CHARLOTTE — In one of his first public events with parishioners, Bishop-elect Michael Martin will celebrate a special Mass for the feast of Corpus Christi with St. Matthew Church faithful in a Ballantyne amphitheater, with as many as 5,000 people in attendance.
The free event is open to everyone and is set for 10:45 a.m. Sunday, June 2, at The Amp. Tickets are required and may be obtained online here.
Bishop-elect Martin will be installed as the fifth Bishop of Charlotte on May 30, and on Saturday will officiate for the ordination of five deacons for the diocese, then on Sunday will celebrate Mass for the feast of Corpus Christi with parishioners.
Most recently a parish priest from Jonesboro, Georgia, in the Archdiocese of Atlanta, he succeeds Bishop Peter Jugis, who has retired after 20 years of serving as the Bishop of Charlotte.
The Amp is located at 11115 Upper Ave., off Ballantyne Corporate Place, and the event will include Mass and a Eucharistic Procession for the feast of Corpus Christi.
St. Matthew Parish leaders describe the special celebration as “a day of renewal and rededication” meant to draw Catholics together to honor God’s precious gift of the Eucharist.
The annual solemn feast day celebrates Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist.
Corpus Christi is Latin for “Body of Christ” and was first established as a Holy Day in 1246 by Bishop Robert de Thorte of Liege, Belgium, then extended to the universal Church in 1264 by
Pope Urban IV at the suggestion of St. Thomas Aquinas, who encouraged a feast day focused on the Eucharist and the Real Presence.
The feast day takes on additional meaning this year with the celebration of the National Eucharistic Congress, encouraging a renewed focus on the gift of the Eucharist for Catholics around the U.S.
— Christina Lee Knauss
Reserve your free tickets
Get free tickets and more information at www.stmatthewcatholic.org/feast-of-corpus-christi.