Corpus Christi Procession
  • Does anyone know if there is a Current Corpus Christi Procession Rite with RUBRICS...
    Everyone we consult has a different opinion on how it should be done but I cant find anything official anywhere...

    For example, when there are more than one altars... is the tantum ergo sung at each altar proceeding benediction or could sections of the Pange Lingua be sung in intervals... ? Anyone know of a source up to date? Thanks
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,782
    We host the Deanery (a group of several N.O. parishes) procession, and have always used the EF rubrics. No one has ever complained!
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,471
    The Liturgy Office of CBCEW has this page with a couple of downloadable guides in the last section. Lots of rules for a bishop, lots of options otherwise.
    Thanked by 1monasteryliturgist
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,799
    I recently parked a couple of 4-altar links at CPDL Category talk:Corpus Christi.
    Thanked by 1monasteryliturgist
  • CBCEW = Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales ?
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,471
    Yes
  • tandrews
    Posts: 174
    Can women carry the canopy during the procession? I'm having trouble finding this in any rubrics.
  • If you're using the EF rubrics.... no. What isn't explicitly permitted is forbidden, if I recall, is the principle of the rubrics. Otherwise, the fact that the rubrics don't forbid the preaching of heresy could be read to permit exactly such a thing.

    If you're trying to use OF rubrics, I understand that they don't exist. (There may be more than one reason for this.)
    Thanked by 1tandrews
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,782
    We usually have clergy or laymen dressed in dalmatics carrying the canopy. It is also common to have smartly dressed laymen carrying the canopy.
  • Even in EF... its not impossible- case in hand, monasteries of women-
    Normally when a monastery observes Papal Enclosure or Constitutional Enclosure, only clergy are permitted inside the enclosure for such rites, thus, the Nuns have to do what the altar server would normally do.
    Thanked by 3GerardH JL GregoryWeber
  • GerardH
    Posts: 461
    @monasteryliturgist Thank you for pointing this out. It is a much-overlooked facet to the celebration of the liturgy throughout so much of the Latin church's history.

    If you can get hold of a copy, I have found Performing Piety: Musical Culture in Medieval English Nunneries by Anne Bagnall Yardley (2016) to be a fascinating look at the roles religious women have played in the liturgy in the past.
  • Monastery liturgist, your point is well taken. When there isn't any way for it to be done by the rubrics, a niche exists so long as it is possible.... so a priest is still necessary for the sacraments.

    Thanked by 1monasteryliturgist
  • CCoozeCCooze
    Posts: 1,259
    "It is fitting that the procession should go from one church to another.
    Nevertheless, if local circumstances require, the procession may return to the
    same church where it began."
    Just curious as to how many people have another Catholic parish close enough to walk to...
  • In Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee there aren't many Catholic parishes within walking distance, to be sure, but here in the diocese of San Jose, we could have a procession in many parts of the more urban areas. I haven't measured it, but there are 4 parishes within about 2 or 3 miles of each other in the heart of downtown San Jose, and one of them is the Cathedral.
  • CCoozeCCooze
    Posts: 1,259
    Do you all process from one church to another, then?
  • Processions don’t much happen in this diocese, for any purpose, but the distance between parishes isn’t the reason.
  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 708
    We had procession today after Communion 11:30 morning mass, St. Paul's Akron, Ohio. Knights of Columbus Honor Guard, handbell choir, and fair number of people, I don't have an exact number. There were several individuals video recording as we processed around the church and rectory grounds. I took a short video with my phone but I haven't posted it anywhere. We returned to the church for Benidiction and closed with Holy God We Praise Thy Name.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,216
    At St. Adelaide's in Peabody, MA, the procession made a circuit around the church, starting by singing Pange Lingua (but not Tantum Ergo). With a temporary station at the outdoor shrine for our Lady, it paused and the priest gave benediction there (Tantum Ergo was sung). The procession paused briefly by a statue of the Sacred Heart for a second benediction (though without a station), and then returned to the church for the third benediction (Tantum Ergo was sung again). The schola of four voices led conventional chants and hymns: O Salutaris, "Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All", Adoro Te. It was good to hear voices in the congregation singing some of the chants at Mass today: e.g, parts of the Asperges and Credo. Here's how the shrine of our Lady looks without any additions:
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    st-adelaide-outdoor.jpg
    192 x 256 - 25K
  • ServiamScores
    Posts: 2,890
    "It is fitting that the procession should go from one church to another.
    Nevertheless, if local circumstances require, the procession may return to the
    same church where it began."
    Just curious as to how many people have another Catholic parish close enough to walk to...


