Well, I just got back from our first Corpus Christi Procession, jointly supported by both parishes in Piqua.
It was, if I may say so, a great success!
Oh, we learned a few things, as I expected to, about coordinating things. The procession took less time than I planned for, so we arrived at St. Boniface ahead of schedule.
This was the culmination of a weekend of exposition at St. Mary--when the procession finally ended, after Benediction, we returned our Eucharistic Lord back to Saint Clare Chapel where our Lord is always present--we have perpetual exposition--for all and any.
There was a tremendous excitement about all this the past few days, and the Noon Mass, from which the procession began, was filled with energy. Thanks to a neighboring parish, we were able to have a canopy, which wasn't as easy to assemble as I thought it might be, but we got it together about five minutes before Mass started. We had plenty of knights, plenty of servers, the boy scouts, some girl scouts, and between 150 and 200 people who joined in. I feel confident we can have more come. I'd really like this to be something that Catholics from all over the area would come and be part of...y'all are hereby invited!
After Benediction, then, we had a pot luck, and that came off well, although some people had to do some work to make that happen. I am so grateful, because I thought up this crazy idea, and hornswaggled others into this, and they pulled it together well. We even got together rides back from Saint Boniface to Saint Mary, with one businessman providing a couple of limos!
I'm sorry I can't share with you my homily at Benediction, because I just developed some ideas from a reading from 1st Corinthians, but anyway, it was all splendid. I asked the servers how they liked it, I asked the folks present how they liked it, and everyone said, "I hope you're going to do it again?"
I think so: this will, God willing, be a new, annual tradition for the Catholics of Piqua.
7 comments:
Sounds like it was really great!
My husband and I were participants in the procession, and it was an opportunity to witness for our faith. We walked and sang as we followed Our Lord in company with our parish families. Persons of all ages walked beside each other. Afterward we broke bread together with food which we provided to share with one another. A great experience, and one we hope to repeat next year.
It all came together well, I thought. But I have to say, I'd love to find a recording of your homily at benediction. I'd gladly transcribe it for posting. It was beautiful! A bit of the pastor's soul, it was, and an honor to witness it.fr
Anonymouses (Anonymice?):
I'm glad you were able to take part, thanks for your comments.
Thanks for the feedback on my homily at Benediction. I didn't have any prepared remarks, I just spoke from the heart, as you sensed. I must confess, I talked longer than I intended, because we arrived ahead of schedule, and I didn't want someone to arrive at 2 pm and everything was over!
I'm delighted you have 24/7 Perpetual Adoration. I think that's wonderful.
I'm curious as to why you had a Corpus Christi procession a week before the actual feast....
Father Ron:
Because Monday is Memorial Day, and there are graduations on Sunday.
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