5 Ways to Celebrate Corpus Christi as a Family

The Feast of Corpus Christi is coming up soon!

Here are 5 ways to make this special Sunday meaningful for your family–plus, a suggestion for a new family tradition you can start this year!

Have a family discussion about the Eucharist and Mass

“Corpus Christi” literally means “The Body of Christ.” Corpus Christi is a day when we honor Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament and thank Him for His sacrifice on the Cross.

Spend some time this Sunday talking as a family about the gift of the Eucharist and the Holy Mass. Look at pictures of your children’s First Communion celebrations and ask them what they remember about that day. Ask younger children what they are looking forward to and how they are preparing for their First Communions. Brainstorm some ways that you can grow closer to Jesus in the Eucharist as a family.

Looking for some resources to jump start your conversations? Here are some great resources:

Inside the Sacraments: The Holy Mass DVD is an easy way to start teaching kids about the ins and outs of the liturgy. Children will learn the sights, sounds, and responses for each part of the Mass, and WHY we do so! Just pop the DVD in and you’re good to go!

Introduce the idea of venerating the Eucharist through picture books like The Weight of the Mass. What happens when a destitute widow begs only a crust of bread in return for offering the Royal Wedding Mass? The story that follows will illustrate the power of Jesus in the Host and touch little hearts and minds!

Also be sure to check out The Alphabet of the Altar to help small children better appreciate the beauty of the Mass! Don’t be deceived by the title…this book is perfect for even those who already know their alphabet! It contains intricate and detailed drawings that children will inspect closely to discover all sorts of secret details! Informed by a love for the beauty of our Faith, this is one book that kids won’t want to put down!

Finally, kids of all ages will love the NEW Participating at Holy Mass coloring book…and they won’t even realize they are learning as they color! Young kids can pick out the appropriate vestment color, while older siblings can read and explain the accompanying text.

Participate in a procession

Is your parish doing a Corpus Christi procession? Traditionally, the priest would walk around the town carrying the monstrance. Children who had just made their First Communion would wear their dresses and suits again, and throw flowers in Jesus’ path!

Search around to see if one is happening at a parish in your area that your family can participate in. This is a great memory for small children!

Even if you cannot find a Corpus Christi procession, consider letting your First Communicants wear their First Communion outfits again this Sunday! And if you’re still looking for a late First Communion gift, take a look at My Picture Book of First Communion. It’s filled with timeless illustrations and descriptions.

Put on a play!

In the past, Corpus Christi processions would be followed by a play performance! These shows, called “Miracle Plays,” would be about a saint’s life or a story from the Bible.

Encourage your kids to put on their own play about a saint or a Bible story! Let them use their imaginations and gather objects and costumes from around the house.

Perhaps they can get inspiration for their play from a new saint who loved the Eucharist! Blessed Carlo Acutis loved the Blessed Sacrament very much…he even made a website all about Eucharistic miracles that you can still visit today!

You can listen to his Glory Story here and check out our NEW book!

Go to Adoration

Make some time to visit Jesus in the Eucharist this week. Even just saying hello for a few minutes will make Him so happy! See if your parish will offer Benediction this week–this is a beautiful prayer and has lots of smells and bells to interest kids!

If you can, bring some flowers to the monstrance! Even flowers picked from your backyard will do. Place them at the foot of the altar as a family and remind your kids that we bring our prayers to Jesus and lay them at the altar, too!

We know that keeping kids quiet in the Adoration chapel…make sure you bring our How To Make a Holy Hour pamphlet along! It contains a variety of suggested meditations and guides your hour minute-by-minute to keep you focused. It also comes in a pack of 5, so you can leave extra at the chapel for others to use!

Finally, start a new annual family tradition: Learn a Eucharistic hymn

The church has so many beautiful hymns honoring the most Blessed Sacrament! Some of these songs are centuries-old, and some have even been written by saints (like Thomas Aquinas)!

This year, start a new family tradition of learning a Eucharistic hymn in honor of Corpus Christi! Slowly add a new hymn each year so that by the time your children leave home, they have a collection of Eucharistic hymns memorized!

psst–here is a resource to help you learn a hymn this Sunday!

Here are some good Eucharistic hymns to know…if you’ve ever been to Benediction you may recognize some of these! Pick one of them and practice it a bit each day.

A lot of these are originally in Latin, but English versions exist too!

Tantum Ergo (Down in Adoration Falling)
O Salutaris Hostia (O Saving Sacrifice)
Panis Angelicus (Bread of Angels)
Anima Christi (Soul of my Savior)
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
Adoro Te Devote (Godhead here in Hiding)
Oh Sacrament Most Holy
Jesus my Lord my God my All
Pange Lingua (Sing my Tongue the Savior’s Glory)

Hint: if you want to learn more about Latin in the Mass, check out these resources for parents and kids!

5 Ways to Celebrate Corpus Christi as a Family