popular piety

The rosary

* The rosary is a set of prayers based on the Joyful mysteries ( early days of Jesus) and lumnious mysteries ( the last supper) and the glorius mysteries ( the resurrection) and the sorrowful mysteries ( crucifixion)

importance of praying the rosary

* Reminds Catholics of the life of Christ
* Reminds catholics of what Christ has done for them
* brings comfrot and identity as Catholics

Eucharistic adoration

* Eucharistic adoration is adoration focused on the Blessed sacrament. It may be performed when the Eucharist is exposed for viewing displayed in a monstrance.
* Adoration usually takes place when the Eucharist is not exposed but left in nthe ciborium on the tabernacle.
* The hour of eucharistic adoration is called holy hour

immportance of Eucharistic adoration

* helps the worshippers to make contact with the presence of God
* is a way o honouring and adoring Christ
* helps to cancel the worlds evil and bring about world peace.
* Pope John Paul II said Eucharistic Adoration allows worshippers to get in touch with the presence of Christ, and showed its importance by spending many hours in silent adoration

The stations of the cross

* This is a series of 14 images arranged in a numbered order around a Catholic church, depicting Jesus on the day of his crucifixion
* Worshippers travel from image to image in order, stopping at each ‘station’ to pray or meditate/reflect on what happened, often on Fridays during Lent (especially Good Friday).
* Allows Catholics to identify with Jesus’ sufferings and give thanks for what Jesus did for them

importance of the Stations of the cross

* identify with the suffering of Jesus
* makes Jesus relatable as it shows him in a vulnerable human form
* remind people the cost of Salvation Jesus brought
* gives thanks to what Jesus did for them

divergent beliefs about popular piety

* Protestant Christians do not pray the Rosary and may consider it to be Mariolatry.
* Protestant Christians do not practice Eucharistic Adoration as they do not believe in transubstantiation; the bread and wine are only symbolic of Jesus’ body and blood.
* Protestants do not follow the Stations of the Cross because some are not based on the Biblical account (e.g. Jesus falling 3 times) and they are sola scriptura. Some argue there is an element of idolatry contained within this practice, which is strictly condemned.

SOWAS popular piety

* “Various forms of piety extend the liturgical life of the Church, but do not replace it” Catechism


* “Christian life is nourished by various forms of popular piety”;

SOWAS The rosary

* The catechism teaches the rosary is a form of meditation

SOWAS for Eucharistic adoration

* Eucharistic adoration encourages spiritual communion with God - Catechism