On Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration will honor the 145th year of perpetual adoration and enter into the 146th.

Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration has been a cherished practice of FSPA since Aug. 1, 1878. We continue this prayer daily, maintaining awareness of God's presence in our lives and praying for the community, the church and the world. Through perpetual eucharistic adoration, we offer to God continuous praise and thanksgiving. Nurtured and strengthened by Jesus' presence, we live out this adoration in our daily lives as we strive to help those in need. 

Here are five ways to honor this sacred tradition:

1. Consider watching the ritual and Mass live via Zoom from Mary of the Angels Chapel on Aug. 1, starting at 10:45 a.m. CST. Email communications@fspa.org for the info/link. 

2. Learn more about the history of FSPA adoration. 

3. Read the Lard Light story.

4. Send a prayer request.

5. Aug. 4 or 5: Tour Mary of the Angels Chapel and the Adoration Chapel (tours are offered Fridays 9-10:30 a.m. and 1-2:45 p.m., and Saturdays, 9-10:45 and 1-2:45 p.m.). Visit our tours page to for more information.

And have you ever wondered what FSPA prayer partners do? How to join FSPA in their ministry of adoration? We invite you to watch the video above and learn all about it.

Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration Maryam Gossling

created this icon featuring Sister Thea Bowman.

In the Catholic Review article, "At NBCC opening Mass, Cardinal Gregory stresses importance of visionaries," Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration Thea Bowman is honored as a "dynamic evangelist" among other contemporary Black Catholics who have led us to build "a better world." In his homily, Cardinal Gregory said that "Jesus offered a redemptive vision of freedom from God the Father, calling people to lead holy lives. He chose disciples — ordinary men and women — and entrusted that life-changing vision to them." Read the article in full at catholicreview.org, and learn more about Sister Thea at fspa.org.

How did they recognize their call to join the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration? What does discipleship mean to them? What do they find messy about modern Franciscanism?

These are some of the hot topics discussed by Messy Jesus Business Podcast host Sister Julia Walsh and her guests, Sisters Paulynn Instenes, Meg Earsley, Corrina Thomas, Karen Kappell and Janet Fischer, in the special mid-summer hiatus episode, "The Messiness of Franciscan Sisterhood." Get more messy Jesus business by subscribing to the podcast at messyjesusbusiness.com.

Care for creation is an everlasting commitment of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, and the sisters in this photograph celebrated God's presence in the beauty of the plants they tended to at Villa St. Joseph in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration Marcella Marie Dreikosen gets to know Piper, a therapy pet from the Coulee Region Humane Society, who visited the sisters at St. Rose Convent in La Crosse, Wisconsin, recently.