Corpus Christi, a Feast We Celebrate with Our Feet

Yesterday, Catholics and some Anglicans celebrated the Feast of Corpus Christi. Only a century after its 13^th-Century institution, processions developed as a way to observe the day. Ackroyd’s 1983 biography of Thomas More pictures him in the 16^th century enjoying the “pageant wagons” on Corpus Christi. Actors dramatized Biblical scenes such as Creation, Noah’s Ark, and Abraham’s sacrifice on vehicles somewhat like parade floats. Corpus Christi processions are still popular in a wide variety of countries: Poland, Switzerland, France, Italy, Monaco, Ireland, Peru, and Brazil to name some.

In my childhood memories of Corpus Christi, the sun always seems to be shining. Our parish church sat on a hill, next to a grove of trees. The day before Corpus Christi, parishioners set up three altars among the trees. On the feast itself, after Mass, the entire congregation processed from Mary’s side altar inside the church, outside to each of the outdoor altars in turn,
ending back in church at Joseph’s side altar.

It's no surprise this devotion remains all these centuries, appealing to people of many times and places. The procession is a walking with the Lord and each other, as well as a walking to the Lord, involving him in our daily lives. It’s a public affirmation of faith and of the Real Presence, in the words of Benedict XVI, a renewal of faith in the Real Presence. It’s a visible expression of our trust in Jesus’ promise to be with us always. It strengthens our charity and our unity with the Lord and each other. Derived from the liturgy and leading the people to the liturgy, the procession fulfills Vatican II’s call in Sacrosanctum Concilium, the liturgy document. The Corpus Christi procession is truly a signpost on our way.