Precious Blood Prayer Group, St. Agnes Parish, Los Angeles
Wednesday Evening Oratory in L.A.
by Fr. Timothy Guthridge, c.pp.s., St. Agnes Parish, Los Angeles, California
On October 23, 1808, newly ordained Gaspar del
Buffalo, with the help of Fr. Gaetano Bonnanni and
two other priests, began the evening oratory of Santa
Maria in Vincis in Rome.
The oratory was a place of nightly preaching and
catechism. Each night had different themes. One
evening would be the “Way of the Cross.” Another
night would be Eucharistic Adoration. Saturday
evenings were for Marian devotions. Sunday nights
were either some type of moral discourse or a pre-
sentation on Christianity.
The oratory was popular. People came out of
religious devotion. People also came because it gave
them something inexpensive to do during an evening.
People with little money in Rome had limited enter-
tainment options. Gaspar wrote that the oratory would
be a better alternative than drinking, gambling, and
lewd drama.
People came to the oratory for a variety of rea-
sons. What they received was an opportunity to
encounter and experience the presence of Christ
through the preaching of the word and the practice
of religious devotion. There was also the experience
of community and comradeship.
Every Wednesday night at St. Agnes Parish in Los
Angeles where I currently serve, hundreds of people
come to enjoy and encounter Christ in what could be
described as an oratory of word, worship, and praise.
From 7:00–9:00 p.m., Spanish speaking people from
the south-central neighborhoods come to participate
in what is called the Precious Blood Prayer Group. It
is a weekly experience that I believe would make St.
Gaspar proud.
The first hour begins with Charismatic music and
prayer. God is praised at a very high and emotional
volume. The music is joyful and loud. Loved ones
are prayed for and all types of petitions are brought
before God. The main emphasis, however, is praise
and thanksgiving.
The attitude is always joyful. This is not a time
for mourning and lamentation. People joyfully bring
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January 2018 • The New Wine Press • 13