Holy Family Parish continues 178th Procession Sunday

Oldenburg community members continue longtime tradition

(OLDENBURG, Ind.) – Community members in Oldenburg continued an annual tradition that began before the Civil War on Sunday morning. 

Holy Family Parish first began the Corpus Christi Procession in 1846 with parishioners taking a solemn walk to various outdoor chapels and shrines in Oldenburg. 

It originates from Germany and is one of the town's cultural traditions that have continued for the past 178 years on the ninth Sunday after Easter.

The procession is led by the Cross, flags, altar servers, and young children who place flower petals along the path, immediately followed by the canopy under which the Blessed Sacrament is carried.

As the procession makes its way through the streets and countryside, it stops at each shrine for Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament. The Knights of St. John serves as Honor Guard during the procession. . 

Members of the parish and community complete the procession reciting the rosary as they walk. The route of the procession has varied only slightly over the years with the outdoor portion rarely abandoned due to weather.

The procession went from the church to the cemetery chapel, through the woods to the chapel near State Road 229, winded it’s way past the Mortuary Chapel in the Sisters of St. Francis Cemetery to Oldenburg Academy, then continued down Washington Strasse to the Knights of St. John Hall, then to the Oldenburg Town Hall before concluding at the church. 

Here are some photos from the Corpus Christi Procession (Courtesy of Katie Rauch):