At the conclusion of St. Matthew’s gospel, Jesus says to His disciples, “I am with you always, even until the end of time.” Betty Kovach and Kathy Jasany have made it their mission to remind fellow Saint John Bosco parishioners that Jesus is always with us in the Blessed Sacrament in the Eucharistic Adoration Chapel. Their steadfast devotion to the Holy Eucharist in the Chapel illustrates the fact that true joy may be found in regularly spending time with Jesus in SJB’s unique and wonderful treasure.
Early Years
Ever cheerful in her ministry, Betty Kovach was born and raised in Cleveland, attending St. Ignatius and St. Vincent de Paul churches and grade schools. After graduation from St. Joseph Academy, she married and raised four daughters and one son. Her family joined St. John Bosco at the inception of the parish in 1963. The warm and friendly Kathy Jasany was born in Cleveland and attended Saint Wendelin kindergarten. After her family moved to Parma Heights, they joined Holy Family Parish, where Kathy attended grade school. Kathy’s family was also among the founders of Saint John Bosco Church. A graduate of Valley Forge High School, Kathy pursued a career in business.
History of Eucharistic Adoration Chapel
In 1999, Fr. Dave Liberatore arranged for the construction of SJB’s beautiful Eucharistic Adoration Chapel. The Chapel was dedicated by Bishop Pilla on the Feast of Christ the King in November of that year and opened immediately thereafter. Perpetual adoration began in the Chapel on December 31, 2000. Fr. Liberatore recruited Betty to make calls to adorers and soon named her as Lead Coordinator of the entire program. When asked why she started working in this ministry, Betty answers, “Because Jesus called me!” In 2010, Betty requested that experienced office worker Kathy assist her with scheduling and maintaining call lists of adorers. Kathy and her mother had been weekly adorers since the Chapel was built, so she was only too happy to help.
Eucharistic Adoration Ministry
Today Betty and Kathy strive to encourage parishioners and visitors to adore the Body of Christ as often as possible in the Chapel. Betty shared her wisdom regarding Eucharistic Adoration: “Jesus sends us an invitation: ‘Come to Me. I am truly alive and for real here.’.” Noting that the world is a busy, noisy place, Betty added, “Follow Jesus’ example and retreat to a quiet place to pray. The real temptation is to stay away.”
Kathy expressed the blessings that prayer to the Blessed Sacrament brings to adorers. “People have told us throughout the years how their prayers have been answered by going to the Chapel. To be in Christ’s presence is like no other feeling. To be able to pray in Jesus’ presence gives hope and a sense of peace that our prayers are being heard and answered,” says Kathy.
Furthermore, visits to the Chapel may be used as a learning experience to deepen one’s faith. To those who are unfamiliar with the Chapel, a person may bring religious reading material, pray the rosary, meditate on scripture or their own heartfelt prayers. “I’ve seen parents come in with very young children and watched them trying to make the sign of the cross and genuflect. It shows that parents find it important enough to teach them the importance of prayer and being in Jesus’ presence.”
Keeping It Perpetual
While SJB’s Eucharistic Adoration Chapel is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, it is not always occupied by adorers. Also, some of time slots for adoration may be filled by just one adorer. According to The Roman Ritual: Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside Mass, which was written under the authority of Pope St. John Paul II, “There should always be a sufficient number of people present for eucharistic adoration before the Blessed Sacrament is exposed. Every effort should be made to ensure that there should be at least two people present.” Betty and Kathy strongly recommend that parishioners and their families and friends visit the Chapel and prayerfully commit to spending one hour each week in Christ’s true presence. If you are interested in scheduling a time for weekly adoration, please contact Betty or Kathy through the Parish Office (440-886-3500), and they will gladly speak to you about this uplifting experience. After all, as Betty says, “Do you realize that Heaven is on earth in the Holy Eucharist?”
by Christine and Robert Martuch