CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER

The Ascension Contemplative Prayer Group is part of the worldwide Contemplative Outreach Network of Individuals and Small Faith Communities committed to living the contemplative dimension of the Gospel. The common desire for divine transformation, primarily expressed through a commitment to a daily centering prayer practice, unites our international and interdenominational community. The purpose of this ancient prayer practice is to bring the experience of the love of God into the world in order to transform the human consciousness for our time. If you would like to learn about this great adventure into deeper prayer, taught by Jesus, please join us in the ‘silence of God’s love’ on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 pm in the Ministry Building, Room 304. For more information, contact Pamela Lackie at 259-2431.

DIVINE MERCY CHAPLET

This Catholic devotion came to us through the hands of St. Faustina Kowalska as a result of Jesus appearing to her many times with a message about his Divine Mercy. A special part of this Catholic devotion is praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet daily at 3:00 pm. Some groups pray the chaplet together weekly or monthly. In our church’s liturgical calendar, Divine Mercy Sunday is the Sunday after Easter. Ascension parishioners gather to pray this devotion on the first Friday of the month in church at 7:00 pm. For more on this devotion, visit www.divinemercydevotion.net.

INTERCESSORY PRAYER

It is only at the end of this world that we shall realize how the destinies of persons and nations have been shaped, not so much by the external actions of powerful men and by events that seemed inevitable, but by the quiet, silent, irresistible prayer of persons the world will never know. (Anthony de Mello, S.J.)

Intercessory prayer is prayer for other persons and their needs. At Ascension we have a group of parishioners who pray for needs that are given to them by the coordinator of this ministry. Two parishioners, Werner Schulz and Robert Schofield, on a regular basis send out emails to a large number of people seeking prayers for parishioners who are ill. For more information, contact Terry Roy at theresa.roy@gmail.com.

PERPETUAL ADORATION

Prayer in our Adoration Chapel is a response to Jesus’ question to his sleepy disciples in Gethsemane: “Can you not watch one hour with me?” More and more Catholics are finding that one hour spent in prayer before the Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the best hour of their week.

Our small Adoration Chapel, located at the entrance of the Ministry Center, allows parishioners to pray before the exposed Blessed Sacrament 24/7. Over 400 parishioners are committed to praying for one specific hour each week in our chapel, enabling us to have around the clock prayer on our campus. Due to the pandemic, please observe the COVID Protocol in order to maintain a safe environment for everyone.  A COVID  waiver is also required in order to participate.  This waiver may be dropped off at the parish office or in the deposit box at the chapel.

Security cameras are located outside and inside the main door of the chapel. The main door is locked and a code must be entered for access. For more information, contact Lyn Becker at 561-531-3173 or accadoration2950@gmail.com.

ROSARY

In his spiritual classic, True Devotion to Mary, St. Louis de Montfort writes:

The holy rosary is a gift come down from heaven;
a great present that God gives to His most faithful servants.
God is the Author of the prayers of which it is composed
and of the mysteries it contains.

In his Apostolic Letter on the Rosary (Oct. ’02), St. Pope John Paul II shared with us his special love for the rosary when he wrote: “The Rosary has accompanied me in moments of joy and in moments of difficulty. To it I have entrusted any number of concerns: in it I have always found comfort. The Rosary is my favorite prayer. It is marvelous in its simplicity and its depths” (Para. #2). During her many apparitions here on earth, our Blessed Mother has encouraged us to pray the Rosary. This exhortation alone should be reason enough for us to seek to develop a love for this form of prayer.

Every day after the morning Mass, some Ascension parishioners gather in Our Lady’s Chapel to pray the Rosary. The rosary is also prayed at 3 pm on the first Saturday of every month in the Mary Garden north of the church.

The Rosary – A Way to Pray for Personal & Global Intentions

STATIONS OF THE CROSS DURING LENT

Each Friday during Lent, we celebrate the Stations of the Cross in the church at 5:30 pm.