About 300 members of the faithful and clergy of the Archdiocese of Louisville processed with the Body of Christ in downtown Louisville June 6.
The gathering of individuals and families with young children prayed the rosary of St. Joseph before departing from the Belvedere, a public space between Fourth and Sixth Streets overlooking the Ohio River.
The Corpus Christi procession traveled down Fifth Street, forming a column of pilgrims who stopped at planned stations along the way for prayer and meditation.
Father Martin Linebach, rector of the Cathedral of the Assumption, led the prayers and reflection, beginning with a meditation about eucharistic processions.
He explained, “in a procession, we are reminded that this life is but a pilgrimage to a greater goal, namely heaven. As we walk in a procession today, even if I lose sight of Christ, I can still follow him through his mystical Body the Church.”
A Corpus Christi procession may seem like a puzzling ritual to those who do not understand the “devotion and love we as Catholics have for the Eucharist,” said Father Linebach. “Why take this treasure out of the safety of a tabernacle or adoration chapel? Why walk through the street with the Lord? Doesn’t this gift belong inside the church?”
To the believer, he said, “it is an outward expression of a deeply beautiful reality.”
The procession stopped first at the foot of the Belvedere, where the pilgrims prayed the prayer of St. Faustina before the Blessed Sacrament.
The procession stopped along Main, Market, Jefferson and Liberty Streets. Participants knelt each time to listen to the prayers and reflect.
The event concluded with Benediction at the Cathedral.
Thank you for sharing 🙏🏻 June 16 , 2022.
Our church Our Lady Help of Christians in Watsonville also will recommit ourselves to our Eucharist identity and reaffirm our faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