Jesus under the Arch

Under the iconic 630-foot catenary curve of the Gateway Arch, Jesus in the Eucharist passed by.

Parishioners and visitors to the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France (Old Cathedral) marked the feast of Corpus Christi on June 7 with a eucharistic procession through Gateway Arch National Park. Father Nicholas Smith, rector of the Old Cathedral, carried the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance from the church onto the national park grounds, winding along the path to the Arch and looping back.

As participants sang hymns including “Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All” and “O Sacrament Most Holy,” several people near the Arch stopped to watch the procession; some took photos or videos, while others removed their hats or knelt as the monstrance passed. The procession stopped at the top of the Arch steps to pray the Litany of the Most Blessed Sacrament before continuing.

The Corpus Christi procession is a centuries-old Catholic tradition that publicly celebrates the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. The feast of Corpus Christi, or the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, was established in Liege, Belgium, in 1247. Pope Urban IV extended it to the universal Church almost two decades later, and the Corpus Christi procession followed soon after. Corpus Christi processions continue to be held worldwide, including in many parishes of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

“On this feast, we give thanks to the Lord for one of the greatest gifts that Christ has given His Church: the Eucharist,” Father Smith said in his homily at noon Mass before the procession. “The Eucharist is not merely a symbol or a reminder of Jesus — it is Jesus Himself, His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, given to us as food for our journey to eternal life.”

Through the Eucharist, we are united not only with God but also with each other, an important reminder in our age often marked by division and isolation, Father Smith said. That spiritual nourishment should be evident in the way we live our lives.

“The Eucharist teaches us that we belong to Christ and we belong to each other. We cannot receive the Body of Christ and then remain indifferent to the needs of His people,” he said. “…The Christ whom we receive at Mass sends us forth to become His presence. When we forgive those who hurt us, when we care for someone who is lonely, when we visit the sick, when we support a struggling family or assist those in need, we then allow the grace of the Eucharist to bear fruit in our lives.”

The Old Cathedral community had been interested in hosting a Corpus Christi procession for a while and decided the archdiocesan bicentennial year was the perfect opportunity, Father Smith said. They obtained permission to host the procession on the grounds of the national park, a nod to the earliest days of the city and the archdiocese.

“The people that established this village of St. Louis in 1764 would have come down the Mississippi River, landed, and here we go — there’s all of this because of that,” he said.

Susie Tumminello, a member of the choir at the Old Cathedral, was inspired by the people she saw along the route who stopped to watch the procession — and some who even joined in.

“It was really moving,” she said. “It was great to glorify God, and to see people following and joining in on that was an amazing gift of faith.”

Phil Greco was in St. Louis for a business trip with his son, Ryan, and found Mass times for the Old Cathedral. The father and son, who live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, heard an announcement about the Corpus Christi procession at 10:30 a.m. Mass and were so excited they decided to come back to take part.

“We wanted to see the Arch, and we wanted to process with our Lord and pray and be with Him,” Phil Greco said. “I’m just grateful that it was offered right here at the Arch. That’s amazing.”

Participating in an outdoor eucharistic procession was a chance to focus on Jesus and share that with others, said Ryan Greco, 15.

“I feel like a lot of people are worried about what other people think of them, but I just felt like it was a very holy experience,” he said.

It’s important for Catholics to be able to unabashedly worship Jesus in public, Phil Greco said, and processions like this one are also opportunities to spark curiosity or start conversations with people who have a wide range of religious experiences.

“It’s OK on some level to let the Eucharist be a point of challenge to encourage people to look deeper: What is that? What are they doing? Why are they giving their time on Sunday to process and sing?” he said. “I would hope that us processing in the community is an invitation to unity, to get people who have fallen away to come back and say, ‘oh my gosh, I remember that beauty and that awe,’ and then come back.”