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The solemnity of Corpus Christi celebrates the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ and his gift to us of his body in the Eucharist.
Corpus Christi is always a special feast day, and especially this year, when we are in the midst of a National Eucharistic Revival.
If you’re a parent, grandparent, teacher, or just have a kid in your life who you love, here are three ways to share this feast day with our little ones.
1Talk about the Eucharist
Let’s not miss this opportunity to share with our kids how the Eucharist is the Real Presence of Christ’s Body and Blood.
We might assume kids already know this, but you can’t count on their Catholic school or religious education classes to have made this clear. Sadly, all too many Catholic adults don’t know about the Real Presence: Only one third of Catholic adults in the USA believe in transubstantiation, a doctrine that is absolutely central to our faith.
So don’t assume they’re getting this important information somewhere else. And even if they have learned this before, it can’t hurt to have a reminder and a reaffirmation of why we kneel in worship before the King of Kings.
2Attend a Corpus Christi procession near you
If a church in your area is hosting a Eucharistic Procession, you can bring your family for a beautiful public witness to Christ’s love.
I attended this procession with my four kids, and it was an incredibly moving experience to join over 1,000 people in worshiping the Eucharist in the streets of the Chicago suburbs. If you’re planning to take your young children to a procession, I have a few suggestions to offer.
- Bring a stroller so you don’t lose young kids in the crowd
- Before the event, review with your older kids what to do if they get separated from you
- Dress in layers as the temperature may change depending on the time of day
- If the procession will be long (the event we attended was 3+ hours), bring snacks and water for the little ones (I didn’t do this and I regretted it!)
- Don’t forget sunscreen and a hat
3Create a Corpus Christi display at home
There are lots of great crafts and activities out there to help young children connect with Our Lord in the Eucharist and understand this special feast day!
I’m a big fan of Katherine Bogner’s resources for faith education, and she’s done it again with this absolutely beautiful little Make your own Eucharistic Procession Model.
This craft would be so much fun to color and cut, and a great way for kids to synthesize all that they saw at the Eucharistic procession. I’m planning to have my kids make one today after attending the Corpus Christi procession earlier this week. Check out her other June liturgical year crafts and activities too.
That’s how I’m celebrating Corpus Christi with my four little ones this year. I’d love to hear how you celebrate it in your home!
And today we celebrate...