Procession for Corpus Christi
  • Carol
    Posts: 856
    Our parish had a procession with the Blessed Sacrament at the conclusion of the last Sunday Mass today. I cannot recall this happening before in the 50+ years I have been a parishioner here. We processed out one door of the church, around to the other side where we had outdoor Benediction. Although it was clear that many have not been to Benediction often, the congregation participated in the procession and said or sang responses when they could recall them. It seemed that the people present appreciated this devotion. I was curious how wide spread this tradition is in modern America. My mother recalled processions through the streets of Brooklyn when she was a bride in the late 1940's.
    Thanked by 1cesarfranck
  • We had a procession from the church to the outdoor shrine at Walsingham. We do this on a variety of important feasts.
    Thanked by 2Carol cesarfranck
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,982
    We were discussing in the loft before mass, how none of have seen a procession since the late nineties when our long-time (38 years) pastor died. He did proper processions with canopy, incense and all else that went with it. No more.
    Thanked by 2Carol cesarfranck
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,782
    We have one each year at our Parish, we took over when another local parish gave up... This year we had one on Thursday and the big one through the streets will take place in a couple of weeks. Last year we had one along a section of one of London's main shopping streets (Regent Street) this year I see they had one around Covent Garden (Another main shopping area. Faceache seems to be full of videos showing processions here in England. I have seen more than 10 (without searching) so far.
    Thanked by 2Carol cesarfranck
  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 708
    We had procession directly following communion around the Church premises and return to the Church for benediction. We had Knights of Columbus who supported the cannopy that covered our priest and the monstrence. Our childrens bell choir accompanied as well. Most of the congregation who could make the small journey walked with us. It was very beautiful.
    Thanked by 2Carol cesarfranck
  • Carol
    Posts: 856
    We did have incense, but I did not know about a canopy being part of a large procession. Our church is right on the main street of our town, so passersby could see us. I noticed several children and young people kneeling on the grass as Father and our deacons did for the Divine Praises. If we do it again next year I think we could use little booklets with prayers and Latin hymns so everyone can participate more fully.

    CharlesW, sorry you do not have the procession any more.
    Thanked by 2CharlesW cesarfranck
  • PolskaPiano
    Posts: 255
    Our diocese seems to have one parish that does this every year. I have participated. It was pretty amazing!
    Thanked by 1Carol
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    W and I have been singing/chanting at a neighboring town's parish in CenCA since my retirement. At their NO "ad orientem" principal Mass today we sang:

    INTROIT CIBAVIT EOS

    OFFERTORY O SACRAMENT MOST HOLY (Fulda)

    COMMUNION ECCE PANIS ANGELORUM

    Weber Proper: Whoever eats...

    O SALUTARIS

    RECESSIONAL PANGE LINGUA (served also as processional)

    as well as Greek/Latin Ordinary movements.

    The procession began at the narthex, through the streets to the heart of downtown and back to the narthex. O bone Jesu.

    https://www.facebook.com/HolyFamilyKingsburg/photos/a.357141340984004.85359.146644392033701/1927939647237491/?type=3&theater

    It can be done at any NO, anywhere, anytime. Here it is likely a realized version of what MS and SC stipulated is made manifest and evidence. Deo gratias.
  • GambaGamba
    Posts: 548
    Procession here today, beginning at the Catholic high school 1.5 miles away and coming to church for vespers. Three thurifers, two priests, two deacons, 15 altar servers, torches, crucifer, members of choir and schola, banners of parish committees, and everyone else who wanted to walk. Maybe 150 total showed up. I made a passable booklet with O salutaris for the beginning and then 6 long hymns and the litany of the Blessed Sacrament (which all, excepting O Salutaris) were repeated at least twice. It had been done in the past, but not over such a distance, nor in recent years due to weather. One of our priests is from Latin America and he really kindled the fire to make this happen, and had the experience of frequent processions to organize it well. People were thrilled, and I hope it happens again (though next time, I want a second cantor to relieve me on the trek.
  • My mother recalled processions through the streets of Brooklyn when she was a bride in the late 1940's.
    Brides were really something special back then.
  • Carol
    Posts: 856
    LOL No, not because she was a bride!!! She recalled the processions for Corpus Christi occurring when she was a newly married woman. Boy, you guy sure don't miss anything! My mother will get a kick out of your comment, Arthur!
  • We have processions with growing frequency. As a rule we don't leave the property, but since it fronts onto a main thoroughfare, that's understandable. At some point we might do more.... I certainly hope so.

