Adoration - On the Hour Time Slots

​On the Hour vs Overlapping Hour Time Slots for Adoration

Initially it can seem to make sense to have Eucharistic Adoration hours overlap in case someone cannot attend an hour. However, upon closer examination, we can see that the on the hour system actually provides better coverage under various circumstances.

Definitions
On the Hour system = One hours slots that begin at 1:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm, etc.
On the Half Hour system = One hours slots that begin at 1:00pm, 1:30pm, 2:00pm, 2:30pm, etc.

At first it seems overlapping provides extra protection against a missed hour...but let's look at some scenarios.

168 Adorers
Under the on the hour system, you can technically have perpetual adoration with only 168 adorers. While this isn't recommended, it is possible.
Under the on the half hour system, 168 adorers will only fill 1/2 of the time slots and thus make perpetual adoration not possible.  If you are waiting to fill all of your slots before you begin, you will need 2x as many adorers.

336 adorers
Under the on the hour system, there would be two adorers per slot.
Under the on the half hour system, there would be one adorer per slot and two adorers in the chapel at all times.
Statistically speaking, the coverage is the exact same. If one of the adorers is not present, a backup should already be in the chapel. The backup depth is equal to 1 under both systems. But, if you are waiting for two adorers per slot, you cannot begin perpetual adoration yet under the half hour system. You need 672 adorers to do so.

504 Adorers
With 504 adorers, the on the hour system will have three adorers per slot. If one adorer cannot attend, there are two backup adorers. With 504 adorers you can have an incredibly reliable perpetual adoration program if you use the on the hour system.
Under the on the half hour system, 504 adorers will result in some slots with two adorers and some slots with one adorer. Depending on how the adorers sign up, the backup depth may only be one, whereas in the on the hour system, the backup depth is always two.  504 adorers does not provide the same statistical backup coverage on the half hour system as it would on the on the hour system. The on the hour system is statistically better with 504 adorers.

672 Adorers
With 672 adorers, the on the hour system will have 4 adorers per slot.
The on the half hour system will have 2 adorers per slot and will have 4 adorers in the chapel at all times.
Statistically speaking, the backup depth is the exact same.

What does this mean?
If we examine the above 4 scenarios, we see that with 672 adorers and 336 adorers, the systems are the same. But, with 168 adorers or 504 adorers, the on the hour system is more reliable in terms of coverage. Technically, the only time the systems provide the same exact coverage is at 372 and 672. In all other numbers, the on the hour system provides a better statistical likelihood of coverage. For example, with 604 adorers, the on the hour system will have 3 to 4 adorers in the chapel at all times. Under the half hour system, 604 adorers will have 2, 3, or 4 adorers in the chapel at all times. The statistical backup advantage goes to the on the hour system.

Confusion & Interruptions with on the every 1/2 hour system
The on the the half hour system can also create confusion, which can lead to more missed hours. This will be seen most with subs. The sub may remember 1:00pm when really his time slot was 1:30pm. The sub may come from 1:00pm-2:00pm and think he fulfilled the hour. But, now there is no coverage from 2:00-2:30pm.  The coming and going of adorers during the hour can also create confusion. Because most people don't arrive exactly on their time slot, the half hour system will create coming and going throughout the entire hour. In the hour system, any arrival between 1:45pm and 2:15pm can safely be assumed to be an arrival for the 2:00pm slot.  But, under the half hour system, a 1:45pm arrival could be early for the 2:00pm slot or late for the 1:30pm slot. If there is one adorer waiting for relief, the 1:45pm arrival might be assumed by the current adorer, to be the 2:00pm adorer. But, if it is the 1:30pm adorer, there may be trouble at 2:30pm.  In the event of speaking about hours, writing about hours, or even whispering about hours in the chapel, the half hour system can create confusion. Did she say 2:00pm or 2:30pm? I heard a "two", but wasn't quite sure what else I heard. Under the hour system, a "two" means 2:00pm or possible 2:00am, but it never means 2:30pm or 2:30am. Staying on the hour system is simpler and provides the most peaceful hour slots in the chapel.

What about every 15 minute slots?
The every 15 minute program, with 672 adorers, provides the same coverage as the half hour and on the hour system with 672 adorers. There will be 4 people in the chapel at all times under all 3 systems. There is no statistical difference between the systems with 672 adorers.  But, until you have 672 adorers, the every 15 minute system is less reliable. If you do have 672 adorers, it would be simpler to use an on the hour system and still have 4 people in the hour at all times. Again, there is not statistical backup coverage gain by using the every 15 minute system.

The Big Case for 3 per One Hour Slot
If you are trying to grow an Adoration program, sticking with 3 adorers per one hour slot provides a wonderful balance between backup coverage and growth. The half hour and every 15 minute systems cannot consistently accommodate three adorers at all times. To accommodate 3 adorers at all times, the other systems require many more adorers. So, in order to achieve both coverage and growth into new hours, 3 adorers per slot provides the best of the two worlds of growth and protection. In all cases, the on the hour system provides the base case for growth.  In AdorationPro, you can limit the number of committed adorers per slot. While you can set this to any number, including unlimited, 3 adorers per slot will help you to grow your program the fastest while providing incredible coverage protection. You could also opt for two adorers per slot if you wish to emphasize growth and take a little more risk with coverage.