Toward morning the conversation turned on the Eucharist, which I, being the Catholic, was obviously supposed to defend. Mrs. Broadwater said when she was a child and received the Host, she thought of it as the Holy Ghost, He being the ‘most portable’ person of the Trinity; now she thought of it as a symbol and implied that it was a pretty good one. I then said, in a very shaky voice, ‘Well, if it’s a symbol, to hell with it.’ That was all the defense I was capable of but I realize now that this is all I will ever be able to say about it, outside of a story, except that it is the center of existence for me; all the rest of life is expendable.”
– Flannery O’Connor
Tomorrow is the feast of Corpus Christi. In the days when the Catholic Church treated the Eucharist like it really mattered, Eucharistic processions outside the parish building or through the town were common. It was a moment in which the world could see the deep respect and reverence Catholics have for the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
I recently found a video of a Corpus Christi Eucharistic procession that was held in Cologne, Germany, in 1947 — just two years after the end of the second world war. As the people processed through the streets with Christ in the Eucharist, the ruble and ruin of the city is plain to see around them.
Through a devastated landscape, the Faith marches on.
In today’s world, the material state of our environment is perfectly in tact. But the faith — which Dietrich von Hildebrand had come in his latter years to refer to as “the Devastated Vineyard” — is in tatters. Belief in the Real Presence is at an all-time low. Church teaching is flaunted with impunity. Heretics and apostates go on calling themselves Catholic with no response from Holy Mother Church, and sometimes even a wink, a nod, and an embrace.
And yet amidst the present darkness, there are some corners of our world in which The Faith burns brightly, its glowing embers stoking the fire of love within the hearts of Catholics who adore their Eucharistic Lord.
The Canons Regular of the New Jerusalem are one such respite for the faithful. Last summer, I took some photos and video with my cell phone (my apologies for the quality) to show the way they venerate Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LOjJHG5MQk&feature=youtu.be
This is what the Catholic Faith looks like. Every parish in the world should at least be making an attempt to hold such processions on this feast of The Most Precious Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Sadly, only a small portion of them do.
The witness of such processions is critical. We need to act like we believe what we say we believe, or how can we draw others to the saving power of the Catholic faith?
Tomorrow, I’ll be with the Canons again for Corpus Christi. To make things even more special, my oldest son will be receiving his first holy communion on this great feast of the Blessed Sacrament. God is good.
If you have a Corpus Christi procession in your parish, please let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear about where this is being done. If you don’t, please consider asking your pastor if he’ll do it next year. It reminds the world around us — and ourselves — how important and central this sacred mystery is to our faith and our eternal salvation.
Update: The video from yesterday’s procession and 1st Communion is now available:
http://youtu.be/QgcHvKZdpEM
We always have a Procession at Immaculate Conception in Colorado Springs staffed by the FSSP.
In Connecticut, there are several processions planned, according to this helpful site.
http://connecticutcatholiccorner.blogspot.com/2014/06/catholic-events-in-connecticut.html
Excellent, Mary. Thank you!
There are a ton in connecticut actually . . . Proof that amidst the violently liberal here, the Faith will always live. Fr. Dan is doing one at st. Martha’s.
My ignorance, I’m sure, but in my mind, we’re followers of Christ, not leaders. So why in the picture is everyone walking ahead of and with their backs to the Blessed Sacrament? In the only processions of the Blessed Sacrament that I’ve had the privilege of participating, we have followed Jesus, singing and praying.
