St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church is performing a Eucharistic procession on Oct. 13 at 4 p.m. The traditional Roman Catholic ceremony will begin at Williams Court and continue down Hillsdale Street to St. Anthony’s Church at 11 N. Broad St. in downtown Hillsdale.
Eucharistic procession is an old Roman Catholic custom traditionally associated with high feast days, such as the Feast of Corpus Christi. The consecrated host, believed by Catholics to have been transformed into the real body of Christ in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, is placed in a large gold display carried by the priest. The procession is traditionally a way for the church to bring its ministry and sacraments into the community.
Parishioners are invited to join in at any point along the route and are encouraged to bring a rosary, which will be said with the group. Hymns will also be sung.
A benediction will be offered upon arrival at the church, and coffee, cider, and donuts will be provided by the Knights of Columbus in the parish hall.
This will be the fourth annual Eucharistic procession put on by St. Anthony’s. The tradition was started in 2010 by the Rev. Tom Butler, former pastor. He was inspired in part by the students of all denominations gathering and proceeding down the hill to their Sunday services.
“Part of the inspiration was the good example of the college students processing from the school foot to go spend some time with their Lord at church,” said Dean of Men Aaron Petersen, a deacon at the parish.
“I think it is a very strong witness to the faith,” said junior Sean Kunath, president of the Catholic Society. “It’s sort of a way of bringing Christ to the world. We are doing that in a very special way because in our procession Christ is really present.”