    If I'm not mistaken, even in more rural areas it was once not-uncommon for processions to walk from one town to the next. These could be processions of considerable length. This tradition still lives on in certain pilgrimage contexts.

    As for nuns participating in processions within cloisters, this is obviously appropriate and was once normal, although I don't think it proper to extrapolate that "because nuns in cloister do it, it is ok for the general public to do." We are comparing apples and oranges here.
  • ServiamScores
    Posts: 2,890
    In other news, I'm pleased to report that our parish held its first eucharistic procession in years. Based on my discussion with one life-long parishioner, it sounds like it has actually been decades since it was done, although the canopy we found couldn't have been quite that old. At any rate, it's been at least 2 or 3 pastors since it last occurred and it was a tremendous success. We were even granted permission from the city to close the two adjacent streets behind the church to allow us to process around our block in peace. It was truly lovely. The procession was led by some of our recent first-communicants dropping rose pedals in the street. We revived the old canopy and it was carried by Knights. There were four "altars" set up along the route as stopping points for all to kneel and pray. We chanted various things between each station. I'd say there were probably about 250+ people in procession? (Including many attendees of other mass times who showed up expressly to participate in the procession.) I am so grateful it took place (and that my 5yo son got to finally witness a procession).
  • Carol
    Posts: 856
    After our 11:30 NO Mass, our pastor had a simple procession (just himself and a deacon) within the church and benediction followed. Those at 11:30 Mass remained for these proceedings. The only hiccup was our pastor skipped the Divine Praises and we didn't realize that he was finishing up, so the pastor had to begin the singing of "Holy God We Praise Thy Name" and then we chimed in. I think he chose to do an indoor procession because we could maintain our social distance by remaining in the pews. I was pleasantly surprised that nearly everyone stayed for the procession and benediction.

    In the fairly large city close to me, there are places where several "ethnic" Catholic churches are within blocks of each other, except they have all been closed and merged into one multi hyphen parish.
    Thanked by 1GregoryWeber
  • Our procession went from the main church into the cloister garden, then the procession of the people waited outside of the monastery gates where they processed around the monastery outer-walls and into the church again with the hymn "Christus Vincit" and a total of 7 benedictions (4 in the cloister, 2 outside, final inside) with Solemn Vespers... all in all I think it went okay thanks be to God. The cloister always involves and adventure in the liturgy. Thanks for all the help.
    Thanked by 2chonak ServiamScores
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,782
    We managed two processions this year, although we have been doing two for a couple of years. On Corpus Christi (Thursday), after Mass we have a procession around the church followed by Benediction. We have done this for a number of years now, even though it is at 12.15pm on a working day we had 93 in attendance.

    Our large Deanery procession usually takes place later in the month and starts at one Catholic primary school (1st Altar), heads to the adjacent former convent school (2nd Altar), then around the block to our local convent (3rd Altar) (formerly the convent for the school) Then we head along the road to cover the 1/2 mile to our Church. This year Covid rules make this difficult so on Saturday we had a Procession after Mass, out the side door of the Church and around the grounds, and in the main door. With 59 in attendance, A church that also has the Latin Mass, 2 miles away had a 1st Saturday Martian devotion, and two of our large families were on Holiday so number were slightly lower. The serving was all done by those boys under 18! The canopy was carried by 4 adult men.
  • We managed a procession for the External Solemnity, but not for the feast itself.

    We're having more processions, and more nocturnal adoration and... we're seeing a growth in our parish.
  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 708
    My parish of St. Paul in Akron, Ohio posted a video of our Corpus Christi Procession on YouTube.

  • Jehan_Boutte
    Posts: 264
    I attended Corpus Christi Mass in my local Melkite Catholic parish. Some Melkite churches have kept this feast, in a very good way (they composed new texts instead of relying on those from the Latin Church). After Mass, we received a Benediction of the Most Holy Sacrament, in the Byzantine use.