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| Corpus Christi | |
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| Topic Started: Thursday, 24. May 2007, 14:59 (923 Views) | |
| Eve | Thursday, 24. May 2007, 14:59 Post #1 |
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Former Admin/Moderator
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Do any of you have information about planned Corpus Christi processions, or photographs of past processions? The forum likes to depict Catholic culture and history. Any contributions on the theme will be welcomed. |
| Howdy Folks. Has anybody seen my husband lately? | |
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| Deleted User | Thursday, 24. May 2007, 21:36 Post #2 |
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Just as I arrived in South Wales some 28 years ago, the new Archbishop ( Aloysius Ward, recently deceased) stopped the traditional Corpus Christi parade through the streets of Cardiff. His view, fiercely contested, was that this parade had been born in times when Catholics were downtrodden and had become a coat trailing exercise of defiance rather than a religious testament. He changed the celebration into a gathering with Mass at local stadia ( Arms Park etc) and I attended a few. It never really caught on though. John |
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| Deleted User | Friday, 8. June 2007, 23:14 Post #3 |
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On Sunday we will celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi ( Corpus et Sanguis Christi). The Feast should have been on Thursday but is now moved to Sunday. Will the feast be marked by a procession in any of our members' parishes? Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy
KatyA |
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| Rose of York | Friday, 8. June 2007, 23:35 Post #4 |
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Administrator
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I have heard of modern day Corpus Christi processions taking place in school grounds. They used to consist of a walk through the streets, giving the Catholics an opportunity to witness to their faith, publicly. Other organisations, such as Scouts, get permission to parade through the streets, so I think it is a tragedy that Corpus Christi processions take place out of sight of the general public. Some of the crowd might jeer and mock. Jesus has handled that before. So must we. However, there would be the some risk of total desecration of The Blessed Sacrament, so perhaps the priests whol hold processions in school grounds are justified. |
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Keep the Faith! | |
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| Karin | Saturday, 9. June 2007, 14:38 Post #5 |
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Karin
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The Feast of Corpus Christi will be celebrated like any other feast day in our parish, but there will not be a procession. I can't honestly remember a procession on this day. It must not be done here in the States, unless it's a larger, traditional parish in a big city. That's a tradition which has been lost here. Again, another sad fact. |
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Karin Hvaljen Isus i Marija. Kraljica Mira, moli za nas. "Praised be Jesus and Mary. Queen of Peace, Pray for Us." | |
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| pattif | Saturday, 9. June 2007, 16:57 Post #6 |
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Our parish has, sadly, lost its Corpus Christi procession this year. After the feast was transferred to Sunday, there was too much hithering and dithering about how to sanwich it in between three morning Masses, a baptism and an evening Mass, and, anyway, would people make the effort to turn out a second time in one day, and in the end, it was too late to organise anything. Next year, however, it will be different! Grrr! On Thursday, because I was so depressed about it being a non-day, I went to part of a festival called Spirit in the City, organised by four churches in the West End: St. Patrick's, Soho Square, The Assumption and St. Gregory, Warwick Street, St. Charles Borromeo, Ogle Street and the French Church, Leicester Square. The bit I went to was the procession of the Blessed Sacrament from Warwick Street to St. Pat's - not billed as a Corpus Christi procession, but still, an opportunity to process with the Blessed Sacrament through the streets of Soho. I arrived about an hour before the procession was due to start, thinking to catch a bit of quiet adoration, but not a bit of it. There was a sort of evangelical (Protestant, of some description, I think) person with a microphone rabbiting on and inviting people to wave their arms about; then he announced that, if anyone had anything they wanted someone to pray with/over them about, prayer teams would be stationed in corners of the church. He thought this would be particularly appropriate for the woman he sensed was angry with God about something (not Moi, I thought, it's not God's fault Corpus Christi is not being celebrated today), the woman with a problem with her neck, the man with a bad back, etc., etc. There were also priests in the confessionals, so if being prayed over didn't appeal, one could avail oneself of the sacrament. Quite a few did. Finally, we set off. We were handed 'song' sheets covered in dire ditties (Shine Jesus, Shine and others of that genre) which we sang through the streets. Silly me, I thought if you were processing with the Blessed Sacrament, you might think of singing about the Blessed Sacrament, but evidently not necessarily. Eventually, I found myself feeling quite glad that my aesthetic sensibilities had not been pandered to too much: there was nothing to enjoy but the presence of the Blessed Sacrament and the presence of a couple of hundred faithful making public witness of their faith. When we got to St. Patrick's there was all-night Adoration, and the festival continues until tomorrow. There is amazing work of evangelisation going on in Soho, even if not all of it is done as it would be if I ran the world! |
