Deanery hosts ‘True Presence Night’ focusing on Eucharist

DEEP IN PRAYER  Parishioners of St. Lawrence the Martyr Church in Chester raise their hands in prayer during Eucharistic Adoration at the “True Presence Night’ held on April 3 in St. Lawrence Church by parishes of the Southwest Morris Deanery of the Paterson Diocese.

CHESTER  In the glow of the worship space in St. Lawrence the Martyr Church here, a five-piece band of young adult musicians gently sings a popular hymn, “Holy God, we praise thy name and adoring, bend the knee, while we own the mystery.”

On April 3, faithful in parishes in the Southwest Morris Deanery gathered in St. Lawrence to kneel in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament during the “True Presence Night,” lifted up by the heavenly-sent melodies and often a strong back beat of faith of a contemporary band, The Vigil Project. In a testimonial talk that night, Andrea Thomas, a member of the traveling Catholic music ministry and host for the event, urged churchgoers to “let God lead you into the desert” of self-sacrifice for Lent, which will enable them to let go of any distractions that prevent them from accepting his love fully.

“It’s incredible to hear your voices tonight. You here in New Jersey can really sing!” We don’t want to play for you but pray with you,” said Thomas, noting that The Vigil Project, based in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, also offers workshops for Catholic musicians to “help restore true Catholic liturgical music to a high level that has been lost.” In her testimony, she encouraged the faithful to find the courage to bring their struggles “to the Cross to be redeemed” during Lent.

“The True Presence Night” — referring to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist — took place during Year of the Eucharist, which Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney declared in the Diocese on Jan. 9, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The yearlong celebration is designed to encourage local Catholics to deepen their appreciation of Jesus — Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity — in the Eucharist: the source and summit of our faith. Catholics are urged to deepen their understanding of and devotion to the Eucha­rist and strengthen their relationship with Jesus through various activities at the diocesan and parish levels. They include Adora­tion of the Blessed Sacrament and Bene­diction, Eucha­ris­tic processions, and faith formation, the Bishop said.

Situated in the music ministry area at one side of St. Lawrence’s altar, the band — which consisted of drums, keyboard, violin, guitar, and vocals — offered reverent songs for the 90-minute observance. They played Catholic contemporary and traditional hymns, classic gospel songs, and original contemporary songs from their album, “True Presence,” about the Eucharist. During the songs with a more driving beat, some churchgoers swayed gently, raising their hands in prayer.

In addition to St. Lawrence, Chester, the parishes that make up the Southwest Morris Deanery are St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Flanders; Our Lady of the Mountain, St. Luke, and St. Mark, all in Long Valley; St. Joseph, Mendham; Assumption and St. Margaret of Scotland, both Morristown; and St. Matthew and Resurrection, both Randolph.

In her testimony, Thomas, who hails from Cincinnati, admitted, “Prayer, almsgiving, and giving up things — like coffee or Netflix — are not the most fun” at Lent.

“It hurts, but these could be addictions, enslavements, or distractions. When you give up something, you make a space to fill it with other things — like God’s love. It’s your choice to trust him or not to lead you through the desert. Satan tells us to take matters into our own hands. But that’s when we fall,” said Thomas, who noted that we often want to trust in God but then have doubts that he will answer our prayers. That is when we fall away from him, she said. “But God never tires of our coming back to him. Take his hand and trust him. It’s the same with True Presence. He loves us too much to leave us in our times of trial,” Thomas said.

Two video screens on either side of St. Lawrence’s altar displayed a video about The Vigil Project, which opened the “True Presence Night,” and later the lyrics to the songs and related Scripture passages. The video stated that The Vigil Project is “helping to restore devotional prayer in the Catholic Church that deepens participation in the Sacraments and liturgical seasons. At the heart of this restoration is an invitation to sing.”

The congregation enjoyed singing the popular hymns and songs that they knew and quickly learned the easy-to-sing melodies of the originals by The Vigil Project. Perfect for the diocesan Year of the Eucharist, they sang, “Praise God, heavenly host. Praise the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost” in a song that built up to a spiritual crescendo. The Eucharistic Adoration that closed the event was led by Father Nicholas Bozza, St. Lawrence’s pastor, assisted by Deacon Greg Szpunar of the parish.

Later, The Vigil Project sang an original, “Humble Miracle” from the “True Presence” album. “Taste and see that the Lord is good,” the band sang, while a passage from Psalm 46 appeared on the video screens: “Be still and know that I am God…the Lord of hosts is with us.”

The Vigil Project also played — and prayed — a classic gospel tune that the older churchgoers knew: “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?” accompanied by mournful piano chords.

The event was sponsored by the Southwestern Morris Deanery made possible through a connection of Quinn Furnald, St. Lawrence’s youth minister and a pastoral musician, and his wife, Allison. Together, they previously attended one of The Vigil Project’s workshops, Thomas said.

After the True Presence Night, Karen Jones, a St. Lawrence parishioner, told The Beacon that she came out that evening “because I love worship

“Tonight was all about worship and most importantly, all about the Eucharist. Maybe it will inspire younger people to react to these songs positively. Maybe it will enhance our appreciation of the Eucharist. There was so much energy here tonight,” Jones said.

A happy Father Bozza said, “The evening went well.

“It was an opening for prayer. The music by these young musicians was very lively but it also was very Catholic,” Father Bozza said. He also said he enjoyed leading the sung Adoration, accompanied by the band.

Learn more about The Vigil Project and to hear songs from its “True Presence” album.