O Come, Let Us Adore Him
Dear All Saints Parish Family,
Adeste Fidelis ranks up there for me with O Holy Night as a favorite Christmas hymn. The refrain of Venite adoremus…O come let us adore Him…gets me every time!
A few years ago, I had the privilege of being the spiritual director of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I pray for the day when the hostilities cease and we can again walk in the footsteps of Our Lord, Our Lady, and the Apostles. When we visited Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity, our group got squished in with another group comprised primarily of French pilgrims as we went into the small underground chapel area closest to the traditional spot of Our Lord’s birth. It’s a short staircase down followed by a stretch of skinny hallway with low ceilings. Some people were praying rosaries, some were chatting with their friends, then all-the-sudden, someone started gently singing Venite adoremus, venite adoremus, venite adoremus, Dominum.
That gentle solo voice pierced through the hearts of everyone in that hallway waiting to venerate the spot…and they all joined in, a verse in Latin, a verse in French, a verse in English, always returning to the Venite adoremus as the refrain. How perfect a hymn to prepare to pray at the spot where Jesus Christ was born into the world. There wasn’t a dry eye in that hallway. It was such a Catholic moment, truly universal, the power of the Incarnation transcending cultures and languages, drawing us all into the mystery of the Savior’s birth.
How perfect a hymn as we, for the first time in years, re-enter our newly restored Adoration Chapel.
Yes, our Adoration Chapel is BACK, and it’s even more beautiful than ever. Thanks to the incredibly dedicated work and generous funding of our Knights of Columbus council, we again have a dedicated and sacred space to come before the Lord and to pray to Him, to praise Him, to listen to Him speaking in the silence of our hearts…in a word, to adore Him.
I want to publicly thank Grand Knight EJ Couvillion, Willie Trent, Matt Allen, Dana Litwack, and a host of brother Knights for their particular contributions to this project. From designing, demo, planning, framing, drywalling, cleaning, electrical, painting…it has been impressive to see the energy, professionalism, and dedication that they have poured into this sanctuary of prayer. May the spirit of their labor of love inspire all who come to adore the Lord Jesus in this holy chapel!
Come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!
Praised be Jesus Christ, the Newborn King, now and forever!
Our Lady, Queen of the Knights, pray for us!
All you holy saints of God, pray for us!
Peace in Christ,
Fr. Michael Silloway