WATCH: Jesus Appears on the Green

October 20, 2016November 11, 2016 Matthew Pearson

While the University Green is the center of campus life at Seton Hall, it is the Eucharist that is the source and summit of the Christian life. On Thursday evening, Oct. 13^th, the Green and the Eucharist intersected as Jesus in the Eucharist was worshiped and adored by hundreds of the Seton Hall faithful in the first ever “Pack the Green.”

For several years, the Office of Campus Ministry and Immaculate Conception Seminary have co-sponsored periodic evenings referred to as “Pack the Chapel,” the goal of which has been to fill the University Chapel for Eucharistic Holy Hours. These are opportunities to worship and pray before Jesus Christ during Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Last week, rather than doing this in the University Chapel, Jesus visited the Green for an hour of praise and worship music, Scripture reading, and prayerful silence, concluding with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

It was truly a grace-filled evening as Jesus, through whom all creation came to be, was Present in the Eucharist and was surrounded by His own creation on the Green: the trees, the grass, and the flowers, all of it under the stars and moonlight. Many members of the Seton Hall community were inspired by this beautiful event, made possible by our Creator.

Among the worshipers was Eugenia Audrey, who said, “Being with so many people adoring God was so amazing. It was inspiring to see people immersed in prayer.” James Gephardt was impressed by “the sense of unity and community among the students of Seton Hall and the seminarians who came together to praise Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. That was awesome.” For Ally Greco, it was a combination of factors that made the evening so powerful. She said, “The music, the different readings from the Bible, having the time to yourself in silence, everything worked perfectly together allowing me to focus on my prayer to God.”

While the cooler weather means that there won’t be another “Pack the Green” until Spring, the Office of Campus Ministry will continue to offer monthly “Pack the Chapel” Holy Hours. The next one is scheduled for November 10^th. The same Jesus who appeared on the Green will also appear at every subsequent “Pack the Chapel,” though it’s not even necessary to wait for “Pack the Chapel” to visit Jesus in the Eucharist. There is Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the University Chapel every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, from 12:30 pm – 4:45 pm.