Corpus Christi

Today is the feast of Corpus Christi, with which the Catholic Church celebrates the institution of the Eucharist at the last supper on Maundy Thursday before the Passion of Christ, and is celebrated on the ninth Thursday after Easter. Processions and mass celebrations have been taking place across the country since morning.

Corpus Christi in Rijeka: Mass in the Vela Crikva and procession through the Old Town

In the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, better known to the people of Rijeka as Vela Crikva, a solemn mass celebration began at 10 a.m., led by Rijeka Archbishop Mate Uzinić.

This year, the feast of Corpus Christi once again gathered a large number of believers from Rijeka and the wider region.

After the mass, a Corpus Christi procession was be held, and the Most Holy Sacrament was carried through the streets of the Old Town.

“This is a custom that has been cherished in Rijeka for generations and which, along with a deep religious message, also represents an important part of the cultural and spiritual heritage of our city,” said HRT journalist Mirela Hunček.

Uzinić: We need to be a Church of bridges, not walls

“We need a society in which everyone can receive and give, primarily their love that serves to stand up for others and personal holiness, so that we can be a Church of bridges, not walls,” emphasized Rijeka Archbishop Mate Uzinić at the Mass on the occasion of the Feast of Corpus Christi on Thursday.

“For the Rijeka Archdiocese, living the life of Christ would mean that we will not surrender to the closedness and self-sufficiency of individuals, groups and parishes, but rather build it as the body of Christ, in community. In this communion, differences are not a threat, but a gift, and each individual can manifest their value and each build themselves,” said the Archbishop during his sermon at the Holy Mass in the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Rijeka.

Uzinić used the occasion to recall that the year in which the Archdiocese of Rijeka celebrated 100 years since Rijeka was declared the seat of the diocese is coming to an end.

Archbishop Uzinić stated that it is important that the life of Jesus in us and through us is passed on to others. “We are not Christians only for ourselves, but also for others,” he added.

“Such an attitude should be had towards those who are part of the church community, but also towards those who do not belong to it,” he stated.

Uzinić emphasized that one should not follow others in what is not good. “Do not respond to a harsh word with a harsh word, do not respond to hatred with hatred,” he explained. “Instead of fear, bitterness and hatred, the Church should spread trust, kindness, love and peace,” he emphasized.

“It is always important to ask ourselves what Jesus would do and say in our situation, and then try to behave that way,” Archbishop Mate Uzinić emphasized.

Speaking about the meaning of the Eucharist, he said that it renews the life of Jesus, that it is a liturgical memorial and remembrance. “However, the Eucharist also connects us with all those who participated in the mystery of the Eucharist before us, as well as those who will come after us,” the archbishop added.

“It is a memory of God's closeness and goodness that has never been absent, so it is also a thanksgiving for his benevolence,” he emphasized.

In the Euphrasian Basilica in Poreč, the mass was led by the Bishop of Poreč and Pula, Mons. Ivan Štironja, in concelebration with the priests of the Poreč deanery.

“The Eucharist is the medicine for our weaknesses, the strength for our trials, the pledge of our resurrection, the source of life, the source of unity and the power of memory,” he said.

Corpus Christi processions deeply rooted in tradition

On this holiday, a traditional Corpus Christi procession will once again be held in Zagreb through the city center, starting from the worship space of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Palmotićeva Street.

The solemn mass celebration will begin at 7 p.m. in the worship space, and after the mass, the faithful will march in procession through Palmotićeva and Boškovićeva Streets, Zrinjevac, Trg Josip Juraj Strossmayer, Trg Kralja Tomislava, Šenoina Street and return to Palmotićeva Street.

In case of rain, only the mass celebration will be held without the procession.

The Basilica emphasizes that Corpus Christi processions have been held in Zagreb for centuries, and that the Basilica in Palmotićeva has been nurturing this tradition in the city center for decades. This year's procession will continue this long tradition and bring together believers in joint prayer and testimony of faith on the streets of the city, the Basilica emphasizes.

They also note that the procession is taking place in the jubilee year of the Basilica, which this year celebrates 125 years since the laying of the foundation stone.