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| K.T.B. | Sunday, 10. June 2007, 20:18 Post #7 |
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I was chatting to an aged Aunt from Cardiff the other week. She still remembers being a "strewer" of flowers in her Parish's Corpus Christi procession as a little girl and the sense of honour of being asked to do this. :) For the second year running our Parish will be holding a Corpus Christi procession next week in the grounds of the church, followed by tea and biccies in the presbytry garden. Corpus Christi happens to be our parish feast day. The children who made their First Holy Communion today will have a big part in this, with the girls strewing flower petals and the boys carrying flags of different countries. They also get to wear their special First Holy Communion outfits for the occasion. Last year this occasion was very well attended. The atmosphere amongst the congregation was that of holiness and joy. |
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| MickCook | Sunday, 10. June 2007, 21:01 Post #8 |
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It seems that Karin spoke a little too soon. A procession from the Cathedral to Corpus Christi parish will take place today (Sunday - the feast of Corpus Christi). We just got to hear about it... nice of them to let us know just before the procession (at 1 pm). |
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:) Mick The Cook Companies | |
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| Deleted User | Sunday, 10. June 2007, 23:48 Post #9 |
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It is good to see that the procession is still held, but sad to see that it isn't more widespread. On the subject of Corpus Christi, here is a link to a newly ordained Deacon's homily for the feast The Deacon's Bench
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| Josephine | Monday, 11. June 2007, 13:57 Post #10 |
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Back in the 1870s, I think, the Duke of Norfolk of the time was visiting a village somewhere in Italy. He was so impressed by the devotion of the people who made carpets of flowers in the streets for the Blessed Sacrament to be carried over in procession on the feast of Corpus Christi, that he took the idea home with him to Arundel, Sussex. Ever since then, with only one break (in 1919 because of the war), there has been a carpet of flowers the length of the nave in the cathedral in Arundel. It is laid on the Monday preceding Corpus Christi and can be viewed on the Tuesday, Wednesday and during the day of the Thursday. There is solemn high Mass at 5.30 pm, followed by a procession with the Blessed Sacrament from the cathedral through the streets to Arundel Castle. There is Benediction in the grounds in the open air and procession back to the cathedral where there is Benediction again. On returning to the cathedral the bishop carries the Blessed Sacrament over the carpet of flowers. At the head of the procession are the children who have recently received Holy Communion for the first time. This year they came from St. Philip's school near the cathedral, St. Wilfrid's parish and English Martyrs' parish, Goring-by-Sea. Also in the procession are Knights and Dames of Jerusalem, Knights and Dames of Malta, and of St. Gregory, and others whose names I don't know; members of Legion of Mary; Knights of St. Columba; the current Duke and Duchess of Norfolk and members of their family; acolytes, deacons, priests and, of course, Bishop Kieran Conry carrying the Blessed Sacrament under a canopy (beautifully embroidered), and then anyone else who wishes to take part. The flower-strewers immediately in front of the Blessed Sacrament sre from St. Philip's School, the cathedral parish. There are loudspeakers in trees and on posts along the way and someone in the cathedral leads the singing, litanies and prayers as you go along. Knights of St. Columba distribute booklets so all can join in. As the procession passed St. Nicholas (the Anglican parish church just along the road from the cathedral there was another group waiting to join in with their own banner embroidered with a chalice, etc. St. Nicholas must be unique because behind the altar it has big glass doors and through these you can see the tombs of the ancestors of the Duke of Norfolk. Their part of the church is accessible through a door in the castle grounds. The big glass doors have been opened on special occasions. It is a while since I've been in there so I'm sorry for being a bit vague on the details but it must be the only church which is part Catholic and part Anglican. People come from all over the diocese and beyond for the Corpus Christi procession - and in the days beforehand people come in coaches from all over to see the carpet of flowers. Someone told me there was a group from a Catholic secondary school in Bristol, Somerset brought by their teacher who grew up locally. There were photos of last year's procession in the West Sussex Gazette for sale on the day. No doubt, there will be pics of this year's procession in the next issue. I think it is published on a Wednesday. I'm sorry I can't do the bringing pictures from other places. I always make a mess of it btu the paper must have a website so try and have a look there. I've been going to this celebration at Arundel for some years and it is well worth the effort. We have been fortunate taht the weather has been kind for some years now. If it is too windy, we just have to process around inside the cathedral. As Arundel is situated on top of a hill, there is usually a bit of breeze but the force of the wind is crucial. After it is all over the children are very keen to walk on the carpet of flowers - particularly small boys who especially seem to indulge in a scuffling style of walk as they move over it. Little girls tend to pick up the flower heads to keep as souvenirs. Sorry for such a long post - but it is such a wonderful event ! Josephine |
