Bishop Eduardo’s Invitation to All Episcopal Vicars, Parish Priests, Heads of Institutions, and All the Faithful of CDTY on Corpus Christi Sunday
June 2, 2023
To: Episcopal Vicars, Parish Priests, Heads of Institutions, and All the Faithful of CDTY!
Dear Brethren,
Ref. Corpus Christi Procession Announcement
June 11th, 2023, is the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ…Corpus Christi. Since the 13th century, one of the ways to honor this Gift to us is by processing through the streets with the Blessed Sacrament and publicly showing our belief in and offering our adoration to Our Lord in the Eucharist.
Theme: Walking with Christ for Rich Harvest of our Farms, An increased Birthrates in our nation.
We pray for this year’s increase in our farm produce and high production of Birthrates. Since we, as a diocese through our parishes, cannot celebrate Holy Mass together and come to Church and receive Jesus at this time, He will come to YOU! Beginning at 8:00 a.m. on this Sunday indicated.
As we travel throughout the parishes in our diocese from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m., we will go through as many blocks as possible from where our parishes are located, blessing the residents who live there. Please encourage your faithful to come along the ways where Jesus will be passing, those who may be at homes or places of their works When you hear the passing of Jesus in the procession, come outside and stand in front of your house or place to receive a blessing. Hopefully, it will be a beautiful day!
I would like to suggest to you that, you can use any splendid means to carry Jesus, by hand, car, horse, bicycle, motorbike, etc, and engaging some groups to lead will be fine.
NB. The Feast of Corpus Christi and its Relationship to the Eucharist
The Eucharist is the source and summit of the whole Christian life. The feast of Corpus Christi is a celebration of Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist. It parallels the celebration of Holy Thursday in commemoration of the institution of this sacrament. When the Eucharist is carried through the streets in solemn procession, the Christian people give public witness of their faith and devotion toward the sacrament of the Eucharist
The Sacrament of the Eucharist is a sign and cause of the unity of Christ’s Mystical Body because it stirs up an active “ecclesial” spirit in those who are more fervent in their Eucharistic devotion. Eucharistic adoration cannot be detached from the liturgical and communal celebration of the sacrament or from the commitment to the poor and to justice. One draws strength and justification from the other.
The Corpus Christi procession is a centuries-old tradition of the Catholic faith to process the Real Presence of Jesus — the Eucharist — in public. The feast of Corpus Christi was established, in 1247.
Processions, ordinarily led by the cross, are an expression of the fact that the Christian life is a constant movement toward God and that prayer is always a kind of “walking with God”; they are a public image of the Church in continual pilgrimage here on earth.
- the cross bearer carrying the cross or banner, flanked by the candle bearers;
- religious associations, devotion groups, Institutions like schools, etc., perhaps carrying their own banners;
- religious in their habits;
- the clergy, in choir dress (and copes if available);
- the concelebrants of the Mass;
- the two thurifers in front of the canopy, customarily swing the thuribles with their inside hands. (Note: They should not walk backward. But the boat bearer walks to one side of them, not at the center. When required, he goes to the thurifers and places incense in the thuribles in the course of the procession.)
Brothers and Sisters, we bring Christ, present under the sign of bread, onto the roads of our city. We entrust these streets, these homes, and our daily life, to his goodness. May our roads be the roads of Jesus! May our houses be homes for him and with him! May our life of every day be penetrated by his presence.
With this gesture, let us place under his eyes the sufferings of the sick, the LACK OF PEACE AND VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRIES, the solitude of young people and the elderly, temptations, and fears — our entire life. The procession represents an immense and public blessing for our city: Christ is, in person, the divine Blessing for the world. May the ray of his blessing extend to us all!
With our theme, please let us from now on be Walking with Christ for a Rich Harvest of our Farms, An increased Birthrates in our nation.
Know this brother, in the Corpus Domini procession, we walk with the Risen One on his journey to meet the entire world. See you all on Sunday!
With love and blessings,
+ Barani Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala
Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio