Corpus Christi

(Prepared by Melissa Lim - thanks Melissa!)

The feast of Corpus Christi is celebrated in the Latin Church on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday or Second Sunday after Pentecost. The solemnity of Corpus Christi commemorates the institution of the Holy Eucharist. It is also a reflection of the Maundy Thursday observance during Holy Week.

History
The principal founder of the Feast of the Body was an Augustinian nun, Saint Juliana of Mont Cornillion, in Belgium. Saint Juliana looked upon the Holy Eucharist with great reverence, and desired to have a feast within the Church devoted specifically to its honor.

From the earliest days within the Church, the custom for the celebration of the Eucharist fell specifically on Maundy Thursday. However, Holy Week was often seen as a time of great sorrow and repentance, and Juliana felt that the celebration of the Eucharist should be a time of rejoicing. After receiving a vision concerning the Church and its lack of devotion to the Eucharist, she petitioned Robert de Thorete, the Bishop of Liége. Bishop Robert convened a synod in 1246, where he directed that an office be written for the observance, thereby decreeing that the celebration should take place the following year.

Juliana longed to see the feast extend to the entire Church. However, shee passed away in April of 1258. A long-time friend named Eve took up her cause and made a request of Henry of Guelders, the new Bishop of Liége, to petition Pope Urban IV to make the feast universal. In 1264, Pope Urban IV issued the bull transiturus, a declaration ordering the Feast of Corpus Christi extended throughout the entire Church. The date was set for the celebration to be held on the first Thursday after Trinity Sunday.

The processions on Corpus Christi to honor 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.

Customs of Corpus Christi
Overseas
In France and parts of Central Europe, the Feast of Corpus Christi is also known as the Day of Wreaths. Large bouquets of flowers are carried in processions on the tops of long wooden poles and wreaths of colorful flowers are placed on houses, gardens, and fields. Cities and towns are adorned with wreaths of delicate flowers as processions of both clergy and laity honors the Eucharist.



Additional reads: http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/pea/cchristi.htm