Welcome to The Upper Room!

In the midst of the chaos and fear that has been unleashed by the coronavirus, there has been one thought that has not just sustained me but given me moments of pure joy and gratitude. That thought is that God is greater – greater than our fears, greater than our anxiety, greater than our sadness. And while we are not able to receive our Eucharistic Lord or physically gather to pray at this time, we can connect with our great God and with one another through technology and the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

After Jesus commanded his apostles to wait for the Holy Spirit, the Promise of the Father, they gathered and prayed and waited. And in his time, God was faithful and unleashed power on the Church. He wants to do the same for us today!

 

This page exists for you to come and pray with your brothers and sisters in Christ, and receive more of the grace and power of the Holy Spirit so that you won’t just survive, but thrive during these challenging days. Explore this page and see all we have to offer. Right now we have:

 

 

…and we will be adding more!

 

Be assured of our prayers for you and your loved ones. If there is something we can add here that would enhance your prayer, please send me your requests/ideas to [email protected] and we will see what we can do. May God bless you abundantly!

 

John Beaulieu

Director of Evangelization and Engagement

Christian Outreach Office

Upcoming Online Events

Daily Prayer

“Mornings with the Little Flower”

Hosted by John Beaulieu

Daily, 8:00 a.m. EDT

Learn More
LIVE MASSES

Join us for daily Mass from the Holy Spirit Friary at Franciscan University.

Mass will be streamed live Sunday through Saturday at 12:05 p.m. ET.

 

Find the daily readings here.

Watch Here
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You can still receive communion.

When we cannot make it to Mass in person, we can still make an Act of Spiritual Communion, in which we express our faith in Christ and in his Presence in the Eucharist and ask him to unite himself with us. The basic elements of an Act of Spiritual Communion are an Act of Faith; an Act of Love; a desire to receive Christ; and an invitation for him to come into your heart.

 

The following texts present one modern and one traditional translation of a popular form of an Act of Spiritual Communion written by St. Alphonsus de Liguori.

ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

My Jesus,
I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.

I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You.

Never permit me to be separated from You.

Amen.

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Mornings with the Little Flower

In 1997, St. Therese of Lisieux was named a doctor of the Church by St. John Paul II. During his homily about St. Therese, he stated, “In a time like ours, marked in so many of its aspects by the culture of the temporary and by hedonism, this new Doctor of the Church appears gifted with a singular efficacy in enlightening the mind and heart of those who are thirsting for truth and love.”

 

During this time of social isolation and unrest, St. Therese desires to come to us and help us to understand how truth and love can guard our hearts and minds, discover deeper peace, and foster deeper intimacy with Christ.

 

For the next several weeks, John Beaulieu, Director of Evangelization for the Christian Outreach Office and popular speaker, will lead a time of prayer and reflection on the life and teachings of St. Therese of Lisieux every morning at 8:00 a.m. live on the Steubenville Conferences Facebook page.

 

Two cornerstones of her spirituality are humility and trust. As part of this time each morning, John will invite you to pray the Litany of Humility and the Litany of Trust with him.

 

To join, you can click the button below every morning at 8:00 a.m.

Join Us
Let us pray the Litany of Humility during this season of purification, that we can return to God with humility and receive the blessings of being his people.

“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8

Pray the Litany of Humility

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being honored,

Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being praised,

Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being preferred to others,

Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being consulted,

Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being approved,

Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being humiliated,

Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being despised,

Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of suffering rebukes,

Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being calumniated,

Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being forgotten,

Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being ridiculed,

Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being wronged,

Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being suspected,

Deliver me, O Jesus. That others may be loved more than I,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be esteemed more than I,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be chosen and I set aside,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be praised and I go unnoticed,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be preferred to me in everything,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

Amen.

Our God is our Rock, Fortress, and Deliverer. Let us pray the Litany of Trust, abandoning ourselves to Christ’s love and protection during this challenging time.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.” Jeremiah 17:7

Pray the Litany of Trust

From the belief that I have to earn Your love … Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear that I am unlovable … Deliver me, Jesus.