What most sad is Catholics fail to really comprehend Jesus went to the cross in our place .He did this to offer us the free gift of forgiveness and assurance of heaven .Not like catholic and many other groups who think they can merit their own salvation by doing works .They place a burden on people that they can never over come . . Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 1 John 1 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. You can have absolute assurance of heaven if you simply do that scripture says .Ask Jesus and he will forgive ALL and Cleanse you .. and some will quote James but they twist scripture out of context .James is speaking to those already saved forgiven and heaven bound .He telling Christians how to know you are a true Christians .James is doing the example of 2 Corinthians 13 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you–unless, of course, you fail the test? The Catholicism in their own words says your damned if you think your sin are forgiven without having to do works and purgatory .Canon 30: “If any one saith, that, after the grace of Justification has been received, to every penitent sinner the guilt is remitted, and the debt of eternal punishment is blotted out in such wise, that there remains not any debt of temporal punishment to be discharged either in this world, or in the next in Purgatory, before the entrance to the kingdom of heaven can be opened (to him); let him be anathema.” means damned …
What the bible says “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Rom. 5:1).
“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.” (Col. 2:13-14)next works salvation . Canon 24: “If any one saith, that the justice received is not preserved and also increased before God through good works; but that the said works are merely the fruits and signs of Justification obtained, but not a cause of the increase thereof; let him be anathema.”
What the bible says “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 2This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” (Gal. 3:1-3).
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.” (Gal. 5:1-3).1 john 1 9 If we confess our sins, Jesus is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness…. Folks no need for the blasphemy of Purgatory. Lastly the catholic church as never recanted on the Council of Trent: Canons on Justification. Jesus gives forgiveness as a free gift because He went to the cross and won your a pardon. Being catholic does not gain you anything .Doing works does not gain you anything,but are the out sign to the world that you are a biblical true christian .It’s not maybe forgiven but absolute forgiven an assured eternal life in heaven ! Are you good enough to go to heaven ? http://www.needgod.com/004.shtml I dare you to try this test 🙂 Are you able to complete it ? How did you score ?
But you have no standing as to be the authoritative interpreter of holy scripture.
Text out of context is a pretext…
“Not like catholic and many other groups who think they can merit their own salvation by doing works.”
And if the Catholic Church actually believed and taught that, you’d have an argument.
But it doesn’t.
I asked Father about it yesterday. He said there’s no rubric for this, but that it’s common to have the greatest person in a procession or parade be in the back.
If they’re in the front, the people who come to see them leave early.
If they’re in the back, the most important thing is saved for last.
To be honest, I’ve never seen a Eucharistic procession (that I can remember) where Christ is in the front.
The way they do it at my parish is as follows (front-to-back):
– two thurifers, swinging thuribles full of incense.
– a crucifer carrying a crucifix, flanked by two acolytes bearing candles
– priest carrying the Eucharist, flanked by the M.C. and four men holding up the canopy
– acolyte ringing bells
– this year’s first communicants
– choir, chanting
– members of the rosary altar society
– everyone else
The acolytes at the head of the procession are there to “make way” for the King. The thurifers are swinging their thuribles, incensing the area ahead of everyone else.
What most sad is Catholics fail to really comprehend Jesus went to the cross in our place .He did this to offer us the free gift of forgiveness and assurance of heaven .Not like catholic and many other groups who think they can merit their own salvation by doing works .They place a burden on people that they can never over come . . Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 1 John 1 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. You can have absolute assurance of heaven if you simply do that scripture says .Ask Jesus and he will forgive ALL and Cleanse you .. and some will quote James but they twist scripture out of context .James is speaking to those already saved forgiven and heaven bound .He telling Christians how to know you are a true Christians .James is doing the example of 2 Corinthians 13 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you–unless, of course, you fail the test? The Catholicism in their own words says your damned if you think your sin are forgiven without having to do works and purgatory .Canon 30: “If any one saith, that, after the grace of Justification has been received, to every penitent sinner the guilt is remitted, and the debt of eternal punishment is blotted out in such wise, that there remains not any debt of temporal punishment to be discharged either in this world, or in the next in Purgatory, before the entrance to the kingdom of heaven can be opened (to him); let him be anathema.” means damned …
What the bible says “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Rom. 5:1).
“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.” (Col. 2:13-14)next works salvation . Canon 24: “If any one saith, that the justice received is not preserved and also increased before God through good works; but that the said works are merely the fruits and signs of Justification obtained, but not a cause of the increase thereof; let him be anathema.”
