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Post by hollister on Jun 7, 2007 7:54:47 GMT -7
Today is a national holiday in Poland Is this holiday now just another excuse for a day off or is it still celebrated in the manner it was intended? How is it celebrated? As I understand it - there are processions. I hope that maybe some of our Polish members will post pictures (yes, that is a hint Pawain and Zooba!) Was it celebrated under soviet control? What differences are seen today as then? here is a link with more information: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corpus_Christi_%28feast%29The article from Polskie Radio Polish Catholics observe Corpus Christi 07.06.2007 Thursday is Corpus Christi – one of the major holidays in the Catholic church. The predominantly Catholic society in Poland is widely observing this religious occasion. The hallmark throughout the country are traditional mid-day processions of the faithful in their respective parishes. The major event took place in the capital. It was led by the metropolitan of Warsaw archbishop Kazimierz Nycz, following morning mass at the Holy Cross basilica. In his homily, the archbishop emphasized the need for unity among Poles. The first Corpus Christi procession in the Catholic church was organized by bishop Robert in the parish of Liege in 1246. In Poland, this religious holiday has been observed since the year 1320.
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Post by leslie on Jun 7, 2007 8:35:12 GMT -7
Chris (Holli) Have you been reading my postings?! Leslie
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Post by Jaga on Jun 7, 2007 9:27:18 GMT -7
Holly, how good that you reminded us about the Corpus Christi Day. I almost forgot it. Yes, this was always a huge celebration in Poland. People hung holy pictures from the windows especially where the procession were coming through. This was also a time of the special tension between the Church and the communistic state since churches were going on the streets with the procession. Jerzy shared some pictures with us the last year. Please, check it here: culture.polishsite.us/articles/art362.htmlFeast of Corpus Christi in Kraków Leslie, I might also not notice your post about it, where is it?
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Post by hollister on Jun 7, 2007 9:35:40 GMT -7
Jaga! How did I miss your article! I looked - glad you pointed it out and the wonderful Pawain pictures to boot! I'm sorry I missed this in my initial posting - apologies all around. How funny that the communists used American movies to try and modulate the festival.
Leslie, did I miss something?
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Post by troubledgoodangel on Jun 7, 2007 12:01:45 GMT -7
Cracov is in the midst of celebrating the 750 anniversary of its founding in 1257 by King Boleslav Wstydliwy. But the eyes of most Cracovians were today on Corpus Christi. A large procession with trombones and tambourines was descending from Wawel Castle just as I was leaving the Bernardine Church. There were hundreds of foreign visitors on hand, some coming to see the relics of St. Simon of Lipnica, others to attend the Cracov anniversary ceremonies, still others to celebrate the Corpus Christi. Corpus Christi is a feast of the Eucharist. The Eucharist, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, "makes present and communicates the Redeemer and His work of redemption in a sacramental and symbolic manner" (Summa theologiae III, q. 65. a. 3). In Christian antiquity, the Eucharist was celebrated as both a sacrifice and a sacrificial meal. Today, for most Christians, it's an encounter with Jesus, the most precious moment in their life of faith. As a historical curiosity, the eucharistic cult was actually given a new life in Belgium, with the visions of the Augustinian nun Juliana de Liege (remarkably, she died in 1258, one year after Cracow was founded). Already in 1209, this mystic began to experience "visions of the liturgical year in the form of a moon marred by one black spot: this was interpreted to her as the lack of a special feast for the Eucharist" (cf. J. Ratzinger & J. Auer, The mystery of the Eucharist, IV, in Dogmatic Thelogy, wyd. Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., 1995, s. 335). In response, in 1246, Bishop Robert de Liege ordered the first ever "feast of the Eucharist" to be celebrated in his diocese. Moreover, in 1230, Juliana de Liege reported her visions to Archdiacon Jacob Pantaleon de Liege, who subsequently became Pope Urban IV. This Pope, in 1264, instituted for the Western Church what later came to be known as the "Feast of Corpus Christi." As a matter of fact, it was St. Thomas Aquinas himself who composed some well-known hymns for this feast, including the sequence Lauda Sion. Whereas the feast caught on immediately in the Germanic north (including processions at Cologne and Benediktbeuern in 1277), it was only introduced in Rome in 1317, by Pope John XXII. I am not sure when the feast began to be celebrated in Poland for the first time.
