Greensburg Catholics to mark Corpus Christi with procession to courthouse

Parishioners at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg will celebrate a feast day Sunday with a procession from the church to the Westmoreland County Courthouse.

This will be the first time Bishop Larry Kulick will lead a procession to the courthouse, a few blocks away from the church on Main Street, spokesperson Cliff Gorski said.

The ritual is being held in honor of Thursday’s Feast of Corpus Christi, a celebration of the institution of the communion practice in the Catholic faith. Kulick will lead the procession carrying a vessel called a monstrance, which holds the bread used in the communion sacrament, also called the Eucharist.

“The procession will make its way from the cathedral to the courthouse square, as a sign of our faith in the heart of Westmoreland County,” Gorski said. “Normally processions like this would end at another church, but the ritual allows for it to end at ‘another suitable place.’

“Bishop Kulick’s desire was to go to this center of our local church not only as a public witness to the faith but to pray for all of those in need.”

Following the cathedral’s 11 a.m. Mass, parishioners will walk on the sidewalks to the courthouse. A shuttle bus will be provided for those unable to make the walk. Main Street will not be blocked for the procession, Gorski said.

Once at the courthouse square, Kulick will lead parishioners in praying for the city and people in need, including the imprisoned, sick and elderly.

Bringing the feast day celebration to a public setting aligns with the church’s mission of going out into the world and helping others, Gorski said.

“Just as Jesus walked among his disciples, just as he sought out the poor, the ill and the ignored, so we take Jesus to the streets walking with him so that the whole world may encounter his true presence,” he said.