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On Saturday 14 September, Bishop Richard, and a group of 40 diocesan pilgrims, travelled to Oscott Seminary in Birmingham for Adoremus. The occasion, attended by 1,000 pilgrims, offered a special opportunity for the members of the Catholic Church in England and Wales to gather together and reflect on the centrality of the Eucharist, the place of Eucharistic Adoration in our parishes, and our lives of faith.

The programme included talks, a time of adoration, a Eucharistic Procession through the grounds of the College, and Mass celebrated by Cardinal Vincent Nichols. In his sermon, Cardinal Vincent reminded attendees that Jesus, present in the monstrance, is the embodiment of sacrifice:

‘‘Behold the Lamb of God!" he said, "Here is our salvation, for He is the only one ‘who takes away the sins of the world’. Like water into a sponge, every act of cruelty, of vindictiveness, of exploitation, every sin that disfigures our humanity is absorbed by Jesus on the Cross. Its weight, its awful burden, compresses Him utterly, in the garden, forcing out from His body both sweat and blood until, on the Cross, ‘it is accomplished’ and Jesus ‘gives up his spirit.’"

Addressing members of our diocesan group before they went their separate ways that evening, Bishop Richard encouraged them to "take the message of adoration back to their parishes, that there should be a legacy of adoration in all our communities".

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You can download a diocesan introduction to Adoration here, with a range of supporting resources also available on the CBCEW website.