Our reader Paul Davidson sends us this report of the Corpus Christi Mass and Procession in Front Royal, Virginia (pictures taken by Mr. Tom McFadden):
Immediately following the weekly Sunday 12:30 P.M. Traditional Latin Mass in the main church, attended by two to three hundred faithful, the Pastor mounted the Most Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance upon the main altar, all knelt and sang "O Salutaris Hostia", then from in front of the altar the Procession began.
Continuing out the main front doors of the church, behind the Blessed Sacrament the Procession went down the steps and into the street. Many altar servers (all boys - we have no altar girls in our parish), including candle-bearers and two swinging thuribles (with plenty of "holy smoke"!), a Knights of Columbus Honor Guard, and the four men holding up the canopy on poles over the Pastor bearing the Holy Sacrament in the monstrance, led the Procession, followed by the parish choir, the First Communion Class in their beautiful white dresses and veils, and the Legion of Mary, and then the congregation from the Mass.
As the town police stopped traffic for the Procession, we proceeded down Main Street to the Town Gazebo where an altar had been set up. Along the way townspeople and tourists watched from the sidewalks. We sang Eucharistic hymns as we processed.
At the town gazebo, everyone knelt - on cement, on brick surface, on grass - as the Pastor celebrated Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in Latin. All sang the traditional Latin hymns. We then prayed the Fatima Prayers. When all this was done, the Procession lined up as described above and we all processed back to the church, singing Eucharistic hymns once again. Inside the church, the Parochial Vicar celebrated Benediction at the main altar. At the close, everyone loudly and thankfully sang the hymn "Holy God, we Praise Thy Name." For those who wished to remain, an ice cream social was then enjoyed in the parish hall.
