How to Start a Family Adoration Group in Your Parish

Alex Resch shares her experience and tips for starting a Eucharistic Adoration group for families in your parish.

I was not introduced to the powerful experience of praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament in Adoration until my adult life, but I knew this was something I wanted my children to experience as soon as possible and on a regular basis. My heart especially longed for a community of Catholic families who would pray and adore Jesus with us.   

At our parish, family Adoration started as a small group of about six families praying and adoring together a few times a month and grew and evolved over time to include all of the faith formation families at our parish. It has been a total multiplying of the loaves situation, and I couldn’t be more grateful to experience it! Today, I would like to share some tips for starting your own family adoration group at your parish. 

Form a Team  

Under the guidance of your pastor, form a small team of adults who can help your family Adoration time run smoothly. Distribute tasks such as scheduling and planning, music, leading prayers, and anything else that will enhance the hour for the families and children. 

Meet the Families Where They Are 

Be realistic about what the families are expecting and what they can handle during Adoration. For example, families who have never been to Adoration may not be up for an entire silent Holy Hour the first time you meet, but you could gradually extend the time in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.  

Other families may have children who are comfortable leading a decade of the Rosary or sitting in silence for longer periods of time. With your pastor and team, take all of this into consideration when planning your family Adoration. 

Include Prayers, Songs, and Scripture  

Children love to pray familiar prayers and learn new ones! Again, try to feel out what your families may be comfortable with, but also make sure the time is prayerful for everyone. You may consider printing out pamphlets or cards with the prayers on them so that families can follow along.   

Also, don’t shy away from leading the families in traditional Adoration prayers such as the Rosary and Divine Praises. They may seem difficult to pick up at first, but it is so important to expose our children to these pious practices in Adoration. They will look forward to learning them and praying them together as time goes on.  

Children also love to sing! Thankfully, Holy Mother Church has an enormous treasury of hymns and songs that can be included in adoration. Before your Holy Hour, you could provide families with links to adoration hymns such as O Salutaris Hostia, Tantum Ergo, and Holy God, We Praise Thy Name. Children will be comforted by the predictable practice of singing these beautiful hymns each time you meet. You can also consider choosing your favorite Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter hymns to enhance your Holy Hours with the children.  

It is also great to include Scripture readings and meditations throughout your adoration time. You can read these at the beginning or pray a scriptural Rosary to aid the families in meditation. 

Allow Time for Silent Prayer  

Sitting silently listening to God takes practice — even I struggle with this as an adult! Help the families by starting out with short moments of silence to pray during Adoration. In between the silence you could sing together or read scripture aloud. You can increase the time for silent prayer little by little each time you come together. 

Use Family Adoration as an Opportunity for Catechesis and Evangelization  

Last year, our pastor implemented monthly family liturgy (which includes Adoration) into our parish’s Faith Formation program. We have a mixture of hundreds of families who are at all different stages of their faith journeys, and to see how the children and their parents have grown in their prayer life during this time with Our Lord is just beautiful to witness.   

We also start our family liturgy with all of the prayers that we want the children to learn. In addition, our pastor discusses the liturgical season, Scripture, saints, and any other topics that the children may be learning about in their religious education classes. We have also used the time to teach them about Baptism and Confession and where those sacraments are received in the sanctuary.  

Family Adoration is also an excellent time to teach children how and why we genuflect and kneel in the sanctuary. Taking time to discuss these practices and model reverence is a gentle and effective way to guide children in understanding the True Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.  

Would you consider starting a family Adoration group in your parish? If you already have a group, please leave your tips and advice in the comments! 

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Copyright 2025 Alex Resch
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