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| Deleted User | Thursday, 11. June 2009, 09:47 Post #11 |
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Corpus Christ was introduced in the late 13th century to encourage the faithful give special honor to the institution of the Holy Eucharist to the Blessed Sacrament. The official title of this Solemnity was changed in 1970 to The Body and Blood of Christ (Latin: Sollemnitas Sanctissimi Corporis et Sanguinis Christi); and it is still on the Roman Missal’s official Calendar for the universal Church on Thursday after Trinity Sunday; however, where it is not a day of obligation (as in the United States) it is usually celebrated on the Sunday following Trinity Sunday. Corpus Christi became a mandatory feast in the Roman Church in 1312. But nearly a century earlier, Saint Juliana of Mont Cornillon, promoted a feast to honor the Blessed Sacrament. From early age Juliana, who became an Augustinian nun in Liége, France, in 1206, had a great veneration for the Blessed Sacrament, and longed for a special feast in its honor. She had a vision of the Church under the appearance of the full moon having one dark spot, which signified the absence of such a solemnity. She made known her ideas to the Bishop of Liége, Robert de Thorete, to the Dominican Hugh who later became cardinal legate in the Netherlands, and to Jacques Panaléon, at the time Archdeacon of Liége and who later became Pope Urban IV. Bishop Robert de Thorete ordered that the feast be celebrated in his diocese. Pope Urban IV later published the Bull Transiturus (September 8, 1264), in which, after having extolled the love of Our Savior as expressed in the Holy Eucharist, ordered the annual celebration of Corpus Christi on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. More than four decades later, Pope Clement V published a new decree which embodied Urban IV's decree and ordered the adoption of the feast at the General Council of Vienna (1311). Pope John XXII, successor of Clement V, urged this observance. The processions on Corpus Christi to honour the Holy Eucharist were not mentioned in the decrees, but had become a principal feature of the feast's celebration by the faithful, and became a tradition throughout Europe. These processions were endowed with indulgences by Popes Martin V and Eugene IV. (Principal source - Catholic Encyclopaedia - 1913 edition, ) |
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| Deleted User | Thursday, 11. June 2009, 19:48 Post #12 |
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Thursday 11 June LIVE from EWTN at 6pm UK time Pope Benedict XVI presides over the Solemn Mass of Corpus Christi and the Eucharistic Procession of Corpus Christi, live from Rome. The programme will be repeated at 2.30am Friday 12th June http://www.ewtn.com/tv/index.asp |
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| Deleted User | Thursday, 11. June 2009, 22:10 Post #13 |
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![]() Carpet of flowers at Arundel Cathedral more pictures |
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| Deleted User | Friday, 12. June 2009, 16:34 Post #14 |
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At 7 p.m. 11 June, Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Benedict XVI celebrated Mass on the square in front of the basilica of St. John Lateran, then led a Eucharistic procession to the basilica of St. Mary Major. In his homily, the Pope commented on the words pronounced by priests at the moment of consecration: "this is My Body, ... this is My Blood". Addressing his remarks to priests, the Holy Father said: "Becoming the Eucharist: let this be our constant desire and commitment! So that the offer of the Body and Blood of the Lord we make upon the altar may be accompanied by the sacrifice of our own lives. Every day we draw from the Body and Blood of the Lord the free and pure love that makes us worthy ministers of Christ and witnesses to His joy. What the faithful expect from a priest is the example of authentic devotion to the Eucharist. They like to see him spend long periods of silence and adoration before Jesus, as did the saintly 'Cure of Ars' whom we will especially recall during the imminent Year for Priests". "Aware that, because of sin, we are inadequate, yet needing to nourish ourselves from the love the Lord offers us in the Eucharistic Sacrament, this evening we renew our faith in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Such faith must not be taken for granted! "Today there is a risk of insidious secularisation, even inside the Church", Benedict XVI added. "This could translate into a formal but empty Eucharistic worship, in celebrations lacking that involvement of the heart which finds expression in veneration and respect for the liturgy. "There is always a strong temptation to reduce prayer to superficial and hurried moments, allowing ourselves to be overcome by earthly activities and concerns", he warned. "With the Eucharist", the Pope explained, "heaven comes down to earth, God's tomorrow descends into the present moment and time is, as it were, embraced by divine eternity". During the Eucharistic procession which traditionally follows today's Mass "we will ask the Lord in the name of the entire city: Stay with us, Jesus, make us a gift of Yourself and give us the bread that nourishes us for eternal life. Free this world from the poison of evil, from the violence and hatred that pollute people's consciences, purify it with the power of Your merciful love". After Mass, the Pope presided at the Eucharistic procession along Rome's Via Merulana to the basilica of St. Mary Major. Along the route, thousands of faithful prayed and sang accompanying the Blessed Sacrament. A covered vehicle transported the Sacrament in a monstrance, before which the Holy Father knelt in prayer. |
