Thursday June 15th

Parishioners, Friends & Neighbors 6:30 pm Solemn High @ at St. Stanislaus Join us for The Solemn Feast of Corpus Christi and @ Procession of the Do you have a house along Mitchell Street? Please consider decorating the front of your house to St. Anthony with to honor our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Consecration To The Children are also encouraged to bring flower petals of to lay as the procession makes its way down Mitchell Street.

Procession onto St. Vincent de Paul with Benediction @ Why Corpus Christi ? @ The Feast of Corpus Christi includes a ceremonial proces- In the Middle Ages (500 to 1500 AD) sion in honor of the real presence of the body (corpus) of It was common for dignitaries and Jesus Christ in the . Throughout history, proces- princes to participate in Catholic sions have played a prominent part in dignified honor and processions. Those with a common worship of God. charitable or religious purpose were often represented in distinct groups, Procession of the Ark of the Covenant dressed in similar attire and led by a in the time of King David (1000 BC) flag or banner of distinction. And David and all played before God with all their might with hymns, Current Day and with harps, and with psalteries, Catholic devotional processions mark and timbrels, and cymbals, and trum- some of the world’s largest gatherings. pets. (1 Chronicles 13:8) In recent years, in and the , annual processions have To David, this meaningful event marked the restoration of attracted millions of worshipers. the Ark of the Covenant to its place at the center of their life and worship. The people might also see that they had Today’s Corpus Christi Procession a personal invitation to come into God’s presence. God’s covenant promise was to be their God, to live among them Corpus Christi processions include and guide them in His ways; they no longer needed to fear customs that often vary by locale. or neglect the Ark of the Covenant. • Neighbors along the procession route decorate the façade of their homes. Jesus Christ rides into Jerusalem • The ornate contains the consecrated Host upon an ass and is exposed for veneration. The faithful not walking in the procession should kneel as the Blessed Eucharist And a very great multitude spread passes by. their garments in the way: and • Girls lay flower petals along the way. others cut boughs from the trees, • Lit devotional candles signify the light of Christ coming and strewed them in the way. into the world. (Matthew 21:8) • Hymns of praise give glory to God.