The Feast of Corpus Christi: Celebrating the Heart of Our Faith

A Eucharistic Community

Each year, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of Corpus Christi: the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. This celebration draws our focus to the central mystery of our faith: that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. This year, the Church marks the feast on Sunday 22 June, while our College will gather as a whole-school community to celebrate it earlier on Friday 20 June.

As a school named Corpus Christi, the feast is especially meaningful. It reminds us that we are a Eucharistic people, called to make Christ’s presence in the Eucharist known through our actions, our relationships, and our service to others.

A Special Moment for Our Year 4 Students

This year’s celebration holds particular significance as our Year 4 students will receive their First Holy Communion between our College Feast Day and the official Church celebration of Corpus Christi. As these students prepare to receive the Body of Christ for the first time, they lead all of us in renewing our own understanding and love of the Eucharist.

Their journey is a reminder that every reception of the Eucharist is an invitation to be transformed – to become what we receive and to carry Christ with us in the world. As a College, it’s a joy to walk alongside them during this special time.

 The Spirit of Hope in a Jubilee Year

The Church around the world is also celebrating the Jubilee Year of 2025, a time of renewal and grace under the theme "Pilgrims of Hope." The lead-up is focused on building a Spirit of Hope among Catholics: hope in God’s promises, hope in the Church, and hope in the future.

Our celebration of Corpus Christi is deeply connected to this theme. The Eucharist is a sacrament of hope: a sign that Christ is with us, that God’s love is never far away, and that we are never alone on the journey. As we move through this Jubilee Year, our College community is invited to walk as pilgrims of hope – grounded in the Eucharist, and committed to living with courage, commitment and compassion.

Pilgrimage to Orvieto: A Sacred Connection

Next year, students and staff taking part in our College Pilgrimage to Italy will have the chance to visit the historic town of Orvieto. This town holds a special place in the story of Corpus Christi. In the year 1263, a German priest who struggled with belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist experienced a miracle while celebrating Mass nearby, the host began to bleed during the consecration. The blood-stained cloth was brought to the Pope in Orvieto, who declared it a sign of God’s truth and love. He soon established the Feast of Corpus Christi for the entire Church.

The beautiful Orvieto Cathedral was built to house the relic, and it remains a sacred site to this day. For our pilgrims, visiting Orvieto will be a powerful moment, not just of witnessing Church history, but of standing in the place where faith and doubt met, and hope triumphed.

Living as the Body of Christ

As we prepare for our College Mass and the wider feast of Corpus Christi, we are reminded of who we are: a community formed by Christ’s Body and called to be His Body in the world.

 Let us pray for our Year 4s as they take this sacred step, for our pilgrims preparing to walk in the footsteps of saints, and for all in our College community, that we may live with a spirit of hope, trusting that Christ is with us, always.

Lord Jesus and His Church, the Body of Christ: Pray for us.