Search
-
July 10, 2021Jaime Reyna opened the event with a welcome to individuals at the international Feast of Corpus Christi celebration and recognized churches in countries that celebrated the same day, such as Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Germany, Haiti, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Venezuela. In his welcoming address, Reyna also introduced the agenda and different speakers for the day.
As the week of June 3 approached, the diocesan celebration of the Feast of Corpus Christi coincided with a potentially crucial schedule change due to inclement weather. Thunderstorms threatened to cancel the Eucharistic Procession, which guaranteed the attendance of many parishes, ministry groups, and individuals who had planned to participate.
Jaime Reyna, Coordinator of the Feast of Corpus Christi and his team, applied for a city permit in advance to process throughout the streets of downtown Corpus Christi and submitted a map route. With the city’s approval, the roads were ready for the procession with stops at the County Jail and Mother Teresa Shelter.
Efforts to coordinate a bus and golf carts for those who could not walk were also made, and a sound team was provided to ensure participants would hear singing, praying, and announcements during the procession amidst the rush hour traffic. Additionally, the police department would provide a safe passage for participants, as the streets would not be closed, but the procession would be protected in one lane.
Organizing and promoting the procession with weather that could easily have changed from rain in the morning to sunny skies in the afternoon required much time and preparation. The decision to cancel the outside procession altogether was not made easily.
Clergy, coordinators, and volunteers remained flexible and patient to see how the weather would turn out once the specific evening time frame for the procession arrived.
The day began with clear blue skies, and there was a chance it would remain that way, but by late afternoon torrential rain hit the area around the time the procession was supposed to begin. Alas, after the final 5 p.m. Holy Hour, the decision was made to hold the Eucharistic Procession inside Corpus Christi Cathedral with Vespers, a reflection from Bishop Mulvey and close with Benediction.
Although the procession was originally arranged to be outdoors, the impact of the indoor Eucharistic Procession was still powerful to many participants. “Seeing the people’s reaction was just as powerful because people were able to witness an inside procession [they] had not seen before,” Reyna said.
With hundreds of people in attendance, Reyna believes the witness of faith that was intended to happen outside still occurred and even allowed for a more close-up encounter with the Lord. “It was just as beautiful having it inside, seeing our Lord in a procession where we knelt as He passed us by,” Reyna said.
Reyna said he is looking forward to better weather for next year’s outdoor Eucharistic Procession.
