Corpus Christi

A feast of the Eucharist, the Lord's Supper, marked by outdoor processions.

When: The Thursday after Trinity Sunday (often moved to the following Sunday)

Origin and history

Corpus Christi is Latin for 'Body of Christ'. The feast celebrates the Eucharist, the sacrament first given at the Last Supper. It was established for the whole Western Church by Pope Urban IV in 1264, with encouragement from the theologian Thomas Aquinas, who also wrote hymns for it, including the Pange Lingua.

Customs

Processions through the streets with the consecrated host carried in a monstrance.
Wreaths of flowers hung on doors and windows, and in Brazil and Portugal street carpets made of flowers, sand and other materials along the procession route.

How traditions differ

Corpus Christi is a solemnity of the Catholic Church and is also kept by some Lutheran and Anglican churches. During the Reformation many Protestant churches, especially Calvinist ones, stopped keeping it for theological reasons, since they understood the Lord's Supper differently.

In the library

Great Lives: Thomas Aquinas

More in After Pentecost

Trinity Sunday · Nativity of St John the Baptist · Sts Peter and Paul · Michaelmas · All Hallows' Eve · Reformation Day · All Saints' Day · All Souls' Day · St Martin's Day (Martinmas) · Christ the King

Sources checked: Feast of Corpus Christi (Wikipedia).