What the bible says “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 2This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” (Gal. 3:1-3).
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.” (Gal. 5:1-3).1 john 1 9 If we confess our sins, Jesus is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness…. Folks no need for the blasphemy of Purgatory. Lastly the catholic church as never recanted on the Council of Trent: Canons on Justification. Jesus gives forgiveness as a free gift because He went to the cross and won your a pardon. Being catholic does not gain you anything .Doing works does not gain you anything,but are the out sign to the world that you are a biblical true christian .It’s not maybe forgiven but absolute forgiven an assured eternal life in heaven ! Are you good enough to go to heaven ? http://www.needgod.com/004.shtml I dare you to try this test 🙂 Are you able to complete it ? How did you score ?
As one who does not believe in nor has adequately studied the truth of the Catholic faith, it is silly for you to try to teach us.
Come experience the Real Presence of Christ and you will no longer need to spout the Bible at us. I have read the Bible daily for many years. We don’t choose Christ and get saved. Christ (God) chose us first and we respond to His call and are saved by His grace. Now, this being said try reading Matthew 25:31-46. Arguing about silly nuances of doctrine has very little benefit. Either you know Christ and His mercy or you don’t. Either you know God the Father and His love for us as revealed by Jesus Christ or you don’t. Either you have received the promise of the Holy Spirit and are living by the Spirit or you aren’t.
Come speak to me as a brother in Christ and together let’s do His will, and not our own. Leave the pettiness and the I am saved and you are not arguments for people who do not recognize Jesus Christ at all in their lives. You don’t have to save me. Christ did that already on the Cross.
Tim
Joihn 6: Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say unto you: Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you.
Philip Get life in you and you will no longer attack the One true Religion.
You are dead and trapped in a false faith and every single word you quoted from scripture was written by a Catholic to other Catholics in an already existing Catholic Church and one criterion for whether or not a book might be accepted as canonical was whether or not the book, gospel, epistle, had been read at Mass.
The Church preceded the New Testament. It is time you caught a clue.
Slough-off the corruption of the 16th century heresiarchs and get life…
We will have our usual Corpus Christi procession at St Francis de Sales in Saint Louis. I have a few pictures linked here in my blog
http://marcsviewonstuff.wordpress.com
It is my favorite feast day…just so darn Catholic!
Corpus Christi procession planned for tomorrow at Mater Dei in Irving (Dallas), Texas.
We will have our annual Corpus Christi procession at Mary Queen of Peace in Cleveland, Ohio, at the end of the 11am Mass.
Corpus Christi procession at St. Adalbert’s Church in Rosholt, WI after 11:00 am Mass. The Mass is a Novus Ordo.
There will be processions in St. Louis at the Cathedral (after the 5 pm Mass) and St. Ambrose (after the 11 am Mass).
St. Vincent de Paul parish in Fort Wayne, IN will have our Eucharistic procession after the 6:00 p.m. Mass Sunday.
Yes, Corpus Christi processions seem to be slowly returning. After some years of requesting, this will be the second year at my parish and a third year at a neighboring parish.
We have the Corpus Christi procession every year. God bless our clergy here at St. Anastasia’s Church here in Douglaston, NY.
I’m from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and I LOVE the Canons! Man, do they do things RIGHT.
But at the moment I’m in Indiana, and I can give you some good news: The Cathedral of St. Mary of the Diocese of Lafayette in Indiana will hold its first Eucharistic Procession in FIFTY YEARS tomorrow, on the Feast of Corpus Christi (transferred).
The parish of St. Boniface in Lafayette, Indiana, also has a Eucharistic Procession on Corpus Christi. They always have. It’s a very traditional parish.
Here in Colorado Springs at our wonderful FSSP led parish, we also process with the Blessed Sacrament.
Priest with Blessed Sacrament should lead the procession, not follow it! Have we forgotten so much so quickly?