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Post by Jaga on Jun 8, 2007 18:14:28 GMT -7
Cracov is in the midst of celebrating the 750 anniversary of its founding in 1257 by King Boleslav Wstydliwy. As a historical curiosity, the eucharistic cult was actually given a new life in Belgium, with the visions of the Augustinian nun Juliana de Liege (remarkably, she died in 1258, one year after Cracow was founded). Already in 1209, this mystic began to experience "visions of the liturgical year in the form of a moon marred by one black spot: this was interpreted to her as the lack of a special feast for the Eucharist" (cf. J. Ratzinger & J. Auer, The mystery of the Eucharist, IV, in Dogmatic Thelogy, wyd. Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., 1995, s. 335). In response, in 1246, Bishop Robert de Liege ordered the first ever "feast of the Eucharist" to be celebrated in his diocese. Moreover, in 1230, Juliana de Liege reported her visions to Archdiacon Jacob Pantaleon de Liege, who subsequently became Pope Urban IV. This Pope, in 1264, instituted for the Western Church what later came to be known as the "Feast of Corpus Christi." Hello, thanks for your great historical preview of the Corpus Christi feast. Frankly, I did not know this feast is related to the vision of the Belgian nun! Referring to the 750 year anniversary, my Polish friends told me the same thing, Krakow is in the midst of this celebration. It is very good that people in Krakow have always so many ocassions to celebrate I wish jerzy posted some pictures from the celebration.
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zooba
Full Pole
Posts: 369
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Post by zooba on Jun 11, 2007 3:46:42 GMT -7
I did not take any photos but this year I took a group pf Indian visitors at my institute to see the celebrations. It was extremely interesting experience for me because they almost didn't know anything about our religion and I had to explain them the meaning of the feast in such simple terms that I had real problems. We saw the procession led by the archbishop of Poznan with people in folk costumes, of course girls throwing flower petals, nuns and monks, lots of priests and lots of people. The celebrations have not changed in my opinion, as long as I remember the police helped with the traffic, whether they liked it or not. The celebrations have a special atmosphere, there is one song sang at each of the altars - I believe a very old one - where we ask God to save us from "powietrza, głodu, ognia i wojny" (plague, starving, fire and war) and "od nagłej a niespodziewanej śmierci" (sudden and unexpected death) - this prayer sends shivers down my spine. I feel small and humble.
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Post by rdywenur on Jun 11, 2007 7:38:28 GMT -7
Yesterday I took my mom to church and they were celebrating the Corpus Christi Day. 1100 A mass is usually in Polish and I don't understand it but since my mom can't get to church herself now I voluntered. If I had known I would have taken some fotos for you. They had the Knights of Columbus, Polish Boy Scouts and younger children dressed in their communion outfits. After mass was the celebration where the people had the procession with two altars set up outside with the throwing of the flowers. It was a very nice day weather wise for the festivities.
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Post by troubledgoodangel on Jun 13, 2007 2:21:58 GMT -7
Cracov is in the midst of celebrating the 750 anniversary of its founding in 1257 by King Boleslav Wstydliwy. As a historical curiosity, the eucharistic cult was actually given a new life in Belgium, with the visions of the Augustinian nun Juliana de Liege (remarkably, she died in 1258, one year after Cracow was founded). Already in 1209, this mystic began to experience "visions of the liturgical year in the form of a moon marred by one black spot: this was interpreted to her as the lack of a special feast for the Eucharist" (cf. J. Ratzinger & J. Auer, The mystery of the Eucharist, IV, in Dogmatic Thelogy, wyd. Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., 1995, s. 335). In response, in 1246, Bishop Robert de Liege ordered the first ever "feast of the Eucharist" to be celebrated in his diocese. Moreover, in 1230, Juliana de Liege reported her visions to Archdiacon Jacob Pantaleon de Liege, who subsequently became Pope Urban IV. This Pope, in 1264, instituted for the Western Church what later came to be known as the "Feast of Corpus Christi." Hello, thanks for your great historical preview of the Corpus Christi feast. Frankly, I did not know this feast is related to the vision of the Belgian nun! Referring to the 750 year anniversary, my Polish friends told me the same thing, Krakow is in the midst of this celebration. It is very good that people in Krakow have always so many ocassions to celebrate I wish jerzy posted some pictures from the celebration.
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Post by troubledgoodangel on Jun 13, 2007 2:44:57 GMT -7
I take back the adjective "Belgian" in reference to St. Juliana. The Belgians obviously have a good reason to be proud that this great Saint was born in Cornillon (Belgian territory since 1830, when the modern Kingdom of Belgium came into being). The history, though, indicates that those areas were very contested since 558 A.D. when Liege was founded as Vicus Leudicus (presently called la cite ardente (the fiery city)). St. Juliana lost both parents at the age of five, and was ever since confined at the Abbey of Cornillon, which was at the time part of the Holy Roman Empire (and nominally so until 1477). The history of the Bishopric of Liege is itself an anomaly, for unlike all adjacent feudal states it remained independent till 1790, when it was incorporated to France after the French Revolution. The Beguines themselves were founded by Lambert de Begue, at Liege, but I find no record that St. Juliana was a Beguine, since she was an Augustinian nun (presently the Abbey of Cornillon is occupied by Carmelite nuns). One thing is certain: that Juliana was one of the greatest Saints the Church has, and that she has performed many miracles (Acta SS., April, I, 435 sq). Moreover, having been born and raised in what is modern Belgium, St. Juliana was definitely a child of that area.
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Post by Jaga on Jun 13, 2007 8:11:46 GMT -7
Troubleangel,
thanks for more explanation. Maybe in the future we can do the article from the history of the Corpus Christi here on the website? This should be nice!
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