St. John the Beloved Church in McLean will celebrate the
feast of Corpus Christi (Body of Christ) May 29 with a 5 p.m.
Mass, eucharistic procession and a barbecue reception.
The procession, to be led by a Knights of Columbus honor
guard, will include first communicants, students of St. John
Academy, religious education students and 20 additional
parish groups. Following a route around the church grounds,
including Benediction in a lower parking lot that faces Old
Dominion Drive, the procession will then return to the church
for closing Benediction, the divine praises and reposition.
Introduced by Pope Urban in 1264 in Orvieto, Italy, the feast
of Corpus Christi spread throughout the world. During the
celebration, the Eucharist is placed in a monstrance and
protected beneath a canopy. The procession follows singing
hymns.
Although the custom of the Corpus Christi procession has
diminished in popularity, Father Christopher J. Pollard,
pastor of St. John, sees value in the tradition. We live in a
time when there is a genuine hunger to bear witness to the
truth, Father Pollard said, adding that Corpus Christi sends
a strong message by publicly honoring the truth, goodness and
beauty of Christ.
Find out more
Go to stjohncatholicmclean.org or call 703/356-7916.
