Christianity: Details about 'Eucharistic Adoration'
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, at the moment of Consecration the elements (or "gifts" as they are termed for liturgical purposes) are transformed (literally transubstantiated) into the actual Body and Blood of Christ. Catholic doctrine holds that the elements are not only spiritually transformed, but rather are actually (substantially) transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. It is held that although the elements retain the appearance or "accidents" of bread and wine, they are indeed the actual Body and Blood of Christ. This is one form of the doctrine of Real Presence—the actual, physical presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Other traditions accept this doctrine in other forms, sometimes using the term “consubstantiation” to refer to the presence of Christ's Body and Blood, while the substance of the elements remains also present. Because Roman Catholics believe that Christ is physically present in the Eucharist, the reserved sacrament serves as a focal point of devotion. Some Protestant fundamentalists view this as a form of idolatry. The sacrament is displayed in a monstrance, typically on the altar. Because the sacrament must not be exposed without someone in attendance, parishioners volunteer to attend for a certain period of time, typically an hour, around the clock. Because of the difficulty of maintaining twenty-four hour attendance, many parishes no longer provide perpetual adoration. Many parishes that do not offer perpetual adoration have Eucharistic chapels where the sacrament is reserved in the Tabernacle so that the faithful may pray in the presence of the Sacrament without the need for constant volunteers to be present. in Louisville, Kentucky, (Archdiocese of Louisville), has brought perpetual adoration into the 21st Century with online perpetual adoration. (See Talk page for relevant discussion.) The practice of adoration began in Avignon, France on September 11, 1226. To celebrate and give thanks for the victory over the Albigensians in the later battles of the Albigensian Crusade, King Louis VII asked that the sacrament be placed on display at the Chapel of the Holy Cross. The overwhelming number of adorers brought the local bishop, Pierre de Corbie, to suggest that the exposition be continued indefinitely. With the permission of Pope Honorius III, the idea was ratified and the adoration continued there practically uninterrupted until the chaos of the French Revolution halted it from 1792 until the efforts of the "Confraternity of Penits-Gris" brought it back in 1829. Since 1885, perpetual adoration has been practised in the Basilica of the Sacré Cœur and various other Catholic churches around the world. Source
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