CAMAS – For Brett Herrmann, joining his parish’s annual procession on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi June 2 is a chance to be a public witness to his Catholic faith.

“It’s a great opportunity to show my faith to my (four) children and to show my faith and love for Christ to our community,” Herrmann said.

Members of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Camas will process through town with the Eucharist in a monstrance, carried by a priest under a canopy. Afterward, they will enjoy a picnic on the parish grounds. 

Children like Hermann’s son James and 8-year-old Isabella DeRosa, who recently received their first Communion, will join the procession, dropping rose petals in front of the monstrance, said Isabella’s mother, Dulce DeRosa.

“It helps unite us and be closer to God,” she said of the Corpus Christi procession. 

“It helps us solidify how we share our beliefs with our community,” added her husband, John DeRosa.

The procession was started in 2005 by Father Derek Lappe, who was pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas when Pope John Paul II declared a Year of the Eucharist from October 2004 to October 2005. In 2014, then-Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain joined the parish in its Corpus Christi procession. During the pandemic years, the procession was replaced by an open-air Holy Hour at the parish.

Groups including the Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Daughters of America join St. Thomas Aquinas Parish’s Corpus Christi procession through a Camas neighborhood. (Photo: Courtesy of Tom Meany)

Until a few years ago, the procession went through different neighborhoods and the parish picnic was held in a park, said Ted Meany, pastoral associate at St. Thomas Aquinas. After the parish acquired the property next to the church that included space where the picnic could be held, the church became the starting and ending point for the procession.

“It really is nice for the past several years having the route in the local neighborhood,” Meany said. 

Typically, about 200 people participate in the procession, which travels approximately one mile, Meany said. 

Altar servers will lead the procession while the choir sings Eucharistic hymns. All parish groups have a presence in the procession, said Carolyn Simms, who will accompany the parish’s preschool children. The route includes stops at five homes for benediction, Meany said.

He said Heralds of the Good News Father Rajasekar Savarimuthu, priest administrator at St. Thomas Aquinas, will be joined in the procession by Father Thomas Nathe, pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish in Vancouver. Starting July 1, Father Nathe will be pastor of the parish family that includes St. Thomas Aquinas, Holy Redeemer and Our Lady Star of the Sea in Stevenson.

Members of the new parish family are invited to participate in the Corpus Christi procession and join the picnic afterward, Meany added.

Kids enjoy face painting at the St. Thomas Aquinas Parish picnic in Camas in this 2023 photo. The picnic follows the annual Corpus Christi procession. (Photo: Courtesy of Ted Meany)

Picnic-goers will enjoy face painting, horseshoes and bocce, volleyball and races. John DeRosa will help set up before the picnic while Dulce and her daughters Isabella and Tiffany will help make popcorn and cotton candy. The Knights of Columbus will prepare burgers, hot dogs and brisket, Simms said, and street tacos will be made by a local couple who support parish events, Meany added.

Join a Corpus Christi procession

Corpus Christi is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, celebrated the weekend of June 1-2 this year. Some parishes around the archdiocese are hosting Eucharistic processions:

  • The Archdiocese of Seattle’s Multicultural Ministries is sponsoring a Corpus Christi multicultural Mass and procession at 5:30 p.m. June 1 at St. James Cathedral in Seattle.
  • Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in Bremerton is celebrating Corpus Christi with a procession beginning at 1:30 p.m. June 2 in front of the church, followed by a barbecue potluck. Before the procession, the parish will show the parishioner-produced film, “Faith Prevails: The Miracle of Bolsena.”
  • Sacred Heart Parish in Bellingham is hosting a Corpus Christi procession June 2 after the 11 a.m. Mass. The procession will travel to the Fairhaven community and back (about 1 mile), with ice cream treats afterward.
  • St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Tacoma will have a Corpus Christi multicultural procession, adoration and Benediction after its noon Mass on June 2. Lunch will follow in the parish hall.  

Check parishes in your area for other Corpus Christi processions that may be scheduled.