Corpus Christi-Is it banned?

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Ours is a small country parish and we have a Benedictine monk as a priest. Recently, as I am currently learning about the Eucharist, I asked why we couldnot have a Corpus Christi procession around the very considerable Church grounds and perhaps have a service in the open air. The Confirmandi and First Communion people would be in it and I thought it would bring everyone together, now it can be celebrated on a Sunday. Everyone thought this a good idea and then the Priest was very reluctant saying ‘Why? for what purpose?’ I was a bit shocked. I thought it would raise people’s awe and arwareness of the power of the Eucharist, the strongest there is. We weren’t going to have anything tasteless but it would add some colour to what would be a Sunday like any other.

Does anyone have a Corpus Christi celebration out there, or have they been banned by somebody, perhaps? If you have, what are the rubrics or plans for it?
 
I don’t know that it is"banned" but now that you mention it :hmmm: I have not seen one for about 3 years now 😦 . I’ll be watching here to see what answeres we get too :ehh:
 
While a procession is not called for by the rubrics, since one would occur outside of the context of the Mass, I cannot see why or where it would be banned. It is just a practice that seems to have fallen out of favor in some circles.
 
these processions are very big here, we cannot do this on the sidewalk around the parish property without a parade permit and a lot of hassle, so it is not practical here (we even have to get permission to block of the street to light the pascal fire for the Easter vigil), but other parishes do it. Also OL Guadalupe processions. We just had a Eucharistic procession with the pro-life rosary on the grounds of the basilica in a neighboring town in January, which was great because a good part of the path leads along the freeway, and many people honked to show support.
 
We have one right through downtown (from one Parish to the other) every year. We also have our own March for Life, from our Parish to the town’s Catholic cemetary.
 
Not in the parish I belong to. Thanks be to God, our Pastor brought back this beautiful tradition 4 years ago when we began our Perpetual Adoration. Our procession begins immediately following mass and goes around the side of the chuch, into the street, and we walk to the Adoration Chapel at the back side of the church property. The new First Commonicants and the Choir lead the procession…the children dropping rose petals and the choir singing. It is absolutely beautiful and so very inspirational. To show such adoration for our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament can only bring more grace to our parish community.
 
My parish was going to have a procession actually through the neighbourhood on the side streets last year, but unfortunately the weather did not cooperate. We have had the procession in past years, so I’m thinking we will probably have one again this year if God keeps the rain away!😃
 
Thanks everyone for the support. Has anyone got pictures of actual processions? who goes first, is it a cross, then the priest and servers, then the choir, first communion vhildren followed by confirmandi and then everybody else?What form does it take. I have seen the many Anglican ones (Episcopal)here and is it the same. Is it the first communion little girls who spread the rose petals? Photos anyone? I just wondered why a priest would be so lukewarm. It’s a great day for the children and there would have been Benediction and Parish tea afterwards with strawberries, cream and scones.(Don’t laugh Americans!) A day to look forward to for the children.
 
We did it a couple years in a row and everybody liked it, but it hasn’t been kept up since then. But maybe this year; we aren’t having so much stuff going on at the beginning of summer.

The kids love it, especially the little ones. I think kids really like being able to do something for God that’s solemn, but which does not require them to sit still. One of the priests had explained to them that they were going to be “marching with Jesus”, and they all liked that. I think the First Communion kids liked it, too.

We paraded around and sang from the church, through the neighborhood next door, and then back through the back way and then to the adoration chapel. When you march that long, the singing gets a bit strenuous. (For young people like me, anyway. The old folks seemed to be able to march and sing in Latin from memory without any strain.) So you might want to designate different singers to take turns or something. I hear that some churches get a marching band out there, which would certainly do it!

You can also have “stops” along the way. I guess the old thing to do was to set up a little altar where the stops were going to be, whether that was at different places on parish property or at different houses in the neighborhood. I understand that people used to work really hard to decorate their altars with flowers and pretty stuff. But that may be a little much for the first year!
 
evelynicholson said:
Thanks everyone for the support. Has anyone got pictures of actual processions? who goes first, is it a cross, then the priest and servers, then the choir, first communion vhildren followed by confirmandi and then everybody else?What form does it take. I have seen the many Anglican ones (Episcopal)here and is it the same. Is it the first communion little girls who spread the rose petals? Photos anyone? I just wondered why a priest would be so lukewarm. It’s a great day for the children and there would have been Benediction and Parish tea afterwards with strawberries, cream and scones.(Don’t laugh Americans!) A day to look forward to for the children.
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I will not laugh if you have Double Devonshire with the strawberries. 😃

We have them here, although I am hard press to find video of them.
 
evelynicholson said:
Does anyone have a Corpus Christi celebration out there, or have they been banned by somebody, perhaps? If you have, what are the rubrics or plans for it?
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Our Parish has a 4 block procession to the other Catholic Church down the street. We stop periodically at stations in front of people’s homes and recite readings, pray various prayers, and sing Polish hymns. We always get a nice turnout for the occasion.
 
txangel said:
Not in the parish I belong to. Thanks be to God, our Pastor brought back this beautiful tradition 4 years ago when we began our Perpetual Adoration. Our procession begins immediately following mass and goes around the side of the chuch, into the street, and we walk to the Adoration Chapel at the back side of the church property. The new First Commonicants and the Choir lead the procession…the children dropping rose petals and the choir singing. It is absolutely beautiful and so very inspirational. To show such adoration for our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament can only bring more grace to our parish community.
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This sounds exactly how we do it at our parish! I love our Corpus Christi procession, it’s always so wonderful to walk proudly with Christ and our priests down the street with all the cars going by and everyone wondering what’s going on, I just love it!!

I go to a national shrine, and it’s not a particularly conservative parish, I would call it moderate, and we still have the procession. www.shrinechurch.com

~Liza
 
evelynicholson said:
Thanks everyone for the support. Has anyone got pictures of actual processions? who goes first, is it a cross, then the priest and servers, then the choir, first communion vhildren followed by confirmandi and then everybody else?What form does it take. .
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well if you really want to make an impression, get your local knights of Columbus in full regalia, that’ll make 'em sit up and take notice.
 
This sounds very lovely, we have never done this but I would love it! I don’t understand a priest not being interested. Especially if the faithful want this and are asking.

Good luck Evelyn, I hope it works out.
 
Dirk_Skene said:
I don’t know that it is"banned" but now that you mention it :hmmm: I have not seen one for about 3 years now 😦 . I’ll be watching here to see what answeres we get too :ehh:
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They have not been banned. Traditional devotions like that fell out of favor in the 60’s and 70’s and are just now making a comeback. My diocese has had two diocesan Corpus Christi processions since our new bishop came (every year he has been our bishop).
 
puzzleannie said:
well if you really want to make an impression, get your local knights of Columbus in full regalia, that’ll make 'em sit up and take notice.
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That is what we have!

When the group goes from one Parish through the historic/tourist area downtown to the other Parish - a local Baptist church provides busses to give the marchers a ride back!
 
re: headline of OP
no, but we are thinking of banning Dallas and Austin
 
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