Bishop Joel M. Konzen, SM, left, and Bishop John N. Tran walk together during eucharistic procession starting from the Church of the Purification to celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi. Photo by Julianna Leopold

CRAWFORDVILLE—Catholics gathered on June 6 to celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi in the place where the faith began in Georgia. 

Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv., and Atlanta’s auxiliary bishops celebrated an outdoor Mass in a meadow on the property of the Retreat at Heritage. A eucharistic procession—two and a half miles in length—preceded the Mass. The procession began at the Church of the Purification, the first Catholic Church in Georgia.

The weekend celebration also included a display of eucharistic miracles at the Retreat at Heritage. The archdiocese offered transportation for those wanting to travel to the event from the Atlanta area.

Corpus Christi—the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ—celebrates the Catholic belief in the real presence of Jesus Christ’s body, blood, soul and divinity in the Eucharist. More than 100 pilgrims participated in the procession including laypeople, priests and the Missionaries of Charity.