Hundreds give witness to faith in the Real Presence
By Josh Low
Hundreds gathered to pray for Tasmania and give public witness to their belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist at the annual ‘Walk with Christ’ Eucharistic procession through the streets of Hobart.
Around 300 people flocked to Hobart from across Tasmania to take part in the procession, with some coming from as far as Smithton. A bus travelled from Launceston to Hobart bringing 43 participants from the north of the state.
Held on Sunday 2 June, the Feast of Corpus Christi, the procession began at St Joseph’s Church in Hobart, and continued down Harrington Street to St Mary’s Cathedral, with people exiting buildings and stopping in their tracks to watch.
In his address to the faithful, Archbishop Julian referenced the words of Christ from the Gospel of Matthew.
“I am with you always; yes, to the end of time. This is a promise that is not just at the psychological level, as some kind of emotional assurance.
“It is a promise that was to be tangibly real. And its most evident realisation is to be found in the Real Presence of the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament,” he said.
“Today is a day to give expression to this faith and embrace the gift with renewed devotion.
“This procession is a public expression of our deep appreciation for this wonderful gift of the Real Presence and a desire to invoke the blessing of our Eucharistic Lord on the places where we live and work,” he said.
Having recently moved to Hobart, James and Catherine Woolford described the event as a joyous occasion of walking behind Our Lord through the streets of Hobart.
“We’re Catholic, we’re proud to be Catholic and we’re here to stand for our faith in public,” James said.
“The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, and what sustains and nourishes us,” Catherine added.
“By walking together with our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, we’re saying to people that we truly believe that Christ is present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in that little white host.”
Third time participant Renz Tabangay said he really enjoyed being part of the annual Walk with Christ.
“Being with the body of the Church, walking together with the Lord, singing the hymns and prayers with other people as one voice was very special,” he said.
Eve Woolven said she would love to see more Eucharistic processions taking place.
“It just felt really good to be united with other Catholics, surrounded by my community and witnessing to the faith and the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
“Eucharistic processions are not as common they used to be historically – and it takes a lot of courage to walk through a public place to have people see you and know that you’re Catholic, but it’s such an important witness to our faith,” she said.