Corpus Christi is marked across Diocese of East Anglia

Catholics across East Anglia joined Corpus Christi processions and devotions to mark the feast on June 10 and 11.

On Corpus Christi Sunday afternoon, the hottest day of the year so far, about 120 clergy and people from St Wilfrid’s deanery gathered at the historic Oxburgh Hall reports Fr Gordon Adam. 

“Oxburgh was completed in 1482 for Sir Edmund Bedingfeld who was Catholic, and the family have maintained the Catholic faith there constantly ever since, despite the Reformation and persecution of Catholics, and it is an important part of the history of Catholicism in England.  The priest hole in the house concealed numerous priests – but none were ever caught here! 

“Bishop Peter Collins led a procession of the Blessed Sacrament (pictured above) around the outside of the house and the procession gave praise with Eucharistic hymns as they followed the Lord in his Eucharistic presence.  Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament then took place in the Bedingfeld family Chapel (which was standing room only).  Helping to lead the procession were children from Swaffham Parish who had made their first Holy Communion earlier in the day .”

Parishioners at St Pancras in Ipswich were among many thousands across the country who showed their devotion to Our Lord under the Eucharistic appearances of Bread and Wine on the feast of Corpus Christi. From the end of the main Sunday Mass until 3pm there was continuous Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament reports Fr Joseph Welch.

“At 3pm, parishioners – including all of this year’s First Holy Communion children and their families – lifted up their voices to sing many of the traditional hymns in honour of the Blessed Sacrament and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and joined the procession around the church.

“The devotions concluded with solemn Benediction which, in turn, ended with the Salve Regina. Tea and biscuits were served in the parish hall afterwards.”

Pictured is the altar at St Pancras during Adoration with a new gold altar frontal and a gold and red screen behind the monstrance, both made specially for the occasion by Mary Begg and Chris Urdzik respectively.

Another milestone was chalked up in the journey of faith of the Cantonese community in and around East Anglia when on Saturday June 10, they celebrated a Corpus Christi Solemn Mass and, as part of that, a Procession of the Most Holy Sacrament (pictured below), at Our Lady of Lourdes, Sawston.

Dominic Chung said: “It was an amazing devotional rite that we witnessed. Truly a grace granted us by the Lord,  Jesus Christ. Many of us had never been to an Eucharistic Procession before, in either Hong Kong or in England.

“Everyone played their part under a scorching but brilliant sun including the many Hong Kong Catholics who came from various parishes in the East Anglia Diocese and beyond and the servers from OLEM Cambridge, St John Fisher, Cambourne and St Philip Howard, Cambridge. Canon John Minh celebrated and Dcn Gianluca Savini was in attendance, once again proclaiming the Gospel in Cantonese – no mean feat.

“To many of us , Christ’s presence in the Blessed Sacrament never felt so real and close. Not only were we blessed with the Holy Communion that we had just received at Mass, we had the privilege to walk with and adored the Most Holy Sacrament,” said Dominic. 

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