Come, let us adore Him

Legates take on Eucharistic Adoration Initiative in lead up to the 25th anniversary . . .

Keith Armato

As Legatus progresses toward its 25th anniversary next year, members are embracing one of the Church’s most powerful acts of piety in preparation: Eucharistic adoration.

Throughout the centuries, the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist has led to the development of multiple devotions, one of the most popular being adoration.

Embracing this devotion will allow God’s grace to surge through the lives of individual members — and Legatus as a whole. So promises Keith Armato of the Chicago Chapter, a member of Legatus’ board of governors and a main proponent of the “Eucharistic Adoration Initiative.”

“The initiative came out of discussions among the Chicago host committee for the 2011 Summit,” explained Armato, who served as Summit chairman. “We talked about ways to enhance participation at the Summit’s adoration chapel. Then some members mentioned how good things in their lives were due to a commitment to Eucharistic adoration. There was powerful testimony, and somebody mentioned how good it would be if we encouraged adoration beyond the Summit as a way of strengthening Legatus. So I put together a proposal to the board of governors.”

Charles LiMandri

Like his fellow board members, Charles LiMandri was not a hard sell when Armato presented his proposal.

“In the 10 or so years that I’ve been doing Eucharistic adoration, I find that for me there are no longer any gray areas surrounding important societal issues of concern to serious Catholics,” he said. “These include contraception, abortion, same-sex ‘marriage,’ embryonic stem-cell research, human cloning and euthanasia. I earnestly believe that the increased reverence for the Blessed Sacrament that comes from the practice of Eucharistic adoration has afforded me the clarity, conviction and courage to speak the full truth of our Catholic faith on these and other crucial issues that define our culture.”

Adopted by the board of governors, the proposal for the initiative reads, in part:

Concept. As we approach our 25th anniversary, the Legatus Board of Governors has established a Eucharistic Adoration Initiative where, from the close of the 2011 Legatus Summit to the opening of the 2012 Legatus Summit, we seek commitments from Legates for one hour of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament with the specific intention of prayers of petition for the success of Legatus in accomplishing the mission to study, live and spread the faith in our business, personal and professional lives.

Goal. To have one hour of adoration by at least one Legate on each day of the year.

Intended benefits. The gift of God’s grace to our organization that in faith we seek through this initiative; the gift of God’s grace to our chapters, forums, board of governors and other groups of Legates as we focus together in petition to God for the success of Legatus; and the gift of God’s grace to the individual member of Legatus in contemplation of the Legatus mission, as we focus in prayer of petition before the Blessed Sacrament.

In addition to benefiting the individual adorer (the Church grants a plenary indulgence for spending only 30 minutes before the Blessed Sacrament), Armato predicts that participating in adoration as a group activity will “strengthen a chapter and get members to focus on Legatus’ mission.”

Progress

Since the initiative launched in February, the response has been encouraging, Armato said. “I’ve been keeping track with a calendar, and I’ve already gotten a lot of e-mails from Legates across the country talking about what a powerful experience this has been — including some who’ve done it for the first time and found it very rewarding.”

At the Summit, multiple Legates made adoration commitments for every Monday, Wednesday and Friday until the 2012 Summit. Legatus’ Chicago, Jacksonville and Baton Rouge chapters have already pledged a full month of adoration.

The momentum must continue and grow even bigger, however, and Armato encourages Legates to contact him personally to make a commitment to adoration. Adorers are especially needed Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Matthew A. Rarey is Legatus Magazine’s editorial assistant.


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To participate, contact Keith Armato

E-mail: [email protected]

Fax: (312) 803-1644

Mail: 427 N. Prospect Ave
Park Ridge, IL 60068