Cardinal Leo leads Toronto’s Corpus Christi procession in 35°C heat, proclaiming Christ’s Eucharistic presence with hymns, prayers, and a Jubilee banner.
Toronto (June 22, 2025, (Gaudiumpress)– On a swelteringly intense Sunday afternoon with temperatures reaching 35°C, St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica in Toronto served as the starting point for a vibrant Corpus Christi procession, a public declaration of faith in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Led by His Eminence Cardinal Francis Leo, the procession followed a noon Mass, drawing hundreds of Catholics to walk the city streets in worship of the Blessed Sacrament.
Photocredits: Gustavo Kralj/GaudiumpressImages
As Cardinal Leo stated at his sermon at the noon mass “This procession is a public blessing for our city,” the Cardinal said, echoing Pope Benedict XVI’s 2005 Corpus Christi homily: “We bring Christ, present under the sign of bread, onto the streets. May our streets be streets of Jesus, may our homes be homes for Him.”
The Corpus Christi procession, as described in the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy (162), “represents the typical form of a Eucharistic procession. It is a prolongation of the celebration of the Eucharist: immediately after Mass, the Sacred Host, consecrated during the Mass, is borne out of the Church for the Christian faithful ‘to make public profession of faith and worship of the Most Blessed Sacrament.’” This ancient tradition, rooted in the 13th-century establishment of the feast by Pope Urban IV, came alive in Toronto as a testament to the enduring centrality of the Eucharist.
The procession began with the Jubilees Cross, a symbol of the Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year, leading the way along Bond Street. Following closely were members of the Federation of North American Explorers, their uniforms a striking presence. Clergy from various religious orders walked next, reflecting the richness of Catholic tradition. At the heart of the procession was a golden canopy sheltering the monstrance, which held the consecrated Host—the Holy Eucharist itself—carried reverently by Cardinal Leo. The St. Michael’s Boys Choir followed, their voices soaring with St. Thomas Aquinas’ timeless hymns, Lauda Sion, Pange Lingua, and Tantum Ergo, composed over 700 years ago for this feast.
Behind the choir marched the Dames and Knights of Malta and the Holy Sepulchre, their ceremonial attire adding a sense of solemnity. The Heralds of the Gospel, Sisters of Life, and Missionaries of Charity followed, their presence a witness to consecrated life. The laity, representing parishes across Toronto, formed a joyful throng, praying and singing as they processed. Bringing up the rear was a banner proclaiming “Jubilee 2025: Pilgrims of Hope,” tying the event to the Church’s global celebration of hope and renewal.
As the procession moved through Toronto’s downtown—along Bond Street to Dundas Street East, then Church Street and Shuter Street, before returning to Bond Street—the faithful enriched their worship with prayers and devotions. Participants meditated on the Fifth Luminous Mystery, the Institution of the Eucharist, reflecting on Christ’s gift of Himself at the Last Supper. This was followed by the Litany of the Most Blessed Sacrament, its invocations resounding through the streets. Along the way the First Glorious Mystery, the Resurrection, was contemplated, paired with the Litany of the Holy Eucharist, deepening the connection between Christ’s victory over death and His Eucharistic presence. Despite the intense heat, these prayers sustained the pilgrims.
Upon returning to St. Michael’s, the procession concluded with a solemn Benediction, as the congregation knelt in awe before the Blessed Sacrament. Afterward, light refreshments and ice cream were served , a welcome relief for the heat-weary pilgrims.
For Toronto’s Catholics, the Corpus Christi celebration was both a profound encounter with Christ and a bold witness in a pluralistic city. As Cardinal Leo said in his sermon earlier at mass, ” This procession is a public blessing, a witness that Christ walks with us, blessing our city and our world. Let us go forth, then, to proclaim: Praise be Jesus Christ, truly present in the Most Holy Eucharist!”
-Raju Hasmukh
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