Faith in the Ivy League – Catholic life blooms at Princeton

Father Zachary Swantek, the Catholic chaplain and director of campus ministry at Princeton University, is working to combine intellectual formation with Catholic spiritual life for students. The Aquinas Institute serves as the center for Catholic campus ministry at the university.

During the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the ministry held a Eucharistic procession that drew more than 200 participants. Swantek noted that attendance for this annual event has grown from approximately 100 students a few years ago to 150, and now exceeds 200.

The procession takes place following the 4:30 p.m. Sunday Mass. Participants walk from the chapel to the lawn of Nassau Hall, the university's main administrative building, to kneel and sing the Tantum Ergo during a blessing.