Adoration chapel now open in Salt Lake City

IC photo/Marie Mischel

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The Eucharistic Adoration chapel at St. Ann Parish offers Catholics in Salt Lake City a place to pray in the presence of God.

SALT LAKE CITY — St. Ann Parish in Salt Lake City has a Eucharistic Adoration chapel that is open to all the faithful in Utah. It is located on the Kearns-St. Ann campus at 430 East 2100 South in the rectory complex on the west side.

When he came to St. Ann’s last year as its new pastor, Father Dominic Sternhagen made setting up the Adoration chapel a priority because there is not anything like it in the area, he said. “My feeling was, when I came to the parish, that we have to put Christ in the first place. I want to put Christ in the first place of everything that we’re doing, and anything that we’re doing needs to grow up from there. So the first thing that I wanted to do is to start an Adoration chapel.”

“I really want to offer it to anyone who’s in the area,” he added, noting that the parish is easily accessible.  “We’re right close to the main highways here; I feel like it’s a good place for people to come.”

In Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, a consecrated host is displayed in a monstrance on the altar so that all can see and pray in the presence of Christ.

“Adoration is the first attitude of man acknowledging that he is a creature before his Creator,” the Catechism of the Catholic Church says. “It exalts the greatness of the Lord who made us and the almighty power of the Savior who sets us free from evil. Adoration is homage of the spirit to the ‘King of Glory,’ respectful silence in the presence of the ever greater God. Adoration of the thrice-holy and sovereign God of love blends with humility and gives assurance to our supplications.”

The chapel is part of the former convent of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, who had an orphanage on the site from 1890 to 1951. When the property was converted into Kearns-St. Ann School, the sisters served there until 1953. The room that is now devoted to Eucharistic Adoration has been used as a chapel continually over the years.

“It’s a way of keeping that heritage alive and making sure that that place is a place of prayer and a place where people can come and continue that,” Fr. Sternhagen said of the Adoration chapel. “The nice thing about that is that it’s got a separate entrance. So people can come in, directly into the Adoration chapel, directly in and out, and never have to pass through the rectory or the parish offices or any of that.”

Those who would like to use the chapel must first set up an account on We Adore Him at stann.weadorehim.com. They will then be given a code to the chapel, which is locked, said Fr. Sternhagen, who is able to track who is using the chapel at any time through an app on his phone.

The chapel is available 24 hours a day; this is ideal for those who would like to worship but who work late-night shifts, Fr. Sternhagen said. “We also wanted to make sure that for our parishioners, we have some place here on the campus that’s always open, where people can always come and pray and just feel welcome, and have a place where they can be at peace.”

Response to the Adoration chapel has been strong in the parish and among the young adult Catholic community, Fr. Sternhagen said. “We’ve had a good number coming in there. The young adult community have had a really strong response to it, and quite often when I go there I find different people. They know that it’s a place of calm and peace, just a place where they can go and just be in the presence of God. And that’s the whole point.”

The availability of the Adoration chapel contributes to the parish Eucharistic Revival, he said. “There was also this call coming from the bishops, and from our bishop in particular, to promote and give people the opportunity to more time of Christ in the Eucharist. Adoration with Eucharistic renewal means appreciation of the presence of Christ in the Eucharist among us. But this is a way of extending that celebration of the Eucharist that we only have in certain moments throughout the day, and in some sense, bringing our whole day to participate in Christ’s presence in the Eucharist. So it’s our way of trying to meet what the bishop is calling for, to meet that need.”

Those who prefer not to make an appointment online can drop by the rectory office during office hours and gain entry to the Adoration chapel that way, Fr. Sternhagen said.