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Bringing Christ to campus

Mary Stachyra Lopez | Catholic Herald

Oblate Sr. Susan Louise Eder lights a candle.

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Fr. Christopher Vaccaro processes with students at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg.

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As Robby Renner sees it, there couldn’t have been a more
symbolic way to start off the school year at The University
of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg than “literally
following Christ” in a Eucharistic procession around campus.

The senior geography major was part of a group of students
that organized the procession and all-night adoration held on
campus from 9 p.m. Sept. 7 until 9 a.m. the next day – the
first event of its kind at the school. Organizers estimate 50
to 70 people joined in the procession, and there were at
least four people praying every hour throughout the night.
That’s no small feat for a small campus with only 4,000
students.

“I was thinking the next day, ‘Wow, Christ was just here,'”
Renner said. The event brought the Eucharist into “every part
of our day” as students walked to classes, the cafeteria and
social events.

Father Christopher Vaccaro first came up with the idea for a
procession when he became the campus ministry chaplain last
year.

“It was the one thing that came immediately to my heart in
prayer,” Father Vaccaro recalled. “I wanted to bring the
Blessed Sacrament to campus.”

Still, “you don’t want to do something fly by night,” for an
event that large, Father Vaccaro said, so the procession had
to wait until the beginning of this school year, when he
could coordinate with a group of student volunteers. They
started planning before the school year even began. It took
three weeks to get approval from the administration, arrange
a police escort, and for all the details to fall into place.

The spiritual benefits were well worth the effort, Father
Vaccaro feels.

“You could tangibly feel the grace there,” he said. “There
were students crying before the Eucharist.”

Father Vaccaro said that one student told him at the end,
“‘Thanks for allowing me to participate in the most beautiful
thing in my life.'”

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