Adoration for Feast of Corpus Christi

Bishop Mulvey leads local Church in Worldwide Adoration on the Feast of Corpus Christi.
On Sunday, June 2, as part of the Feast of Corpus Christi, Bishop Wm. Michael Mulvey will celebrate the 9:30 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral, and at 10 a.m. worshipers will join Pope Francis for an hour of Eucharistic Adoration from St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

“The Diocese of Corpus Christi bears the name of this central mystery of our faith and thus we feel particularly impelled to join with the Holy Father in this unique celebration of unity gathered around the Eucharistic Lord,” Bishop Mulvey said.

Upon announcing the Year of Faith in 2012, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, said that among other considerations, the year would provide the opportunity “to intensify the celebration of the faith in the liturgy, especially in the Eucharist, which is the summit towards which the activity of the Church is directed and also the source from which all its power flows.”

Pope Francis elevates the Eucharist during recent Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. Paul Haring, Catholic News Service

Pope Benedict set Sunday, June 2, 2013, as a day when the Holy See would preside over a worldwide Eucharistic adoration from St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

The universal scope of this moment is to be a gesture of spiritual sharing, Pope Benedict said. He asked that all bishops join with the Holy Father by celebrating in their cathedrals an hour of Eucharistic Adoration synchronized with the Vatican Basilica. Moreover, he asked that bishops extend this initiative to as many parishes as possible.

“This event will provide many of the faithful with an opportunity to join with their local bishops and with the successor of Peter in the prayer of adoration to Jesus alive in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar,” a Vatican spokesman said.

“As the Feast of Corpus Christi approaches, I want to wish you and your parishioners a happy feast day,” Bishop Mulvey wrote to pastors throughout the diocese. He invited them to join in the hour of Adoration in response to the invitation by the Holy Father “to link the universal Church together in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.”

Because the Eucharistic Adoration will occur at 5 p.m. Rome time, the corresponding time in Corpus Christi will be 10 a.m. on Sunday, which is a time when many parishes have already scheduled Sunday Mass, including the Cathedral. The 9:30 Mass at the Cathedral will be concluded at 10 a.m. in order to join the pope in Rome.

Since this is the time that the Cathedral Mass is televised on local cable channels, the Eucharistic Adoration will be televised and aired over KLUX radio.

Bishop Mulvey has allowed pastors to adjust their schedules, if such a change would meet with the pastoral needs of the parish. If it is not possible to adjust the Mass schedule, the bishop suggested to pastors holding an hour-long Adoration at the conclusion of their last Mass.

“Perhaps another hour may be better, but let us do what we can to unite in prayer,” Bishop Mulvey said. “Please encourage your parishioners to celebrate with you and the diocese on this wonderful feast day.”

If someone is not able to participate either at the Cathedral or their parish, the new Invisible Monastery organized by the diocese’s Office of Vocations offers a bilingual booklet, “Eucharistic Procession for Vocations,” that helps individuals pray for vocations on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi and other occasions. During the procession, participants are led through four altars, or stations, based on the themes: Called by Christ, Formed in Christ, Sent by Christ, and Remain in Christ. This booklet is available from the Invisible Monastery at ccpriest.org.