A promise fulfilled: 160 years of perpetual adoration

We are honoring 160 years since our promise was made to begin perpetual adoration. That promised was fulfilled in 1878 when our adoration began.

In the days leading up to March 19, 1865, Mother Antonia Herb became seriously ill. At the same time, the sisters prayed for her health and for permission to keep the Blessed Sacrament in their chapel. On the Feast of St. Joseph, their prayers were answered and Mother Antonia Herb made a twofold promise. Upon receiving the Blessed Sacrament for the new motherhouse on St. Joseph’s Day, she vowed two things: to establish perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and to build a beautiful chapel as means would allow. That night, using only lard and tissue paper, the sisters crafted a simple yet profound sanctuary lamp — an offering that sparked a tradition lasting generations. 

Though the sisters began adoration in their chapel, it wasn’t until years later that perpetual adoration officially began. After several requests to the local bishop, who feared the practice would be too great a burden, the sisters proved their devotion by praying in two-hour shifts. With the bishop’s blessing, perpetual adoration formally commenced on Aug. 1, 1878. From that moment, at least two people prayed before the Blessed Sacrament every hour of every day, a practice that continued uninterrupted until Feb. 25, 2020. Today, FSPA upholds this commitment to daily adoration, offering continuous praise and thanksgiving while praying for their community, the Church, and the world. For Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration Sarah Hennessey, adoration is both a personal journey and a communal act of faith, one that connects her to the sisters who came before her and to the world in need of prayer today.

Sister Sarah Hennessey reflects on this devotion:

“My first year as a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration, I learned about the lard light promise. Then, I got to participate in it. 

On the eve of March 18, in commemoration of when it was made, I stood before the congregation and shaped lard and tissue paper into a candle. My fingers, along with those of an elder sister, twisted the paper and smoothed the lard. Then, we lit our offering, remembering St. Joseph’s Day when that was all that Mother Antonia could afford. 

Years have passed, but with this simple flame, we carry on. With our own hands, we mold the light signifying Loving Presence to a world that needs it most. Mother Antonia promised, in thanksgiving to the Lord, perpetual adoration and a beautiful chapel. We return our thanks for 160 years of a promise fulfilled — and for a promise still unfolding. 

We as sisters, with our many partners, continue to offer our lives to be stretched and to grow, as that burning flame flickers with ongoing promise.”
 

In a Messy Jesus Business blog post, Sister Sarah shares how adoration continues to shape and transform her life in unexpected ways. 

For Sister Sarah, and many others, adoration is not just a long-standing tradition — it is a profound and personal experience of transformation. She describes the feeling of entering the Adoration Chapel at St. Rose Convent as stepping into something alive, a space thick with holiness, where generations of prayer linger in the air. 

Adoration moves with the rhythm of life, shaping and being shaped by experience. Sister Sarah recalls how, after spending time with Afghan refugees, her prayers were no longer abstract — they carried names and faces, deepening her connection between contemplation and action. In the stillness of adoration, scripture came alive and the words of the psalms burned in her heart with newfound urgency. 

Adoration has taught Sister Sarah that emptiness is OK. In a world weighed down by crisis and exhaustion, the presence of Christ is a refuge. Even when hope feels like a fraction of what it once was, adoration is a reminder that she is seen, loved and sustained. 

Twenty years ago, in that very chapel, Sister Sarah first felt the call to religious life. Now, after years of weekly practice, adoration has become something steady and surprising—less about mystery and fireworks and more about the slow, constant work of God’s transformation.

Mother Antonia’s promise continues to unfold, not just in the chapel’s glow, but in the quiet devotion of those who gather, generation after generation, before the Loving Presence.

Prayer requests from around the world

Each marker represents international prayer requests received (click or tap marker to see city name).

Submit a prayer request here.