The Catholic Church marks the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, more commonly known as Corpus Christi, on Sunday, June 11th. This day is traditionally a day for Eucharistic processions, and all three of our Churches have been working to organize processions after the Sunday Masses next weekend at St. Bernard (8:00am), St. Francis (8:30am), and Our Lady of Good Hope (11am). On the Saturday eve Mass and the 11am at St. Bernard there will be Benediction only.
If you have never participated in a Corpus Christi procession or haven’t heard of such a thing, below are some basics and excerpts (and good reminders!) from an NC Register article based on an interview with Damien O’Connor, Knights of Columbus vice president of evangelization and faith formation:
The priest will carry the monstrance containing the Eucharist, and traditionally at least three altar servers — one carrying a cross, flanked by two others holding candles — will lead the way. Traditionally, the monstrance containing the Eucharist will be carried under a small canopy. The canopy serves as a reminder of the "tent of the presence" in which the Israelites of the Old Testament transported the bread of the presence (the prefigurement of the Eucharist) and also serves as a focal point for the procession.
The procession should be done respectfully because we are "processing with Our Lord"... Catholics should take it seriously because it's not just for entertainment; it's an act of worship of the Creator of the universe.
The procession should begin after a public Mass or a period of adoration, and the Host for the procession should be consecrated at that Mass.
Part of the purpose of a Eucharistic procession is to profess for the world a belief in Jesus’ presence in the sacrament. A community that undertakes a procession has made a decision to "publicly proclaim its belief in Jesus' True Presence in the Eucharist," and processions are a way of bringing Christ "out, to the world … literally walking into the world, with Jesus.”
During the procession itself, participants should be prepared to talk to inquisitive passersby and to actively invite those who are interested to join the procession.
Above all, a Eucharistic procession is about “bringing Christ to people,” literally, O’Connor said. He said he has seen people who were Catholic be drawn back to the Mass and the Eucharist as a result of encountering a procession, and he said he has even seen people who have no faith be moved by processions to consider Catholicism.
“Any parish or diocese that puts a greater emphasis on the Eucharist or Eucharistic processions has only had positive results. Numbers go up; parishioners joining the parishes increase.”
It profoundly impacts people when “we're very intentional about Eucharistic processions, the beauty of the Mass” and other aspects of the faith involving beauty, he said, noting that “people appreciate beauty and often encounter God through that.”
A procession serves as a special way to honor God.
From: “How-To for Organizing a Eucharistic Procession” https://www.ncregister.com/cna/how-to-for-organizing-a-eucharistic-procession
The Catholic Church marks the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, more commonly known as Corpus Christi, on Sunday, June 11th. This day is traditionally a day for Eucharistic processions, and all three of our Churches have been working to organize processions after the Sunday Masses next weekend at St. Bernard (8:00am), St. Francis (8:30am), and Our Lady of Good Hope (11am). On the Saturday eve Mass and the 11am at St. Bernard there will be Benediction only.