    Fr. Zuhlsdorf (calm down everyone, just read the comment) quotes some Italian priest who said a few years ago "less talking; more processions", or words to that effect.
  • Earl_GreyEarl_Grey
    Posts: 904
    Several parishes in St. Louis including the cathedral had a Corpus Christi procession today.
    Thanked by 2Carol cesarfranck
  • matildacmatildac
    Posts: 15
    Processions have been growing in popularity in the last 1-2 years here in our diocese, especially among the churches downtown. At the cathedral, every June we have two--one for Corpus Christi and one for Sacred Heart, both taking a route that stays within the compound and goes around the church (as has been the case for all local processions in recent years). Perhaps one day we'll venture further. Practically speaking, we are bordered by very busy roads with narrow sidewalks, though.

    However, the processions are very visible (and audible) from the road, and we got some curious spectators yesterday leaning over the low fence to see what we were up to.
    Thanked by 2Carol cesarfranck
  • We have some parishes that celebrate Corpus Christi on the Thursday (including the Eucharistic procession), and some that transfer to the Sunday. At one church in Dayton, they have mandalas out of dyed sawdust on the sidewalks around the church and part of the procession path - quite a sight!
  • ronkrisman
    Posts: 1,394
    It seemed that the people present appreciated this devotion.

    With the promulgation of Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist outside Mass (21 June 1973), the rite of exposition and benediction of the blessed sacrament, eucharistic processions (such as those on Corpus Christi), and the annual solemn eucharistic exposition (formerly known as the "Forty Hours Devotion") are no longer "devotions." They are liturgies.
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,982
    Yep. Our chancery told us to stop attaching Benediction to Lenten Friday Stations of the Cross for that very reason, even though we had done it that way for at least 50 years. Stations are a devotion and the reasoning was that we were subordinating a liturgy to a devotion.
    Thanked by 2ronkrisman Carol
  • davido
    Posts: 944
    That’s an old military trick. You can’t fire the general you don’t like, so you promote him and eliminate his influence another way.

    Thanked by 2Carol CharlesW
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,700
    It was 108 degrees yesterday, so our procession (as per usual due to our climate) was indoors.
  • We do this at the National Shrine. We process around the building and then once we’re back inside we sing a bunch of motets during adoration. Corpus Christi was the first Mass I ever sang at the Shrine and the first time I’d ever sung at a Catholic church at all and I remember feeling extremely overwhelmed.
  • Carol
    Posts: 856
    Thank you for the distinction between devotion and liturgy. That's one reason why I like this site, you can learn so much (although it's occasionally more than you really wanted to know!)
  • StimsonInRehabStimsonInRehab
    Posts: 1,933
    I never mentioned this, Incardination, but those mandalas are what drew me to the Dayton parish in the first place. I think Corpus Christi was the first time we've ever met, actually! Good times.
  • JulieCollJulieColl
    Posts: 2,465
    This year we were blessed to celebrate an EF Corpus Christi Missa Cantata on Thursday at St. Mary's Church in Roslyn Harbor, although the rain kept our procession indoors. We also celebrated the EF External Solemnity of Corpus Christi on Sunday at St. John's Chapel in Queens with Procession and Triple Benediction on the cemetery grounds. Pretty amazing to sing 24 verses of Lauda Sion twice in a week.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • This thread is quite a nice procession of processions!
    And, no doubt, every canopy a spiritual canape.
    Thanked by 2Carol cesarfranck
  • EvaS
    Posts: 19
    Thank you for this thread. Just wondering: Is indoor Eucharistic Procession permitted in the EF but not in the OF?
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    We've done indoor processions at my place (e.g. in bad weather) since time immemorial--and, with the exception of a few one-off special events, we've been O.F. only since 1971.
  • O.F. only since 1971.


    My sincere condolences
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,782
    We had an indoor Corpus Christi procession on Thursday (we did not have enough man power to have a canopy... we did have the umbrellino of course.

