A celebration of the Eucharist is held all around the world today, as we give thanks for the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. The word Eucharist in fact means ‘giving thanks,’ and it was the last gift Jesus left for us, during the Last Supper when he gave us His Body and His Blood as a memorial, and which we commemorate at every Mass we celebrate. Processions are held in many parishes with the celebrant carrying the Blessed Sacrament in a Monstrance or in a ciborium, and many people place flowers on the street. Children who recently received their First Holy Communion also accompany in the procession, along with altar servers and priests. The above photo was taken in a procession at Rabat, Malta when I was visiting in 2008, and you can see the monstrance being carried by a bishop, accompanied by members of the confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament, dressed in red capes, holding a baldacchino above the Blessed Sacrament.
The procession of Corpus Christi was started by a Belgian nun, Sister Giuliana of Liege who had asked her Bishop Jacques Pantaleon to start this devotion. Eventually he became Pope and as Pope Urban IV, he gave her desired permission, and the processions is held world-wide in many countries.
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