Please correct the following solecisms in the article: intact; rubble; flout (not flaunt).
At our parish, Corpus Christi, in Colorado Springs, which is a Novus Ordo parish, we have had a eucharistic procession for at least ten years, each year growing in glory and majesty. We have at least twenty altar BOYS in the procession through the neighborhood, and we sing the entire time. This year, some wonderful parishioners have erected altars where we will stop, read scripture, and adore publicly. The girls will wear their First Holy Communion dresses. We end with Benediction in the church. As it is our feast day, we have a great party afterwards. My children look forward to it evey year, as do the adults! Deo gloria!
Glad to see things are looking up in other parts of the world. Up here in Canada our parish was treated to a homily about how Eucharistic piety is really foreign to the Church and is a corruption of Christ’s original message. According to our priest Christ would find Eucharistic adoration quite silly and when He said “This is my body” he really meant “Go and be nice to each other”. How long, Steve? How long?
Steve, this is one of your best articles and one that appeals to all who love Christ and recognize His Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. It reminds me that I must once again redouble my efforts and pray to bring this honoring of Christ in the Eucharist back to our parish.
These processions really honor the presence of Christ in the Eucharist and are not at my home parish. I often go elsewhere to experience them.
Your encouragement to speak out about this is much appreciated!
You know the procession of the Eucharist through the community is really about bringing Jesus to the world rather than keeping him under lock and key in a tabernacle. We are truly called to bring Jesus to the world. There are many ways to do this such as what Mother Teresa did for the poorest of the poor, but it is also extremely important to show the fullness of beauty of the Catholic faith which recognizes the presence of Emmanuel (the God who is with us) in the Eucharist.
Well done!
Tim
Yes! We the Parish of St. Luke in Middleburg, FL have a procession for Feast of Corpus Christi!
My wife and I participated this morning in a lovely and reverential Corpus Christi procession at historic St. Patrick’s Church in Bloomington, Illinois. Thank You Lord, for this parish!
St. Mary’s in Norwalk, CT had a great procession around the city blocks, complete with a very talented choir that sang 8 or so hymns. . My first Corpus Christi procession since I’m not a parishioner there and they are too worried about permits at my parish to “bother” doing a procession. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be going again.
We had a Corpus Christi procession at a diocesan parish in Alexandria, Louisiana (Novus Ordo).
We had a procession today at St.Anthony of Padua in Winnipeg, Canada!
Joseph Cardinal Frings blesses the crowd in Cologne and years later he reads the famous speech (written for him by Fr Joseph Ratzinger) at V2 that attacks the Holy Office.
From the devastation of war to the devastation of the council; what an odd time to be alive…
Corpus Christi procession at Church of the Resurrection in Lansing. Followed by Adoration and Benediction. Novus Ordo Mass.
Our Parish had a procession, although it remained inside the church, which is quite large. I always thought keeping it inside the church somewhat misses part of the point of the procession to begin with; witness.
The Archbishop also led a procession at another church in the archdiocese (New Orleans). We basically went around the block.
In years past we used to begin downtown at a church on Baronne street, and process right through downtown, going down Canal street then turning and going straight through the French Quarter, ending up at the Cathedral. For those who don’t know, the French Quarter is really a tourist area loaded with bars, “gentlemen’s clubs” (probably the worlds most outrageous euphamism), etc. It was a powerful witness going straight through that area.
I think I will write a letter to our Archbishop asking that we return to doing that.
Would everyone like to hear about our Corpus Christi?
We were asked to pray that the earth and the universe reflect the Eucharist.
Are you impressed?
Uh, NO! Confused but, not impressed. I guess if that’s all the Priest could manage to muster up it’s at least an effort. Too bad this age old tradition is slipping away but, if parishioners ask their Parish Priest why they don’t do the procession maybe it will spark an old flame and happen!
Good point, Tari. This was my experience this year. The new provincial had not been told that there has been a procession the past few years. Once I requested the procession, he was very keen to insure one happened. See my other reply below.