    On Sunday we will have our the Main Deanery Corpus Christi procession, and we will have a canopy and the 3 altars etc.
    Thanked by 1Carol
  • CatherineS
    Posts: 690
    I enjoyed being a visitor in two parishes for Corpus Christi: morning Mass followed by a 4km procession with several stops; I was limping way at the back, so didn't get to see much detail but thoroughly enjoyed the experience. In the evening I went to a friends' parish in another town, arriving late, and stayed for the rest of Mass and another 4km of procession. This one made delightful by a marching band that included a very wee boy on snare drum, keeping up with the older kids. Adults took care of the brass instruments. They had a repertory of two tunes, but played them very well.

    In both processions recitation of the rosary alternated with singing old hymns (both parishes are EF.)
    Thanked by 1Carol
  • After Mass, we processed from one parish to another parish just four blocks away and had Benediction there.

    I am intrigued by the use of brass instruments during the procession. Are there particular tunes that the instrumentalists play for Corpus Christi? Also, curious to know where the band falls in the procession line.
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,982
    We have had day after day of rain and severe storms. No procession this year.
  • CatherineS
    Posts: 690
    re:the brass bands, I've also seen them used in a Holy Week procession, as Christ is carried from the Cross to the tomb. It reminds me of the funeral bands in New Orleans. The musicians have been mostly of African descent, though that may be coincidence. The band is at the back of the procession, The tunes for Corpus Christi were simple marches. For Good Friday they were mournful slow tunes (I don't recall the funeral band having drums, just brass.) This was in two different towns in rural areas that keep old traditions alive, so I doubt it's some kind of modern novelty. (This is in rural Brazil).
    Thanked by 1Carol
  • Jeffrey Quick
    Posts: 2,086
    There's an Italian tradition of Holy Week bands. Somewhere I have a recording of some of the repertoire, which consists of incredibly slow funeral marches.
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,782
    We have a pair of Trumpeters and a drummer, They play fanfares, and also accompany English songs / Hymns, from the 'Parish Hymn Book, ed. John Rush, 1965'

    Sweet Sacrament Divine, DIVINE MYSTERIES
    O Bread of Heaven, TYNEMOUTH
    O Jesus Christ remember AURELIA
    Jesus my Lord my God my all, CORPUS CHRISTI
    O God head hid devoutly I adore Thee, AQUINAS
    O Sacred Heart, LAURENCE
    To Jesus Heart all Burning, ST. THEODULPH
    Hail Redeemer King Divine, KING DIVINE
    Soul of my Saviour, ANIMA CHRISTI
    Lauda Jerusalem (with unaccompanied psalm tone verses)
    Faith of our Fathers, SAWSTON
    the last two pieces are sung in the church so also have organ accompaniment.

    N.B. These are the melody names as used in English Hymn books, some of the above have alternative names.
  • StimsonInRehabStimsonInRehab
    Posts: 1,933
    I went to three Corpus Christi masses this year: one on the day proper and two were Procrastinated Feasts External Solemnities.

    CC 1
    St. Joan of Arc, Kokomo
    -Was scheduled for 530, but Father decided that he'd arrive an hour and a half late (even though he later admitted that he saw in our reminder email what the correct time was).
    PROCESSIONAL: Isaac, "O Food of Exiles Lowly"
    Mass II, except for Gloria (which was Ambrosian)
    Credo I
    Full Propers
    Full Sequence
    OFFERTORY MOTET: Chant, Ave Verum Corpus
    COMMUNION MOTET: Portuguese Ice Cream Truck, Ecce Panis Angelorum
    EXPOSITION: Duguet, O Salutaris Hostia
    PROCESSION - Booklet (Pange Lingua, Adoro Te Devote, Ubi Caritas, “O
    Food of Exiles Lowly”, “Hail True Victim, Light and Life”, “O Lord I Am
    Not Worthy”, “Soul of My Savior”, Salve Regina, Christus Vincit)
    BENEDICTION: Chant, Tantum Ergo
    RECESSIONAL: GROSSER GOTT "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name"

    In addition to the late start time, the procession for this mass had to be the longest I've ever experienced - nearly a mile and a half. And it would've been longer if the altar servers hadn't decided to cut through the grass in order to save time, God bless them. In addition to which, I find out that one of our choir members has quit because another lectured her on using the "d" word during practice; on top of which, one of the choir members tells me afterwards that he won't be singing with us anymore unless we start singing "melodious masses" that were placed on Montani's Black List. All in all, a day full of stress and bereft of sleep.

