July 8, 2025 // Bishop

135 Consecrated into Nocturnal Adoration Society in Ligonier

Clare Hildebrandt

Reporter

“I hope the Nocturnal Adoration Society will unite the people – unite the people in adoration of Our Lord,” said Gerardo Flores Estrada, president of the Nocturnal Adoration Society at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Ligonier.

On Saturday, June 21, officials from St. Patrick Catholic Church in Ligonier welcomed new members into its chapter of the Nocturnal Adoration Society, a group that aims to cultivate greater devotion to the Eucharist through monthly adoration.

The group was originally developed in the 19th century from the Forty Hours devotion in response to unrest in the Church. Today, the society is established in 36 countries and counts more than a million members.

Bishop Rhoades consecrated the members into the society, as he celebrated Mass alongside Father Ryan Timossi, pastor of St. Patrick in Ligonier.

A record-breaking 135 members were welcomed at once, all bowing their heads in prayer to be blessed by Bishop Rhoades.   

During his homily, the shepherd of the diocese applauded the efforts of the parish to grow closer to Christ in the Eucharist.

“I believe your parish will receive many blessings as a result of your Eucharistic devotion,” Bishop Rhoades said. “Thank you for the sacrifice you will make by coming here to church at night to pray before the Lord.”

Bishop Rhoades encouraged all 135 newly consecrated members to “spend time with [their] best friend.”

“When we spend time with Jesus present in the tabernacle or exposed in the monstrance, we are spending time with our best friend, who is also Our Lord and Savior,” Bishop Rhoades said.

He added: “We can converse with Him, share with Him our joys and sorrows, our worries and our needs. And we can pray for our families and friends and for all who need our prayers. Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament is powerful.”

He continued: “And may you always treasure the gift of the most holy Eucharist, the gift that Jesus left us the night before He died, the gift of Himself, the only food that truly satisfies the hunger of our hearts. … May your adoration of the Lord bear much good fruit for the Church,” Bishop Rhoades exclaimed.

After the Mass, Estrada sat down with Today’s Catholic to talk about the society and its chapter in Ligonier.

“One hundred and thirty-five people were consecrated today. This initiation is the fourth largest in the whole country,” he said with a smile. 

Estrada hopes the society will bring unity to the parish among Spanish and English speakers alike.

“When I first became a parishioner in 1999, there were many anglo members,” Estrada said. “I want to bring them back with this. I would like for anglo parishioners to come back to St. Patrick’s. One of my priorities is to speak to Father Ryan about how we can bring English speakers back to our church,” he explained.

Danielle Hernandez Carillo, a parishioner at St. Patrick, witnessed family members be consecrated into the Nocturnal Adoration Society. 

“My mom was consecrated tonight, which was just wonderful to see,” Carillo said. “Everything I know about the Nocturnal Adoration Society comes from her and hearing about her discernment,” she said.   

“Tonight’s group is one of the largest groups getting consecrated all at once. A lot of people were members in Mexico and then brought the group here,” she explained. “They got very excited when it finally made it to St. Patrick.”

What impressed Carillo the most was the devotion to regular adoration every first Friday of the month.

“So many people are devoted to coming every first Friday,” she told Today’s Catholic. “The whole society is just very well organized. Parishioners can sign up by hour,” she said.

“People are always praying off of a manual. … Every hour in the manual has specific readings and prayers that they do. The first hour is at 8 p.m., and it is the children’s hour. The children will pray for their parents, teachers, siblings. The next hour is the woman’s hour, and the children go downstairs for an hour. And then they keep rotating throughout the night,” she finished.

Father Ryan Timossi told Today’s Catholic about the blessing St. Patrick has seen since instituting a chapter of the Nocturnal Adoration Society at his parish.

“As the pastor of St. Patrick’s Church, it was a great consolation to see my parishioners promising to grow in their devotion to the Eucharist. As a priest, I feel that one of my principal roles is to help people grow in their faith and love of the Eucharist, so to see so many of my parishioners joyfully enroll themselves in this association was a wonderful experience.”

He added: “It is a good fit for my parishioners. … We had already had first Friday adoration all night for many years, and this association gives us a structured system as well as the support of the other members throughout our diocese and the world.”

Father Timossi concluded: “The example and zeal of the members will help the parish as a whole to grow in their love of the Eucharist. The spiritual effect of having groups of parishioners praying all night every first Friday will draw down many graces for our parish and community.”

Clare Hildebrandt is a staff writer for Today’s Catholic.