On Sunday (June 23) and in keeping with a centuries old tradition in the Catholic Church, Holy Family Parish hosted its first Eucharistic Procession through the streets of Luling, in honor of The Christian Feast of Corpus Christi (“The Body of Christ”).
Corpus Christi is a special day when Catholics express their Faith in the real presence of Jesus in the “Sacrament” of the Eucharist. They believe Jesus instituted this living, efficacious sign and pledge of his love at the Last Supper. Three Gospel accounts and one of St Paul’s New Testament Letters tell of Jesus taking bread and wine and declaring, “This is my body, … this is my blood” – thus effecting a miraculous transformation.
The significance is more fully elaborated in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John and in early Christian interpretation.
During the Eucharistic Procession that took place in the Mimosa Park neighborhood, the Blessed Sacrament was carried by Fr. Stephen Dardis, Pastor of Holy Family Church, walking under a processional canopy. Just under 100 participants of all ages followed behind, guided by the local Knights of Columbus and aided by police escort. The men and women sang hymns of praise and read passages from scripture over a loudspeaker during the approximately 1.4 mile walk through the neighborhood. The procession went down Lakewood Dr. to W. Heather Dr., and from there from St. John St. and finally to Birch St. About 150 guests attended the cookout that followed this beautiful display of Christian piety.
The tradition of Eucharistic processions associated with the Feast of Corpus Christi is approximately 700 years old but had fallen out of practice in past decades. In recent years, however, it has experienced a renewal in the United States; a similar procession took place at the St Louis Cathedral, simultaneously, led by Archbishop Gregory Aymond. Given its success this year, the Holy Family parishioners hope to see the Corpus Christi procession become an annual celebration.
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