    CC2
    St. Joseph, Greenwood
    10 am
    PROCESSIONAL: Faber, "Jesus My Lord My God My All"
    ORDINARY: VII
    CREDO: I
    PROPERS: Full
    OFFERTORY: Schubert, Salve Regina
    COMMUNION:
    1. Byrd, Ave Verum (for the umpteenth time . . .)
    2. Chant, Anima Christi
    Exposition and Benediction same as above (except Werner O Salutaris.) Processional used music packet that was later discovered to be for Christ the King: (To Jesus Christ Our Sovereign King, O God Almighty Father, To Jesus Heart All Burning, Holy God We Praise Thy Name, something by St. Alphonsus Ligouri I can't remember)
    POST BENEDICTION:
    -Chant, Adoremus in Aeternum (either mode 1 or 6, we couldn't make up our minds . . .)
    -ANIMA CHRISTI, "Soul of My Savior"

    Our parish choir really needs to update its processional booklets. And why on earth didn't the editors of the new SSPX hymnal take the time to review their harmonizations? They're almost as bad as the first edition!!!

    So, after a short break involving pizza, Rambo movies, and Howard the Duck, I head further south for

    CC3
    St. Mary's, North Vernon
    6 pm
    PROCESSIONAL: Holst, "O Christ, the World's Salvation" (mirabile cantu, a text for JUPITER which isn't ridiculous)
    ORDINARY: IX
    CREDO: III
    PROPERS: Full Gregorian - with organ accompaniment! (Certainly provides a new dynamic to singing them, but enjoyable nonetheless.)
    OFFERTORY MOTET: Remondi, O Sacrum Convivium (arr. Kwasniewski)
    COMMUNION MOTET: Hungarian, Panis Angelicus
    PROCESSION INSIDE CHURCH –Pange Lingua
    PROCESSION TO FIRST ALTAR – FULDA "O Sacrament Most Holy" / Taize, Adoramus Te
    PROCESSION TO SECOND ALTAR –SWEET SACRAMENT "Jesus My Lord, My God, My All"
    PROCESSION TO FINAL ALTAR –chant, Christus Vincit
    HYMN AT CLOSE OF BENEDICTION – Allegri, Adoremus in Aeternum (arr. Proulx)

    I was loathe to attend this mass, except for the fact that it was celebrated by an old friend of mine, Fr. Jeremiah Byrd, a gifted musician in his own right, as well as the seminarians of Brute Seminary, a thoroughly orthodox bunch who do this sort of thing on the fly. Their choir was directed by a young organ virtuosa, Miss Courtney Seiwert. (Her choir is not new to chant - apparently they have been singing from the Graduale for their English masses on a regular basis. This is our future, folks.)

    This mass did not disappoint. An excellent sermon by Father, focusing on St. Tarcisus. Choir of fifteen or so, mostly young adults, a dozen servers with incense, banners, and Knights of Columbus in full regalia, Two priests sitting in choir, and three outdoor altars, followed by handsome repast of sandwiches, salads, alcoholic beverages, and cookies shaped like the Blessed Sacrament. (Eyebrow-raising, but cute.)

    The one caveat was that this mass ended up taking THREE HOURS LONG. And Yours Truly, having to drive back that evening to work third shift, made his merry drive north, stopping at a rest area in order to catch a brief nap before going in - only to find when he wakes up that his car won't start. So he has to call in and have his vehicle towed that next morning after sleeping in the back seat the rest of the night.

    Moral of the Story, Folks? Three Corpus Christi Masses in one year is a bad idea - and Friends don't let Friends celebrate External Solemnities.
  • CatherineS
    Posts: 690
    Our first CC had no snacks (I bought a round of popsicles from a street vendor). The night one had potato-kale soup, which was reviving.
  • PLTT
    Posts: 150
    Thank you for this thread. Just wondering: Is indoor Eucharistic Procession permitted in the EF but not in the OF?


    Technically, there was a response of the CDW in 1975 that frowned on indoor processions, which are not foreseen in the rubrics of Holy Communion and the Worship of the Eucharist outside of Mass [for that matter, I don't think the old Rituale Romanum speaks of indoor processions either].

    Interestingly, however, the Enchiridion Indulgentiarum in speaking of the indulgence for the Eucharistic Procession mentions indoor processions (it says: "sive introrsum in sacris aedibus sive extra ductae").