave a church where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved. When the Host is exposed in a monstrance, many people make a double genuflection (both knees) or a profound bow.
- Keep silence so others can pray.
- Turn off your phone, or use it only for a prayer or Bible app.
- Never leave the exposed Blessed Sacrament alone. If you have signed up for an hour of perpetual adoration, wait for the next adorer before leaving.
- Dress modestly, as for Mass.
Frequently asked questions
What do you say during Eucharistic adoration?
Anything that is in your heart, or nothing at all. Many people use the plan above, read Scripture, pray the Rosary, or simply rest in silence. Prayer is a conversation, and listening is part of it.
What is the difference between adoration and Benediction?
Adoration is any time of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Benediction is a short liturgical service at the end of a period of exposition, with hymns, incense and a blessing with the Host.
Can I pray the Rosary during adoration?
Yes. The Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the Liturgy of the Hours and spiritual reading are all common in adoration. Keep your voice low if others are present.
What is perpetual adoration?
Adoration that continues day and night, with members of the parish signing up for hourly shifts so that Jesus is never left alone.
More Eucharistic prayers
- Psalm 99 (Holy is the Lord)
- Adoro Te Devote
- Ave Verum Corpus
- Litany of the Blessed Sacrament
- How to make a holy hour
- Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
- Extraordinary minister of Holy Communion
- The Fatima prayers
- The Divine Praises
- St. Thomas Aquinas prayer
- Prayer before Mass
- Corpus Christi 2027
- Tantum Ergo and O Salutaris in Latin and English
- The Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus
- Spiritual communion prayer
- The Anima Christi
- Prayers of the Faithful for Corpus Christi
- The Divine Mercy Chaplet
- Catholic prayers: the basic prayers every Catholic should know
Texts and sources
- Benediction hymns, prayer, “O Sacrament most holy” and the Divine Praises: F. X. Lasance, With God (1911), Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, public domain; four later invocations of the Divine Praises added; stanzas regrouped and two typographical errors corrected.
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1374 and 1378–1380, 1418.
- St. John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia (2003), 25.
- Matthew 26:40; John 6, Douay-Rheims Bible.