The men’s religious shrine had a small and reverent procession on the Shrine grounds which are rather substantial. Followed by Benediction and Adoration. The new provincial promised a larger more traditional procession next year. I have his email and I’ll hold him to his promise!
If anyone’s interested, I posted some photo and videos from yesterday’s procession at the bottom of the original post above.
Also, I want to thank everyone for posting about your processions. It’s encouraging to hear of so many. I’m sorry to hear from those of you who had homilies de-emphaszing the Eucharist. There’s a great need for Catholics to make reparations for offenses against the Blessed Sacrament. I need to remember to do the same.
In the Washington/Balimore corridor, pretty much every traditional community or parish offering a regular TLM held a procession, near as I could tell. On Thursday, Old St Mary’s in downtown DC, and Copley Crypt at Georgetown (sponsored by the Georgetown TLM Community and Juventutem DC) both celebrated Corpus Christi with processions. On Sunday, the rest (St. Alphonsus in Baltimore, St. John the Beloved in Mclean, etc.) fell in line celebrating the external solemnity with processions. Likewise, so did the Ordinariate parishes, such as St. Luke’s in Bladensburg (now moving to downtown DC) and Mount Calvary in Baltimore, which processed down to the historic seminary chapel at the Mother Seton House for Benediction.
As for regular parishes…one had to hunt around a bit. The more traditional-minded pastors, especially in Arlington Diocese, tend to do so. Many others seem to have barely acknowledged the feast.
But this seems of a piece with the larger disbelief in the Real Presence that exists. It is manifested in the virtual desuetude of this feast (which in the modern lectionary only uses John 6 for the gospel in one year out of three, and completely excises I Cor 11:27-29 from the Epistle in all three), and in the manner in which one sees so many people receive communion, alas. While one cannot judge interior belief and disposition with perfect ease, it is hard to believe that the cavalier behavior so pervasive at communion reflects genuine belief in Christ’s Eucharistic presence.
Orthdodoxy contributes to orthopraxy, and orthopraxy reinforces orthodoxy. When the latter vanishes, the former follows suit. It’s human nature.
Postscript:
And a lot of the deconstruction of this belief occurred once there was capture by progressives of most of the institutional Church in the West – the theology departments, working down to seminaries and chanceries and finally to parishes and schools. Many of these elites subscribed, effectively, to more radical theologies like those of Rahner and Schillebeeckx, which (no matter how they denied it) effectively reduced the Eucharist to a symbol. As Fr. Z once famously related of his time in seminary in the 80’s:
“In the 1980’s we seminarians were informed with a superior sneer that, “Jesus said ‘Take and eat, not sit and look!’” Somehow, “looking” was opposed to “receiving”, “doing”. This same error is at the root of false propositions about “active participation”: if people aren’t constantly singing or carrying stuff they are “passive”.”
Which is a tale I have heard from other survivors of seminaries in those days.
And so it’s not surprising to see it also reflected in the words and acts of so many prelates and clergy of that era, such as Bishop Robert Lynch of St. Petersburg, who once (in)famously banned perpetual exposition on his diocese. That would have been bad enough, but it was a certain rehtorical sot he also fired at the time same time that really revealed more about his mindset on the Eucharist than any policy directive could:
“Parishes seeking to inaugurate or restore eucharistic devotions should reflect on their practices during the communion rite and their commitment of time and money to social services. Are they as respectful and reverent towards Christ’s presence in the gathered Body, the Church, as they are to the presence of Christ in the Sacrament?”
As is so often the case, the result is a Christ recognized almost only in the Mystical Body, in a distorted way, rather than His True Body. And the result is a kind of narcissism that ends up as self-worship. Self worship that would rather dance in the aisles than to walk with the Lord through the streets.
We do a Corpus Christi procession in our parish, but it’s just on the parish grounds, as the town and road that the parish is on isn’t terribly walkable. We’re on a fairly main road with a 50 MPH speed limit, and no sidewalks.
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