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Domus Australia celebrates home with 40-hour adoration

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Quarantore
Quarantore is an ancient devotion brought to Rome by St Philip Neri and consists of 40 hours of continuous Eucharistic adoration in which the Blessed Sacrament would be exposed on a “macchina” an elevated structure and surrounded by candles.

Domus Australia marked our national day with a traditional “quarantore”—40 hours of Eucharistic Adoration—over the weekend of 24-26 January. 

The occasion at the pilgrims’ guest house in Rome, supported by two cardinals as well as international and Australian clergy and seminarians, was also a celebration of the announcement the International Eucharistic Conference will be held here in 2028. 

The quarantore is an ancient devotion brought to Rome by St Philip Neri and consists of 40 hours of continuous Eucharistic adoration in which the Blessed Sacrament would be exposed on a “macchina” an elevated structure and surrounded by candles.  

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Undeterred by the absence of a macchina at Domus, rector Fr Joseph Hamilton transformed the sanctuary of the chapel to create a temporary one and placed the Blessed Sacrament (“Sanctissimum” in Latin) in an antique throne rescued from a closed church in Belgium.  

“The quarantore is a powerful way for a parish to prepare for the Eucharistic conference and we wanted to demonstrate that it can be done quite easily with very limited resources,” Fr Hamilton said. 

quarantore
Domus Australia marked our national day with a traditional “quarantore”—40 hours of Eucharistic Adoration—over the weekend of 24-26 January. Photo: Supplied.

“Here at Domus Australia, we have solemn exposition, adoration, and benediction, every day, seven days a week. Adoration is at the heart of our mission here in Rome.” 

All through Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday almost 300 adorers formed a constant stream into the chapel to spend time with Our Lord. 

Netherlands Cardinal Willem Eijk opened the quarantore by preaching on the Eucharist. 

“He reminded us that our conformity to Christ must be nourished regularly throughout our lives, and that in the Sacrament our deepest hunger is appeased,” Fr Hamilton explained. 

“He encouraged us to persevere in adoration, quoting St Teresa of Calcutta, ‘The time you spend with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the best time you will spend on Earth.” 

New York priest Fr John Wilson gave a conference on the beauty of the Eucharist on the Saturday afternoon. 

“Fr John told us that the beauty of the Eucharist is the beauty of Jesus Christ, which we can see in his encounters with sinners in the Gospels, especially the woman at the well in John chapter 4,” Fr Hamilton said. 

All through Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday almost 300 adorers formed a constant stream into the chapel to spend time with Our Lord. Photo: Supplied.

“He hides his glory at first, yet he approaches us with boldness and speaks with integrity about his true identity. The beauty of these encounters is a foretaste of the all-encompassing beauty of eternal life—and an invitation to follow him there.” 

On Sunday evening, the seminarians and clergy of the Archdiocese of Sydney, accompanied by many other clergy took the Blessed Sacrament in procession on the streets of Rome. 

Solemn Benediction in the chapel followed and German Cardinal Gerhard Müller celebrated Solemn Mass for Australia Day to a packed congregation of clergy, diplomatic corps, and faithful. 

In his homily the cardinal exhorted Australians to be proud of their country and the achievements of their ancestors who built it. 

“Cardinal Müller’s beautiful homily told us that in adoration, ‘we find ourselves face to face before Jesus, beholding his human face, in his eyes we see the benevolent, searching, judging and salvific power of love, which is God in the unity and the communion of Father, Son and Holy Spirit,” Fr Harrison explained. 

Solemn Benediction in the chapel followed and German Cardinal Gerhard Müller celebrated Solemn Mass for Australia Day to a packed congregation of clergy, diplomatic corps, and faithful. Photo: Supplied.

“With our bodily eyes we see Jesus, acknowledging his nature and his divine power with the ‘enlightened eyes of our hearts’ (Ephesians 1,18). 

“In the divine person bestowed on the Son by the Father, Christ’s eternal divine nature is united with the human nature which he took on himself. It is only through Jesus that we can reach the Father, because only he bridges the infinite distance between creature and Creator.” 

After the closing Mass of the quarantore there was an Australia Day party held on the terrace of Domus Australia. 

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