THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST (CORPUS ET SANGUIS CHRISTI)

19th June 2025

Christian (Roman Catholic)

In some countries, including England & Wales, the festival is celebrated on the Sunday after Trinity Sunday.

The festival of Corpus Christi, a Latin phrase that refers to the body of Jesus, celebrates the institution of the Mass/Eucharist. It falls 60 days after Easter. The feast is celebrated in the Latin Church either on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday or it may be transferred to the following Sunday. Its purpose is to commemorate the institution by Jesus of the Holy Eucharist during the Last Supper on the day before his crucifixion, as described in the gospels. It has been celebrated by Catholic Christians ever since 1246.

At the end of the Mass, it is customary for there to be a Procession of the Blessed Sacrament (often outdoors), followed by the ‘Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament’. Bread and wine are usually offered during Holy Communion/the Eucharist on Corpus Christi. It is also known as the Day of Wreaths, since in the ancient world it was customary to scatter flowers in the path of important people as a sign of respect and reverence, and this custom was adopted by the Church to honour the Blessed Sacrament as it was being carried in procession on this festival day.

In Spain and Provence the processions often feature saints and characters from the Bible as they follow a path decorated with wreaths and flowers. In Portugal the feast is known as Dia de Corpo de Deus and since medieval times has been one of the major religious observances. In the city of Ponta Delgada, in the Azores, the people make a flower-petal carpet almost three quarters of a mile long for the procession of the clergy and priests.

In Germany Corpus Christi is celebrated with colourful processions where the sacrament and other holy symbols are carried throughout villages, towns and even on boats on lakes, while streets are decorated with flowers and greenery. Children dressed in white wear wreaths of flowers accompanied by women in regional costume.

The feast was introduced to England from Belgium at some stage between 1318 and 1325. Before the Reformation, there was a famous procession in London on this day. Although the feast of Corpus Christi is no longer observed as a public holiday in England, there was a time when the city guilds were involved in processions and often performed what was known as ‘Corpus Christi’ plays. In medieval times it was a time for the performance of mystery plays.

Symbols that portray the feast may include images of: the host (the consecrated bread and wine); the chalice (to depict the Blood of Jesus); an altar; a ciborium, which is a chalice-like container used to store the consecrated host of the sacrament; or the simple elements of bread and wine.

Corpus Christi is primarily celebrated by the Catholic Church, but it is also included in the calendar of a number of Anglican churches, such as the Church of England. The feast is celebrated by some Anglo-Catholic parishes even in provinces of the Anglican Communion that do not officially include it in their calendars. In English-speaking Roman Catholic parishes, the feast is known as ‘The Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)’. In the Church of England it is known as ‘The Day of Thanksgiving for the Institution of Holy Communion (Corpus Christi)’.

For Catholics the change of the substance of bread into the substance of the Body of Jesus and of the substance of wine into the substance of his Blood is known as Transubstantiation. They hold that the changes are brought about in the eucharistic prayer through the efficacy of the word of Jesus and the action of the Holy Spirit. Meanwhile, the outward characteristics of the bread and wine remain unaltered.