By Perry West
South Bend, Ind., Jan 17, 2019 / 16:15 pm
It's not unusual for a school to offer an after school drama or Spanish club. Some schools even offer a robotics club. But few schools offer a club dedicated to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
St. Joseph Grade School in South Bend, Indiana does just that.
"Our main purpose for starting the adoration club is for students in Kindergarten all the way up to eighth grade to have time to spend time in Eucharistic adoration, to teach them how to use their time in front of the Blessed Sacrament, and [to] really deepen their relationship with Christ," Katherine Soper, a second grade teacher at the school told CNA.
Sober said she is excited to offer students an opportunity to pray weekly in the presence of the exposed Eucharistic host. There are now 22 students enrolled in the club, Soper said, but more are expected to join.
The club, which will launch on Jan. 31, will start each after-school meeting with a mini lesson and snacks.
The first few lessons will discuss reverence, proper manners in adoration, and expectations. The next series of lessons will review adoration history and miracles.
Afterward, the students will head to the chapel for an hour of adoration. During adoration, students will be led in a rosary, the Gospel, and reflections on scripture. Music will also be incorporated into club, using contemporary and Latin hymns.
"We will be praying a guided rosary where it will walk you through the mysteries and then we will have time for reflection. We will have a Gospel reading with a Gospel reflection and then more silence for students to pray."
"The goal for the Eucharistic adoration time is to give the students a time to reflect and silence. We see a need for students to have a time for silence [and] prayer."
Soper was involved with a similar club in a prior teaching position, at St. Anthony of Padua's School in South Bend. Having started at St. Joseph Grade School this year, she decided to bring adoration club to the new school.
She said many of the students in her second grade class have shown excitement for the club.
"One of my students leaned over to me and said 'when are we going back? I really want to go back,' and when she said that to me I know I couldn't give up on my idea on starting the Eucharistic adoration," she said.
"These students have a burning desire to deepen their relationship with Christ and her little statement of 'when are we going back,' even though she was kind of distracted, I took that as a sign that she felt God's peace and she felt God's comfort in Eucharistic adoration."
