Corpus Christi (feast)

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This article is about the Christian feast of Corpus Christi. For other uses, please see Corpus Christi.

Corpus Christi celebrations in Antigua Guatemala, 14 June, 1979

Corpus Christi (Latin for Body of Christ) is a Christian feast commemorating the institution of the Holy Eucharist. It occurs on the first Thursday following Trinity Sunday and thereby mirrors Maundy Thursday, the first Thursday before Easter and the day on which Christians believe the first Eucharist, The Last Supper, took place. Corpus Christi is primarily celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church, but is also celebrated by some in the Church of England and other Anglican churches (see Anglo-Catholicism). In some Catholic countries it is a national holiday and a traditional time to perform cycles of mystery plays. In the United States, Catholics observe this solemnity on the Sunday after Trinity Sunday.

History

The appearance of Corpus Christi as a feast in the Christian calendar was primarily due to the petitions of the 13th century Augustinian nun Saint Juliana of Liège. From her youth she claimed that God had been instructing her to establish a feast day for the Eucharist and later in life petitioned the learned Dominican Hugh of St-Cher, Jacques Pantaléon (Archdeacon of Liège and later Pope Urban IV) and Robert de Thorete, Prince-Bishop of Liège. At that time bishops could order feasts in their dioceses, so in 1246 Bishop Robert convened a synod and ordered a celebration of Corpus Christi to be held each year thereafter. The decree is preserved in Anton Josef Binterim's Vorzüglichsten Denkwürdigkeiten der Christkatholischen Kirche, together with parts of the first liturgy written for the occasion.

The celebration of Corpus Christi only became widespread after both Juliana and Bishop Robert had died. In 1263, Jacques Pantaléon, now Pope Urban IV, investigated claims of a miracle in which blood had issued from a host. As a result, in 1264 he issued the papal bull Transiturus in which Corpus Christi was made a feast day. A new liturgy for the celebration was written by Saint Thomas Aquinas.

Corpus Christi celebrations in Poznań, Poland, 2004

When is the Feast of Corpus Christi?

The Feast of Corpus Christi is traditionally celebrated on the first Thursday after Trinity Sunday:

The earliest possible date is 21 May as in 1818 and 2285. The latest possible date is 24 June as in 1943 and 2038.

Corpus Christi is a moveable feast and in some countries, such as in the United States, is observed on the first Sunday following Trinity Sunday.

Corpus Christi is a bank holiday in Austria and in parts of Germany and Switzerland. It used to be a bank holiday in Italy but was abolished. It is also a national holiday in Brazil, Chile,Croatia, Poland, and Portugal.

External links

[Catholic Encyclopedia: Feast of Corpus Christi]

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