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700th anniversary of the Corpus Christi establishment in Poland
The processions with the Blessed Sacrament take place in all regions of the world. The Feast of Corpus Christi is a public declaration of faith, the opportunity to offer due worship to Christ.
The first Corpus Christi celebrations in Poland were held exactly 700 years ago Poland’s Diocese of Krakow, . In 1320, the first of the Corpus Christi processions passed through the streets of Krakow. At the end of the fourteenth century, the Feast was already celebrated in all Polish dioceses and was included in the main holidays list. The procession which included religious songs and exerts from the four Gospels already took place already at the beginning of the fifteenth century. The sixteenth century liturgical books inform about processions going up the streets of Sumia and about solemn Gospel fragments singing. The Krakow procession was headed by the local bishop, Cardinal Radziwiłł. You can also learn about the then street procession and the four Gospels singing from the missal of 1555. Late Middle Ages and Renaissance saw the most intense Corpus Christi cult in Poznań church of the Corpus Christi. Later, the procession participation was associated with the manifestation of national feelings.
As agreed at the Polish Bishops' Plenary Conference in 1967, the rites of the Corpus Christi procession were modified. New prayers were introduced at each of the four altars and readings from the four Gospels, thematically related to the Eucharist. This was obligatory for whole Poland. Members of the highest state authorities also participated in the Corpus Christi processions,
many Polish parishes and millions of the faithful were involved in this year's jubilee celebrations of the Corpus Christi. The feast and celebrations are deeply rooted in culture and history. This has also been extremely important for shaping pro-Christian attitudes.
(MCh)