Prayer, front and center
The St. Zachary Oratory at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Keller allows a sacred space for parishioners to adore the Eucharist regularly. (NTC/Juan Guajardo)
KELLER — Take the north entrance onto the grounds of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton from Willis Lane, and the first thing you’ll see is their new oratory dedicated to Eucharistic Adoration.
Located where a pavilion previously stood in the parking lot, the oratory has room for about 30 people to pray before the Eucharist on an altar surrounded by large stained-glass windows.
The oratory is named for Saint Zachary, also known as Zechariah, the father of St. John the Baptist. A Hebrew priest, he was offering incense on the altar in the Temple when the angel of the Lord appeared to him, as recounted in Luke 1.
The current hours of Eucharist Adoration are Monday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to noon. On Thursdays, classes of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School may visit for prayer.
As more individuals commit to a weekly one-hour time slot, the parish will increase hours with a goal of eventually offering daily Adoration from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to Scott Cook, chief of staff of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish.
Construction on the oratory began around March of 2024, but the idea had been in the minds of parish leaders ever since the current church was completed in 2000. “Ever since our nice, big church has been built, people have always asked for a chapel,” Cook explained.
“You can come meet Christ, outside of Mass, in a very quiet area, and He will talk to you if you are prayerful and open your heart,” said Cook, who expects having an oratory dedicated to Eucharistic Adoration will “deepen and enrich” the faith of the Adorers.
In addition to completing the oratory, the parish also built a covered walkway from the parking lot to the church and school to provide protection from the extremes of Texas weather.
The St. Zachary oratory of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish. (NTC/Juan Guajardo)