From the false security that I have what it takes … Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear that trusting You will leave me more destitute … Deliver me, Jesus.

From all suspicion of Your words and promises … Deliver me, Jesus.

From the rebellion against childlike dependency on You … Deliver me, Jesus.

From refusals and reluctances in accepting Your will … Deliver me, Jesus.

From anxiety about the future … Deliver me, Jesus.

From resentment or excessive preoccupation with the past … Deliver me, Jesus.

From restless self-seeking in the present moment … Deliver me, Jesus.

From disbelief in Your love and presence … Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being asked to give more than I have … Deliver me, Jesus.

From the belief that my life has no meaning or worth … Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of what love demands … Deliver me, Jesus.

From discouragement … Deliver me, Jesus.

That You are continually holding me, sustaining me, loving me … Jesus, I trust in you.

That Your love goes deeper than my sins and failings, and transforms me …Jesus, I trust in you.

That not knowing what tomorrow brings is an invitation to lean on You … Jesus, I trust in you.

That You are with me in my suffering … Jesus, I trust in you.

That my suffering, united to Your own, will bear fruit in this life and the next …Jesus, I trust in you.

That You will not leave me orphan, that You are present in Your Church…Jesus, I trust in you.

That Your plan is better than anything else … Jesus, I trust in you.

That You always hear me, and in Your goodness always respond to me …Jesus, I trust in you.

That You give me the grace to accept forgiveness and to forgive others …Jesus, I trust in you.

That You give me all the strength I need for what is asked …Jesus, I trust in you.

That my life is a gift … Jesus, I trust in you.

That You will teach me to trust You … Jesus, I trust in you.

That You are my Lord and my God … Jesus, I trust in you.

That I am Your beloved one … Jesus, I trust in you.

Amen.

PARTNER RESOURCES
The Quarantined Catholic Hub

The St. Paul Center is offering a variety of resources for isolated Catholics:

  • Sunday Bible Reflections
  • Life-Changing Video Bible Studies
  • Scott Hahn In Your Living Room
  • Podcasts
  • Blogs
  • …And more
Go
Resources for Catholics at Home During COVID-19

The USCCB is growing a list of resources for Catholics during this time, including:

  • Vatican News Live Stream of Pope Francis’ Masses
  • Catholic TV Mass
  • EWTN Daily Mass
  • Daily Reflections
  • Unique Prayers
  • …And More
Go
Other Live Events

Shrines of Pittsburgh is streaming a host of different services:

  • 8:00 PM EST – Adoration & Sung Night Prayer (Daily)
  • 7:00 PM EST – Stations of the Cross (Friday)
  • 12:00 PM EST – Holy Rosary (Monday-Saturday)
  •  8:30 AM EST – Daily Mass (Monday-Saturday)
  • 11:30 AM EST –  Holy Mass (Sunday
Go
UPCOMING WEBINARS

More webinars will be announced soon!

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DISCIPLESHIP QUADS

SHARE TOGETHER, CARE TOGETHER, GROW TOGETHER

 

One of the hardest parts of dealing with the coronavirus and the disruption it is causing to millions of lives is the isolation and loneliness that so many people are experiencing. You are invited to explore how a Discipleship Quad can help you connect with fellow Catholics and empower you to grow together as disciples of Jesus. All the resources needed to build and launch a Quad are available for free on our Discipleship Quad page.

 

If you are already in a Quad, we have added important information on various forms of free technology that you can use to keep your Quad active during these challenging times.

 

If you are interested in learning how to start a Discipleship Quad, please visit out Discipleship Quad page and browse through our tutorial videos and free resources.

Visit the Discipleship Quads page
PAST CONFERENCE TALKS

Check out our YouTube channels to see our massive library of talks. For even more content, subscribe to our YouTube channels for future talks.

Adult Conference Talk Highlights

Visit our Adult Conference Youtube Channel
Youth Conference Talk Highlights

Visit our Youth Conference Youtube Channel
PAST WEBINARS

View our past webinars, and don’t forget to register for the upcoming ones.