Corpus Christi in Feldkirchen: A festival full of faith and traditions!

Corpus Christi in Feldkirchen: A festival full of faith and traditions!

On June 19, 2025, the traditional Corpus Christi festival took place in Feldkirchen, an important event in the Upper Austrian calendar. The celebrations began with a festival service that the parish provisor Dieudonné Mavudila Bunda celebrated. He was supported by Deacon Norbert Wohlgemuth, Akolythin Miriam de Courcy and numerous altar servers: inside. The musical framework was taken over by the Stadtkapelle Feldkirchen and the Feldkirchenchor under the direction of Pass. Gisela Gsodam. In the middle of a festively decorated ambient, visitors experienced: a lively atmosphere of faith and community inside.

After the service, the procession was solemnly worn by the city center, in which the monstrance, the symbol of the sacred body and blood of Christ. The procession has a long tradition and was introduced by Pope Urban IV as early as the 13th century. Corpus Christi, which means "the body of the Lord", is a public commitment to the presence of Jesus in the sacrament of the Eucharist. In Feldkirchen, too, the procession celebrated the Christian creed with prayers and chants.

celebrations and customs

In Feldkirchen, the festival was not only a religious highlight, but also a social event. A traditional parish festival took place in the parish garden, in which the visitors could enjoy culinary delights, refreshing drinks and homemade pastries. There was a diverse program for the families that addressed children and adults alike. Highlights such as the Happenhafen and the estimation game with Provisor Dieudonné and pastoral assistant Peter Artl provided a lot of joy among those present. The parish council donated the main prize of the estimation game Klaus Artl.

The commitment of everyone involved was obvious. Thanks to the helpers: inside, volunteers and especially the Feldkirchen fire brigade, who actively supported support. Mayor Martin Meetner as well as the municipality of Feldkirchen were also recognized for their benevolent support. The sponsors, including the Salvator Pharmacy Feldkirchen, Bernhard household articles and those others who contributed to the success of the festival through donations in kind, were not forgotten. Katholische Kirche Kärnten emphasizes that the festival of encounter, faith and thank you.

historical background

Corpus Christi has its origins in the visions of Juliana von Liège, who lived in the 13th century. Her conviction that there would be no feast for the worship of the Eucharist led to the introduction of the festival. Supported by her community and above all by Bishop Robert von Turotte, the first Corpus Christi festival was celebrated in 1246, and in 1264 it finally found its official place in the church calendar by Pope Urban IV. Corpus Christi is also a legal holiday in the Catholic federal states of Germany.

The atmosphere in Feldkirchen was once again proof that the festival has lost none of its importance and attraction despite the centuries. The warm cohesion in the community and the concentrated joy of the participants: inside distinguished this event. The Corpus Christi Festival remains a timeless sign of the connection between faith and community.