the floral display set up in the chapel of the ‘sacred stones’ at the sanctuary of Bolsena
This was how the feast of Corpus Christi was described last Sunday, 7 June, during the homily, by Archbishop Gian Luca Perici, Apostolic Nuncio to Zambia and Malawi, titular bishop of the Basilica of Santa Cristina in Bolsena.
“We celebrate the astonishing fact that the Creator of the universe – the One who sustains every star, every atom, every breath – wishes to enter into us. He does not wish to be worshipped from afar. He wishes to nourish us, transform us, and dwell within us.” He continued: “I come from Zambia… I have seen mothers walking for kilometres under the sun to bring their children to Mass. I have seen elderly people arrive at church with aching knees, leaning against the walls. I once asked a woman: ‘Why do you go to such great lengths just to come here?’ She looked at me as if the question were strange… and simply replied: ‘Because the Lord is waiting for me.’”
The 5.00 p.m. Mass on Sunday was very well attended, with our Bishop Gualtiero and around fifteen concelebrating priests present, followed by the solemn procession which wound its way through the village streets, adorned with marvellous floral displays (infiorata) prepared by the local people, who young and old alike had been busy since early morning to complete in time the figures and symbols that transformed our streets into an extensive floral garden.
We approached the Feast of Corpus Christi with a sort of ‘Eucharistic week’: from Sunday 31 May (Mass with wedding anniversaries) to Wednesday 3 June (Mass and Anointing of the Sick and the Elderly), together with the parishes of the Pastoral Unit of St Cristina and St Ansano.
Then, on Thursday 4 June, there was Mass for the flower-layers and all the associations, and on Friday 5 June a concert of Eucharistic hymns masterfully performed by the choirs of Saint Saviour of Bolsena and Acquapendente, and the choir from Volkersthausen (Germany), our twin town.
Finally, on Saturday the 6th, there was a Eucharistic Vigil attended by young people and adults taking part in the ‘March of Faith’ from Bolsena to Orvieto, which concluded at 6 a.m. on Sunday with the Dawn Mass presided over by Bishop Gualtiero.
“Christ wants to go out – as Archbishop Perici said in concluding his homily - he wants to be taken to where there is loneliness, where there is poverty, where there is someone who has lost hope. And he does so through us. Through our hands, our words. The Mass ended with a sending-forth: Ite, Missa est. The Mass does not end at the altar; it continues outside, in everyday life… When I return to Zambia, I will take with me the memory of this celebration. I will carry it as one carries something precious, with gratitude and joy.”
Father Maurizio Zorzi, sss
