The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ commemorates the importance of the Holy Eucharist. It parallels Holy Thursday, which also commemorates our Lord’s institution of the Holy Eucharist. But because Holy Thursday is in Holy Week, a season of silence and reparation, the celebration of Corpus Christi was introduced later so that the faithful would not lose sight of the significance, the worthy, and the prominence of the Holy Eucharist. Indeed, Corpus   Christi became a mandatory feast in the Roman Catholic Church in 1312 by order of Pope Urban IV and was originally celebrated on the Thursday after the Most Holy Trinity Sunday. The focus of this celebration is on the real presence, the bread and wine which the faithful offer, work of human hands, becomes the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ during the center and high point of every Mass, in the Liturgy of the Eucharist.  

This tradition continues in some parts of the world. In the United States, the celebration is moved to the Sunday following the celebration of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. 

Many forms of popular piety for Corpus Christi grew from this feast, most notably is the Eucharistic Adoration and processions. Eucharistic Adoration is common, especially during Holy Week. Less common is a Eucharistic Procession during which the Sacred Host, consecrated during the Mass, is processed out of the church for the Christian faithful to make public profession of faith and worship the Most Blessed Sacrament.  

Here at Holy Spirit Parish, we have Eucharistic Adoration on every first Friday of the month after the 8:30AM Mass.