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| Deleted User | Saturday, 13. June 2009, 20:42 Post #15 |
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I found this sermon quite thought provoking, particularly his final sentence "How will we use what has changed us…to change the world?" Homily for June 14th, 2009: Corpus Christi / The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Back in the 1970s, when there was a lot of liturgical innovation going on, Dorothy Day invited a young priest to celebrate mass at the Catholic Worker. He decided to do something that he thought was relevant and hip. He asked Dorothy if she had a coffee cup he could borrow. She found one in the kitchen and brought it to him. And, he took that cup and used it as the chalice to celebrate mass. When it was over, Dorothy picked up the cup, found a small gardening tool, and went to the backyard. She knelt down, dug a hole, kissed the coffee cup, and buried it in the earth. With that simple gesture, Dorothy Day showed that she understood something that so many of us today don’t: she knew that Christ was truly present in something as ordinary as a ceramic cup. And that it could never be just a coffee cup again. She understood the power and reality of His presence in the blessed sacrament. Which is really the sum and substance of what we celebrate on this feast, Corpus Christi. The reason for what we will do today – celebrating with the monstrance, the music, the procession – isn’t to glorify an inanimate object, a bit of bread contained in glass. It is to remind the world that in that bread we have been given Christ. Not an idea. Not a symbol. Not an abstract bit of arcane theology. No. It is wider and deeper and more mysterious than that. Look at that host -- and you look at Christ. Centuries ago, the early saint of the church, Justin Martyr, described how the first Christians received communion. They did it the way we do it today, offering their outstretched hands, one over another. And he put it so beautifully: “They make of their hands a throne,” he wrote. They make themselves ready to receive a king. Do we understand that today? I’m not so sure. Too often, I think, we see the minister of holy communion as just a liturgical Pez dispenser – passing out a sliver of bread, again and again and again, and we don’t truly, truly, realize what is happening. I’ll tell you what is happening. We are receiving an incalculable gift. We are taking into our hands, and placing on our tongues, something astounding. We are being given God. Look at the host, and you look at Christ. Too often, we take it for granted. It’s just one more part of the mass. Something else to do. No. It isn’t. When I was in formation, I remember a talk given on the Eucharist by then-Father Caggiano. He spoke of St. Francis of Assisi, one of the holiest saints of the church. During his entire life, Francis received the eucharist only three times. It was that sacred to him – and he felt himself that undeserving. He understood, deeply, the words we pray before we receive communion. “Lord I am not worthy...” None of us is. And yet, he gives us himself anyway. The God who became man for us...again and again becomes bread for us. Look at the host, and you look at Christ. Everything we are, everything we believe, everything we celebrate around this altar comes down to that incredible truth. What began two thousand years ago in an upper room continues here, and now, and at altars around the world. The very source of our salvation is transformed into something you can hold in the palm of your hand. A lot of you know Sister Camille D’Arienzo, who has been here many times to speak. She tells the story of a priest who was pouring some unconsecrated communion wafers from a bag, to get ready for mass. Some fell on the floor. He bent down and picked up the stray hosts, just ordinary wafers, unconsecrated, to throw them out. And he held one between his thumb and forefinger and showed it to her. “Just think,” he said, “what this could have become.” Just think what we become when we receive the body of Christ. We become nothing less than living tabernacles. God dwells within us. As the hymn tells us, we become what we receive. And what we receive becomes us. That is the great mystery, and great grace, the great gift of this most blessed sacrament. My question on this feast: what will we do with that knowledge? Once we have been transformed, by bread that has been transformed, how can we leave this holy place without seeking to transform the world? How can we just go out and head to brunch, or dinner, or out to do yardwork or the weekly grocery shopping? We carry something greater than ourselves. And that makes us instruments of God’s great work in the world – literally. In some small way, we have been changed. You’ll notice that when the priest or deacon celebrates Benediction, he uses what is called a “humeral veil.” He wraps this long cloth around his hands and then takes hold of the monstrance to offer a blessing. There is a reason for that. It is to signify that the blessing comes not from the hands of the priest or deacon. It comes from Christ himself. The one holding the monstrance is merely the instrument. When we receive communion, that is true for each of us. We become instruments of Christ, bearers of Christ. Dorothy Day knew that an ordinary cup that had contained the blood of Christ could never be just a cup again. Well, what’s true for a ceramic cup is true for each of us. Once we have received him, we can never be the same again. What will we do with that knowledge? How will we use what has changed us…to change the world? by Deacon Greg Kandra The Deacon's Bench |
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9:17 AM Jul 11