The celebration of Corpus Christi and Corpus Christi processions are deeply rooted in the Croatian Catholic tradition.

The veneration of the feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is reflected in many churches, chapels, settlements, parishes dedicated to Corpus Christi, as well as devotions, prayers, vows, and processions.

During the three-year plague epidemic in Moslavina, Croatian Parliament vowed on December 15, 1739, to build a chapel to the Most Holy Blood of Jesus in Ludbreg. The plague began to subside, and on January 30, 1740, the quarantine due to the plague was lifted. The reason why the vow was not fulfilled is unknown.

In 1940, the Archbishop of Zagreb, Blessed Alojzije Stepinac, warned about this vow, and on September 4, 1994, Cardinal Franjo Kuharić blessed the votive chapel in front of about 100,000 believers.

Ludbreg, Požega, Brač...

The faithful from all the villages of the parish of Kapela near Ludbreg go to the parish church on Corpus Christi. Children are dressed in white and carry baskets with flower petals that they sprinkle during the procession that leaves the parish church. The parish priest carries the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, and above it is a canopy (canopy) carried by four men.

Once upon a time, after the procession, the old people of Požega organized in front of the cathedral, on St. Theresa of Avila, a folk festival for the inhabitants of all the surrounding villages.

In Duće near Omiš, on Corpus Christi, they said: "The fish in the water and the cicada in the mountain rejoice in him." The entire village would be decorated, preparations would be made days in advance, there would be various holy banners, candles made in the shape of a circle (this tradition has been preserved, but these candles are now lit on the day of Our Lady of the Snow).

On Corpus Christi, a procession would be held in almost all the towns on Brač with the participation of all the locals. Small children would carry bouquets of flowers and sprinkle Spartium on the path along which the procession passed.

In coastal towns, fishermen would spread out their nets for the priest to bless. The fishermen would follow the procession in boats and ships with lit candles and lanterns.

Corpus Christi was declared a national holiday and non-working day in Croatia in 2001, when the then coalition government amended the law on national holidays and non-working days.

History of Corpus Christi

The celebration of Corpus Christi began in the 13th century, when the Augustinian nun Saint Juliana of the monastery near Liege in Belgium, in a vision of the full moon, saw a spot on the moon. Thly influenced the veneration of the Body and Blood of Christ is associated with the Eucharistic miracle that occurred in 1263 in Bolsena, Italy. At that time, a priest, while celebrating Holy Mass, suspected the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus. When he broke the consecrated host, he noticed blood dripping from it and flowing onto the altar.

After these two events, Pope Urban IV issued a bull on September 8, 1264, establishing the feast of Corpus Christi (Eucharist), wishing to extend this feast to the entire Church, but his untimely death prevented him from doing so. It was not until the 14th century that Pope John XXII extended the feast to the entire Roman Catholic Church.

In some Croatian regions, the feast is also called Brašančevo, and this name dates back to the 18th century. The word Brašančevo comes from the word brašno (flour), from which bread is made, and the bread, transformed during the Holy Mass, becomes the Body of Christ.

An event similar to the one in Bolsena also occurred in 1411 in Croatia, in Ludbreg. Then, during the most important part of the Holy Mass - the transfiguration, when the priest's words and the action of the Holy Spirit transforms the bread into the Body and the wine into the Blood of Jesus, the priest doubted the miracle. Seeing that the chalice contained real fresh blood, confused and frightened by the unexpected event, he quickly put the chalice with the Holy Blood behind the altar and ended the Mass.

The event was thoroughly investigated by Pope Julius II (1503-1513), who, due to the length of the investigation and examination of the miraculous events, was unable to complete the investigation, but allowed the public veneration of the relic, which his successor, Pope Leo X, did. Since that time, believers from all over the world have come to Ludbreg to express their veneration of the relic of the Precious Blood of Christ, especially every first Sunday in September, when the central annual celebration of the Precious Blood of Christ is held.

The feast of Corpus Christi is also associated with processions. The first Corpus Christi procession was held in Cologne in the 1370s, and the custom spread to many Catholic countries in the 14th century. In the procession, a priest carries a consecrated host in a monstrance, while the people sing, pray, and carry flowers.

Source: HRT