Corpus Christi is Latin for “The Body of Christ.” We’re talking about one of the most beautiful feast days in the Catholic Church, rooted in Eucharistic love, divine visions, and a miracle that changed everything, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, a feast all about honoring the real, true, actual presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

It Started with a Vision

The origins of this feast begin with St. Juliana of Liège, a 13th-century Augustinian nun in Belgium who had a deep love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Over the years, St. Juliana received several visions of Jesus, who asked her to advocate for a new feast dedicated solely to His Body and Blood in the Eucharist.

From Vision to Vatican

Among the people who took Juliana’s revelations seriously was the Archdeacon of Liège, Jacques Pantaléon of Troyes, who would eventually become Pope Urban IV. In 1263, a Eucharistic miracle occurred in the small Italian town of Bolsena, a priest named Fr. Peter of Prague, struggling with doubts about the real presence, witnessed blood pouring from the Host as he consecrated it at Mass. With Juliana’s visions and the miracle at Bolsena fresh in mind, Pope Urban IV declared the Feast of Corpus Christi a universal solemnity in 1264.

Why This Feast Matters

The Eucharist isn’t just a symbol or a memory. It’s JESUS. Fully present. Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. And we need a feast, a big, joyful one, to honor that.

What You Can Do

  • Attend Mass on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi

  • Join a Eucharistic procession if your parish hosts one

  • Spend time in adoration, even just 10 minutes can change your day

  • Pray for a deeper belief in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist

Happy Feast of Corpus Christi. May Jesus in the Eucharist bless you abundantly.