'A Profound Way To Confess Our Faith In The Eucharistic Christ'
On Sunday, June 2, a group of dedicated Catholics from across the diocese of Evansville gathered for a procession in honor of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, more commonly known as Corpus Christi. The event began at noon at Christ the King Parish in Evansville with two hours of Eucharistic Adoration. After a prayer from Father Ryan Hilderbrand, incoming administrator at St. Mary Parish in Huntingburg, the group walked to St. Benedict Cathedral as various priests and deacons took turns carrying the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance.
For Father Hilderbrand, the tradition and beauty of the procession served as great methods of evangelization. “The procession on Corpus Christi is very important in the life of the Church. It is a tradition that is more than 700 years old. The procession is a profound way for us to confess our faith in the Eucharistic Christ,” he said. “It also reminds us that Christ's kingdom is not limited to the walls of a church, but extends to the whole of our city and our world.”
The group began the procession with a hymn and then alternated between hymns and reciting decades of the rosary. At several points along the way, the group stopped to hear readings and receive benediction. At the first stop, Father Hilderbrand read part of the Bread of Life Discourse found in the Gospel of John (6:22-59). Father Alex Zenthoefer, pastor at Christ the King and incoming pastor at Holy Spirit Parish, read from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (11:23-26), which also served as the second reading at Mass for the day. At the third stop, Deacon Tom Kempf read quotes from St. Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei. At the final stop, Deacon Christopher Droste read quotes from St. Ambrose, one of the early Church Fathers and a Doctor of the Church.
As the procession neared the cathedral, the group prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet and walked by the Little Sisters of the Poor St. John’s Home for the Aged, where several residents and nuns stood along the sidewalk as the procession passed them.
Upon entering the cathedral there was a period of silent Eucharistic Adoration while priests heard confessions before the evening Vespers service led by Bishop Charles C. Thompson. In his homily, Bishop Thompson noted that planning the procession began months ago. Recently, Pope Francis asked for a worldwide Holy Hour on the Feast of Corpus Christi. Pope Francis requested that every bishop host a Holy Hour in his cathedral at 5 p.m. Rome time. Because of the 10:30 a.m. Mass at St. Benedict Cathedral on Sunday, the diocese of Evansville needed to find another time. “This is our synchronization,” Bishop Thompson said.
Bishop Thompson mentioned that Pope Francis said the faithful should offer their hour of adoration for two special intentions. First, the pope asked that Catholics “faithfully and effectively proclaim the Word of God before the world” according to Bishop Thompson. Pope Francis also asked that people participating in the Holy Hour pray for victims of violence, human trafficking, drug wars, slave trade, unemployment, poverty and all disrespected in their human dignity, especially women and children.
Bishop Thompson also remarked that while a seminary student, he read “Models of the Church” by then Jesuit Father Avery Dulles, which outlines several ways the Church functions. The cultic model promotes worship and liturgy such as the Corpus Christi procession. The servant model promotes social justice and “reaching out to others as we seek the poor, marginalized, defenseless, migrant, prisoners, unemployed, victims of violence in Christ and, in turn, find Christ in them,” Bishop Thompson said. However, Catholics need to promote both models equally. Bishop Thompson recalled an episode from his final assignment as a parish priest when a parishioner told him he could not attend Sunday Mass because he took his children on mission work on Sunday mornings. Bishop Thompson said the Church cannot uphold one model while neglecting the other.
For Father Zenthoefer, the large crowd of believers that gathered for the procession and Vespers emphasizes the strong sense of community present in the Church. “The procession was a beautiful reminder that Christianity is a path that we are called to travel, but not alone,” he said. “We are accompanied by our brothers and sisters in Christ and we are led by Jesus Himself who walks where we walk: in the familiar and often seemingly mundane places of our lives. Everything takes on greater meaning if we can be aware of this Presence.”
For Bishop Thompson, the procession highlighted the fact that the Eucharist is the source and summit of Catholicism. “I thought that it was a wonderful way to express our faith in centrality of the Eucharist, our belief in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, in our lives. It was [a] simple, yet profound way, to proclaim the Word of God as gathered members of the Body of Christ,” he said. “Our solidarity in prayer, procession and adoration of the Eucharist reflected our common bond in remaining a Christ-centered community of believers in the power of God's grace and mercy as revealed and still present in our midst through the saving action of Jesus Christ's passion, death and resurrection. The gathering of clergy, religious and laity was a wonderful sign of our faith leading to action in the name of Jesus Christ and His Church.”
