Liège in Belgium used to be described as the "Paradise of priests." The many important churches that adorn the city center testify to its rich Catholic past, when the bishop of Liege was prince of the Holy Roman Empire. Unfortunately, the faith has declined here as often in Belgium; even in the city where Corpus Christi was established in 1246 after the visions of St. Juliana of Cornillon, the procession of the Blessed Sacrament had disappeared since the 1970's.
But for the second year in a row, an association of laypeople have given great solemnity to the feast of Corpus Christi in Liège. The Mass and the procession take place in the beautiful church of the Blessed Sacrament, saved from closure by the association who bought it few years ago.
The solemn Mass of Corpus Christi was celebrated by Canon Vanderbruggen, O.Praem., rector of the Shrine of Tancrémont, assisted by Fr Jean-Pierre Herman and Fr Claude Germeau. The Schola Sainte Cecile was invited from Paris and sing works by French and local Belgian composers of the 17th century.
According to the local tradition, a brass band played traditional processional tunes during the procession, as shown in this video:
More information is available via the organizers blog.
More pictures from the blog of Schola Sainte Cécile.
