St. Anselm Parish celebrated the Solemnity of Corpus Christi with a very special Mass, procession and Benediction. The solemnity was celebrated with a 12 noon Mass during which the Adult Choir, under the direction of out parish’s Musical Director, Therese Panicali, offered a beautiful selection of Eucharistic hymns.
Fr. John, in his homily, spoke about the Feast and its importance to us as Catholics. For in receiving the body and blood, soul and divinity of Christ in the Eucharist, we become Christ.
Following the conclusion of the Mass, the consecrated Host was placed in the monstrance and carried by Fr. John in procession down the main aisle of the church and out onto the 4th avenue steps, where Fr. John, blessed the congregation with the Host, now under its protective canopy (thank you to the gentlemen who carried the canopy). The procession then proceeded down 82 nd Street to 3 rd Avenue with Deacon Tom, the altar servers (thank you altar servers for adding to the beauty of the celebration) and Fr. Anthony proceeding Fr. John, followed by the Adult Choir, with Therese conducting. Turning up 83 rd Street, the procession made a stop at the steps of the school entrance for incensing, before returning to 4 th Avenue and re-entering the church.
Upon re-entering the church, the procession moved up the center aisle and into the sanctuary while the Adult Choir returned to the choir loft. Now the Benediction began with the Host, in the monstrance, being incensed and used to bless the congregation, while the choir continued to inspire the congregation with some of the most loved Eucharistichymns, many written in Latin by St. Thomas Aquinas, at the request of Pope Urban IV, who instituted the solemnity for the universal church in 1264.
St. Juliana of Liege, an Augustinian nun and mystic who lived in the early 13th century, first promoted the Feast. It was Jacques Pantaleon, later Pope Urban IV – formerly the Archdeacon of Liege, who set the traditional date for the feast on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday as a memorial of the institution of the Eucharist on Holy Thursday. Today in the United States, as in many countries, Corpus Christi is celebrated on the Sunday after Trinity Sunday, the second Sunday after Pentecost.
All the best,
The St. Anselm Publicity Committee