By Mary Stadnyk | Associate Editor
Parishes around the Diocese upheld a centuries’ old tradition by observing the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ June 3. With their pastors and parish priests, faithful joined in solemn outdoor Eucharistic processions during which the Blessed Sacrament was exposed and prayerfully carried around the parish grounds.
Photo Gallery: Corpus Christi Procession in Sacred Heart Parish, Trenton
Noting that the feast day solemnly commemorates the institution of Christ’s Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist, Father Jeffrey Kegley, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Middletown, said the Corpus Christi procession provides the opportunity to “publicly witness our love for our Eucharistic Lord as we process through the campus and streets around St. Mary.”
“It’s a great blessing to see the joy and reverence of so many of our parish families who participate, especially the young children,” Father Kegley said, noting that 2018 marks the sixth year that St. Mary Parish has held a Corpus Christi procession.
Part of preparing for the feast day customarily includes parishes setting up four outdoor altars where the faithful would stop along the procession route to pray, hear a Gospel Reading, perhaps sing a hymn and receive a blessing from the priest or deacon holding the monstrance. The four altars represent the four corners of the earth, bringing Christ’s Body throughout the world.
In St. Mary Parish, the procession followed the noon Mass in St. Mary, Mother of God Church, and included participation by the children who received their First Holy Communion this year as well as members of the Vincent T. Lombardi Council, Fourth Degree Color Corps of the Knights of Columbus. The parish choir led the congregation in the singing of Eucharistic hymns and the procession concluded with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in St. Mary Chapel. The four altars were prepared for Adoration and prayer by the Catholic Daughters of America, altar-rosary society and the parish’s “That Man Is You” men’s ministry.
The Corpus Christi celebration in Sacred Heart Parish, Trenton, began with Mass celebrated in Polish by Father Edward Kwoka, parochial vicar, in Holy Cross Church, and Father Dennis Apoldite, pastor, concelebrating. In attendance at the Mass and participating in the outdoor procession that followed, were a number of women and children from the Polish community who were dressed in native attire and were strewing flower petals en route to the four altars that were set up around Holy Cross Church.
In his homily, Father Kwoka focused on how the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist is at the heart of the Catholic faith then pondered on what does the “Real Presence” actually mean. He acknowledged how questions have been raised on the meaning of the Eucharist then reflected on the motto of St. Anselm, “faith seeking understanding,” in which he reminded parishioners that their faith in the Eucharist can be strengthened by finding ways to better understand the Eucharist.
Father Apoldite, who carried the monstrance in the procession and then led the Benediction, smiled as he told of finding opportunities for personal prayer as he journeyed to each altar. At the altar set up in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, he said he prayed for his family, while at the altar honoring the Sacred Heart, he prayed for his parishioners. At the altar depicting the Last Supper, Father Apoldite remembered the four men who were ordained priests for the Trenton Diocese by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., on June 2, and at the altar honoring St. John Paul II, he kept in prayer the young people of the parish, especially those who were present for that day’s Mass and procession.
For Father Kwoka, the tradition of the Corpus Christi procession brought to mind its history in his native Poland. While processions are now permitted to travel throughout villages, he recalled how during Communist regime, processions and expressions of faith were confined to the parish property.
“In Poland, the people now have more freedom,” he said. “They have freedom of religion and they can now publicly express what they believe.”