Parishes take to the streets for Corpus Christi

Parishes in the Willesden Area held a Corpus Christi Festival at Christ the Saviour Ealing. Fr Christopher Smith, Parish Priest of St Michael w St Augustine Beckenham in the Diocese of Rochester, preached a lively sermon before an outdoor procession.

05/06/08

Parishes in the Diocese of London have taken part in Corpus Christi processions around the city.

The festival of Corpus Christi is a feast of thanksgiving for the institution of Holy Communion, also known as the Eucharist.

'Corpus Christi' is Latin for 'the body of Christ'. In many ways it is similar to Maundy Thursday in Holy Week.

Corpus Christi falls on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, which is 60 days after Easter. Sometimes it is also celebrated on the following weekend.

The central element of Corpus Christi celebrations is a liturgical procession in which the sacred host - the wafer consecrated during Holy Communion - is carried out of the Church 'for the Christian faithful to make public profession of faith and worship of the ‘Most Blessed Sacrament'.

The host is carried on display in a ‘monstrance’ and preceded by candle bearers and incense. The procession moves through local streets, either to another church, or back to the church where it began.