The feast of Corpus Christi at St. John Cantius Church is an important and unforgettable experience for parishioners and visitors alike. Flowers and incense prepare the way for the Blessed Sacrament, and elaborate chalk designs adorn the pathways to the four altars prepared for the procession.
View the Full 2022 Corpus Christi photo album here!
Members of the St. Martha’s Guild work long hours with chalk and washable tempera paints on the granite steps to create a stunning display of a jeweled chalice and radiating Eucharistic host being adored by angels with incense thuribles. The adoring angels are modeled after the angels from William-Adolphe Bouguereau’s Queen of the Angels.
We will celebrate Sunday, June 19th the External Solemnity of Corpus Christi which commemorates the institution of the Holy Eucharist. The 11:00 am Mass will be a Solemn High Mass, followed by an outdoor procession with the Blessed Sacrament in the parish gardens. (Please note, there will be no 12:30 pm Mass on Sunday, June 19th. Find the full schedule below). The Feast of Corpus Christi (traditionally celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday), recalls how Jesus instituted this Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist on Maundy Thursday. Thomas Aquinas considered the Eucharist to be the greatest of all sacraments. Thus it is fitting that such a feast exists to specially commemorate the Eucharist. The Catechism summarizes this teaching of the importance of the Eucharist:
The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” “The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.” (1324)
Corpus Christi Schedule:
Thursday, June 16th - Corpus Christi
8:00 am - Low Mass: 1962 Missal (Latin)
7:30 pm - High Mass: 1962 Missal (Latin) followed by a Eucharistic Procession inside the church.
Sunday, June 19th - External Solemnity of Corpus Christi.
Please note the changed schedule below.
7:30am - Low Mass (1962)
9:00am - English Mass (2002)
11:00am - Solemn High Mass (1962) - Followed by an Eucharistic Procession
* 2:00pm - Low Mass (1962)
* 2:45pm - Rosary and Solemn Vespers
5:00pm - Sung Mass (2002)
6:00pm - Compline
* Note the schedule change