Corpus Christi (feast)
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Corpus Christi (Latin for Body of Christ) is a Western Catholic solemnity. It is also celebrated in some Anglican, Lutheran churches and some Liberal Catholic Churches. It does not commemorate a particular event in Jesus's life but celebrates the Body of Christ in the Mass. It is held on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday or, in some places, on the following Sunday. Its celebration on a Thursday is meant to associate it with the institution by Jesus of the Eucharist during the Last Supper, commemorated on Maundy Thursday, but because the primary focus of Maundy Thursday is the institution of the Eucharist and not a veneration of the Real Presence of Christ in the consecrated elements of bread and wine, Corpus Christi is observed after the fifty days of Easter are over. Therefore, it is observed on the first free Thursday after Paschaltide.[1] In the current Ordinary form of the Roman rite of the Catholic Church, the feast is officially known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.[citation needed]
In many English-speaking countries, Corpus Christi is transferred to the Sunday after Trinity Sunday by both Roman Catholics and Anglicans. At the end of the Mass, it is customary to have a Procession of the Blessed Sacrament (often outdoors), followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
Contents
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1 History
2 Celebration
3 Date
4 References
5 External links
History

Corpus Christi procession in Łowicz, Poland, 2007

Corpus Christi procession in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, 2007
The appearance of Corpus Christi as a feast in the Christian calendar was primarily due to the petitions of the thirteenth-century Augustinian nun Juliana of Liège. From her early youth Juliana had a veneration for the Blessed Sacrament, and always longed for a special feast in its honour. This desire is said to have been increased by a vision of the Church under the appearance of the full moon having one dark spot, which signified the absence of such a solemnity.[2] In 1208 she reported her first vision of Christ in which she was instructed to plead for the institution of the feast of Corpus Christi. The vision was repeated for the next 20 years but she kept it a secret. When she eventually relayed it to her confessor, he relayed it to the bishop.[3]
Juliana also petitioned the learned Dominican Hugh of St-Cher, Jacques Pantaléon (Archdeacon of Liège who later became Pope Urban IV) and Robert de Thorete, Bishop of Liège. At that time bishops could order feasts in their dioceses, so in 1246 Bishop Robert convened a synod and ordered a celebration of Corpus Christi to be held each year thereafter.[4]
The celebration of Corpus Christi became widespread only after both St. Juliana and Bishop Robert de Thorete had died. In 1263 Pope Urban IV investigated claims of a Eucharistic miracle at Bolsena, in which a consecrated host began to bleed. In 1264 he issued the papal bull Transiturus de hoc mundo in which Corpus Christi was made a feast throughout the entire Latin Rite.[5] This was the very first papally sanctioned universal feast in the history of the Latin Rite.[6]
While the institution of the Eucharist is celebrated on Holy (Maundy) Thursday, the liturgy on that day also commemorates Christ's New Commandment ("A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you." John 13:34), the washing of the disciples' feet, the institution of the priesthood and the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. For this reason, the Feast of Corpus Christi was established to create a feast focused solely on the Holy Eucharist.
A new liturgy for the feast was composed by St. Thomas Aquinas. This liturgy has come to be used not only on the Feast of Corpus Christi itself but also throughout the liturgical year at events related to the Blessed Sacrament. The hymn Aquinas composed for Vespers of Corpus Christi, Pange Lingua, is also used on Holy (Maundy) Thursday during the procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the altar of repose. The last two verses of Pange Lingua are also used as a separate hymn, Tantum Ergo, which is sung at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. O Salutaris Hostia, another hymn sung at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, comprises the last two verses of Verbum Supernum Prodiens, Aquinas' hymn for Lauds of Corpus Christi. Aquinas also composed the propers for the Mass of Corpus Christi, including the sequence Lauda Sion Salvatorem. The epistle reading for the Mass was taken from Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 11:23-29), and the Gospel reading was taken from the Gospel of John (John 6:56-59).
Until the two feasts were combined in 1970, separate feasts existed for the Body of Christ, held on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, and the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, with a feast on July 1. And until 1955, the Feast of Corpus Christi was followed by a privileged octave. Some groups continue to use those earlier forms of the Roman Rite and the corresponding calendars: see General Roman Calendar of 1962 and General Roman Calendar of 1954..

Silver-gilt Corpus Christi monstrance of Toledo, Spain
Celebration
Corpus Christi is primarily celebrated by the Catholic Church, but it is also included in the calendar of a few Anglican churches, most notably the Church of England. The feast is also celebrated by some Anglo-Catholic parishes even in provinces of the Anglican Communion that do not officially include it in their calendars. McCausland's Order of Divine Service, the most commonly used ordo in the Anglican Church of Canada, provides lections for the day. In English-speaking Roman Catholic parishes that use the Mass of Paul VI, the feast is known as "the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ". In the Church of England it is known as The Day of Thanksgiving for the Institution of Holy Communion (Corpus Christi) and has the status of a Festival. Although its observance is optional, where kept it is typically celebrated as a major holy day. It is also celebrated by the Old Catholic Church and by some Western Rite Orthodox Christians, and is commemorated in the liturgical calendars of the more Latinized Eastern Catholic Churches. The feast was retained in the calendars of the Lutheran Church up until about 1600.,[7] but today, it continues to be celebrated by some Lutheran congregations.
In medieval times in many parts of Europe Corpus Christi was a time for the performance of mystery plays.
Date

Corpus Christi procession in Poznań, Poland, 2004

Corpus Christi procession by ships on the Rhine called "Mülheimer Gottestracht" in Cologne, Germany, 2005
The Feast of Corpus Christi, which is a moveable feast, is celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday or, in countries where it is not a Holy Day of Obligation, on the Sunday after Holy Trinity.
The earliest possible Thursday celebration falls on 21 May (as in 1818 and 2285), the latest on 24 June (as in 1943 and 2038). The Sunday celebrations fall three days later.
The Thursday dates until 2022 are:
23 June 2011
7 June 2012
30 May 2013
19 June 2014
4 June 2015
26 May 2016
15 June 2017
31 May 2018
20 June 2019
11 June 2020
3 June 2021
16 June 2022
Corpus Christi is a public holiday in some traditionally Roman Catholic countries including amongst others Austria, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Croatia, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Liechtenstein, Panama, Poland, parts of Germany, Portugal, San Marino, parts of Spain and Switzerland, Grenada, Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago.

Corpus Christi celebrations in Antigua Guatemala, 1979
References
^ At the time Corpus Christi was introduced. Paschaltide is now ended by Whitsunday. See Corpus Christi: All About Corpus Christi
^ Catholic encyclopedia
^ Phyllis Jestice, Holy people of the world Published by ABC-CLIO, 2004 ISBN 1576073556 page 457
^ The decree is preserved in Anton Joseph Binterim, Vorzüglichsten Denkwürdigkeiten der Christkatholischen Kirche (Mainz, 1825-41), together with parts of the first liturgy written for the occasion.
^ The Feast of Corpus Christi By Barbara R. Walters, Published by Penn State Press, 2007 ISBN 0271029242 page 12
^ Oxford history of Christian worship By Geoffrey Wainwright, Oxford University Press 2006 ISBN 0195138864, page 248
^ Frank Senn: Christian Liturgy: Catholic and Evangelical, Fortress Press, 1997. p. 344. ISBN 0800627261
External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Corpus Christi
Feast of Corpus Christi (Catholic Encyclopedia)
Corpus Christi: The Body and Blood of Christ
Feast of Corpus Christi: History
Carthusians and Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi
Traditional Corpus Christi celebrations in Panama

www.spain.info/…/corpus_christi.…Toledo Toledo’s streets are clothed in finery to celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi: a solemn procession which takes place in an atmosphere of singing, the aroma of herbs, and spiritual fervour.
Corpus Christi is Toledo’s most important festival and one of its oldest. Although its exact date of origin is unknown, it is recorded as having been celebrated in the 15th century. This solemn religious procession is celebrated on the day of the Corpus Christi and presided by the Archbishop of Toledo, cardinal primate of Spain. The city’s historic streets, especially decorated for the occasion, provide the backdrop for this striking procession. The highlights are the Monstrance, a priceless work of craftsmanship in gold and silver dating from 1515 and weighing about 160 kilos; and the distinctive and traditional retinue of followers made up of the different religious fraternities and guilds.
Five weeks before the religious procession, the route is decorated with awnings, wreaths and lanterns. The day before the feast of Corpus Christi, walls, windows and balconies are adorned with antique pennants and tapestries from the 16th and 17th century, and the ground is strewn with aromatic herbs whose scent pervades the festive atmosphere of the following days. The procession begins at midday: the bells of Toledo begin to peal, and the first to appear is a group of giants representing the different continents. Then the procession itself leaves the cathedral, bearing the Monstrance and accompanied by the religious guilds in order of antiquity.
If you wish you can watch the proceedings from the seats arranged along the streets by paying in advance at the booth installed in the Zocodover square. You will also have the chance to see the beautiful interior courtyards inside the city’s mansions and stately homes, as these buildings open their doors to the public on the day of the Corpus. There is also a programme of events lasting a week which includes concerts, shows and sports competitions.