Eucharistic Processions

06-22-2025Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A.

This weekend, as we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, also known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, the Church highlights the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist in a special way. A central aspect of our traditional Corpus Christi celebration is the Eucharistic Procession, during which the Blessed Sacrament is carried out of the Church building and into the surrounding streets and communities. As with all of our Catholic rituals and customs, the Eucharistic Procession was not imagined as just a “good idea” by someone at some point in time. Rather, it is richly steeped in tradition and meaning. Let’s look at the origins and significance of the Eucharistic Procession.

The Old Testament has many examples of the people of God participating in processions as a means of joyful celebration for all of the goodness and blessings God has bestowed on them. Leviticus 23:34-43 and Deuteronomy 16:13-22 provide instructions for the Feast of Booths — or Feast of Tabernacles — during which, the people were to process portions of their harvest for seven days as offerings to the Lord in thanksgiving. These processions served as a visual reminder of how the Lord provided for the Israelites during their long journey in the desert King David's procession to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem is detailed in 2 Samuel 6 and 1 Chronicles 15-16. His procession includes joyful music, singing, and dancing, concluding with a feast and sacrifices. The Lord instructed Joshua to organize a solemn procession of the Ark of the Covenant around Jericho's walls for seven days, resulting in the city's fall (Joshua 6). The Psalms include references to processions as a means of joyful celebration, such as Psalm 68:24-25: “Your procession is seen, O God, the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary — the singers in front, the musicians last, between them virgins playing tambourines.”

In the New Testament, we see that Jesus himself participated in processions. The book of Luke (2:41-42) tells us that Jesus and his parents traveled from Nazareth to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover every year. They would have traveled in a caravan of many other people, also processing to Jerusalem to celebrate the same feast. It is not difficult to imagine these processions included prayer, singing, and rejoicing as they recalled the blessings of the first Passover.

We have records of several early Church fathers describing processions in their writings, too. For example, in his homilies, St. John Chrysostom (c. 347–407) frequently references processions, especially during major feasts like Easter or the feasts of martyrs. In his Homilies on the Statues (delivered in Antioch, 387 CE), he describes processions during times of public penance and festal celebrations. St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430) describes processions in North Africa, particularly in his Sermons and City of God, often tied to feasts of martyrs. And St. Jerome (c. 347–420), in his letter to Eustochium, provides insight into processions in the Holy Land, particularly during Holy Week. While these early processions were not specifically Eucharistic in nature, they laid the foundation for later developments in the custom.

The Feast of Corpus Christi was officially instituted as a liturgical feast in the Universal Church in 1264 with the papal bull Transiturus de hoc mundo (You can find more about this from last year’s article on my website). Shortly after, in the late 13^th Century, records show the first Eucharistic processions began taking place in Germany and France and then quickly spreading to the rest of Europe. It became customary to process with a consecrated Host, placed in a monstrance, through towns and villages, especially on the Feast of Corpus Christi. Interestingly, it was around the year 1200 when the elevation of the Host during Mass entered into liturgical practice as a focal point for the people. Previously, the Host was not elevated, but as heretical understandings of when transubstantiation occurred, and disbelief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist cropped up, it became more important to incorporate visual adoration into the liturgy. So, during the 13^th Century, we see a convergence of events that draw as much focused, visual attention to the Blessed Sacrament as possible.

Aside from the central focus of the Blessed Sacrament, other features of a typical Eucharistic procession were, and still are, full of symbolism. The Eucharist, in the monstrance, is carried under a canopy (“baldachin”), symbolizing Christ's kingship and the reverence due to him. The canopy recalls the tent over the Ark of the Covenant, linking the Eucharist to God's presence in the Old Testament. Surrounding the monstrance are clergy, altar servers, and lay people, reflecting the Church's hierarchical and communal nature. Hymns, such as Tantum Ergo, and prayers like the Divine Praises accompany the Eucharist on the journey to create a sacred atmosphere. The act of walking in the procession is itself symbolic. It mirrors the Israelites' journey through the desert with the Eucharist as the new manna that sustains the faithful. It also evokes Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, a humble yet triumphant procession. For participants, walking behind the Eucharist is an act of discipleship and a public commitment to follow Christ in a world often indifferent, or even hostile, to our faith.

So, what purpose do Eucharistic processions serve? At its core, a Eucharistic procession is a public act of faith in the real presence of Jesus Christ — body, blood, soul, and divinity — in the Eucharist. By carrying the consecrated Host through the streets, Catholics proclaim to the world that Christ is truly present and active in our midst today. Eucharistic processions are also powerful tools of evangelization. We live in a culture that wants to privatize religion and asks us to keep it to ourselves, which is not what Jesus asks us to do. During a Eucharistic procession, the mystery of the Eucharist leaves the walls of the Church. It enters the public world for Catholics and non-Catholics to witness the Church's faith and devotion. The processions serve as bold, joyful, reverent, and loving proclamations of the gospel. They hold the potential to inspire non-Catholics to ask questions, engage in discussion, or to go home and do more research to find out more about this devotion Catholics have. When you participate in a Eucharistic procession, remember you are providing a visual witness to the Truth for others to see.

The Feast of Corpus Christi and Eucharistic processions serve as a reminder that Christ is truly present here with us in the Eucharist and that he is not meant to stay locked away, but rather, to be carried out in the world so that everyone might encounter him. While an annual Eucharistic procession is undoubtedly an excellent way to do that, as Catholics, we are responsible for making it happen every day based on how we live our lives. We receive the Eucharist at Mass and become a living tabernacle, taking Jesus with us everywhere we go. This week, you may find yourself watching interesting videos of Eucharistic processions from different cities in America and other parts of the world. Note how the various cultures and customs are incorporated into the event. Also, note the onlookers’ reactions to the processions. Contemplate the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, preferably in the Adoration chapel where you can see and be with him, and ask him to reveal ways you can live a more Eucharistic life in your own daily processions.