Corpus Christi
Feast Day: Sunday After Trinity Sunday
Once a year, Catholics do something that surprises their neighbors.
They carry Jesus out of the church and walk Him through the streets.
With candles, incense, flowers, and singing.
Because if Jesus is really present in the Eucharist, why would we keep Him a secret?
O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine.
The Body and Blood of Christ
“Corpus Christi” is Latin for “the Body of Christ.”
The full name of the feast is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
It celebrates the gift Jesus gave us at the Last Supper: Himself, truly present in the Eucharist.
“If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give, is my flesh, for the life of the world.”
— John 6:52, Douay-Rheims
“For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed.”
— John 6:56, Douay-Rheims
(See Why Catholics Believe the Eucharist Is Really Jesus.)
Why a Separate Feast?
We already remember the Last Supper on Holy Thursday.
But Holy Thursday is in the middle of Holy Week, and the Church’s heart is heavy with the Passion.
Corpus Christi gives us a day to celebrate the Eucharist with pure joy.
A Nun, a Pope, and a Saint
In the 1200s, a Belgian nun, St. Juliana of Mont-Cornillon, felt called by God to promote a feast in honor of the Eucharist.
The idea spread.
In 1264, Pope Urban IV established the feast for the whole Church.
He asked St. Thomas Aquinas to write the prayers and hymns for it.
Thomas gave us some of the most beloved Eucharistic hymns ever written, including Pange Lingua, Tantum Ergo, and Panis Angelicus.
Catholics still sing them today.
(See St. Thomas Aquinas.)
The Procession
In many parishes, the Corpus Christi Mass is followed by a procession.
The priest carries the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance under a canopy.
The people follow, praying and singing.
Sometimes the procession stops at outdoor altars for Benediction.
It is a public act of faith: Jesus walking the streets of our towns again.
When Is It Celebrated?
Corpus Christi is traditionally celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, recalling Holy Thursday.
In the United States and many other countries, it is celebrated on the following Sunday.
In 2027, it falls on Sunday, May 30 in the United States.
In 2028, it falls on Sunday, June 18 in the United States.
What Corpus Christi Teaches Us
Corpus Christi teaches us that Jesus kept His promise to stay with us.
It invites us to receive Him worthily, to visit Him in adoration, and to carry Him into the world through how we live.
Every Catholic who receives Communion becomes a small procession, carrying Christ out the church doors.
When Is Corpus Christi?
The Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, or, in the United States, on the Sunday after Trinity Sunday.
Prayer Inspired by Corpus Christi
Lord Jesus Christ,
You give Yourself to us
as the living Bread come down from heaven.
Increase our faith in Your Real Presence,
deepen our love for You in the Eucharist,
and help us carry You to everyone we meet.
O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine. Amen.
