Numen Lumen Pavilion steel receives blessing

Elon University Chaplain Jan Fuller led a noontime ceremony on June 8 to mark the completion of steel installation for the Multifaith Center.

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> Photo gallery from the blessing ceremony

A small group of Elon University faculty and staff gathered Friday afternoon for a blessing of the completed steel support for the Numen Lumen Pavilion, which will house the university’s Multifaith Center when it opens early next year.

Elon Chaplain Jan Fuller led the short ceremony from atop a construction lift that had carried her to the upper reaches of what will one day be the circular, two-story sacred space area of the building.

As part of the blessing, Fuller attached to a steel beam a decal featuring a circle of symbols drawn from a variety of world religions.

The Numen Lumen Pavilion will be a place for prayer, meditation and reflection in the heart of campus. Affirming the university’s commitment to the development of mind, body and spirit and respect for differing religious and spiritual traditions, the center will encourage campus dialogue and promote interfaith collaboration.

The two-story building will feature a circular sacred space adjoined by a multipurpose room, a meditation room, a classroom, meeting and study rooms, and offices of the Truitt Center, which will relocate to the Numen Lumen Pavilion from its current location on East College Avenue. An outdoor meditation garden will be located between the Numen Lumen Pavilion and the Gray Pavilion.

The Numen Lumen Pavilion will be the final building in Elon’s Academic Village, taking the spot on the west side of the quad next to the Gray Pavilion. Construction on the Academic Village began in 2001, with the first two pavilions, the Isabella Cannon International Studies Pavilion and the William R. Kenan Jr. Honors Pavilion opening in August 2002.