It is a ceremony full of moments of being on the way, but also of pausing and coming to rest: since time immemorial, fronleichnam has had a special status in kronach as one of the most beautiful church festivals in the cycle of the year.
This year, too, the residents and the city administration not only decorated the processional route with ornate altars, flags and rich floral decorations, but also adorned many houses with candles and sacred motifs.
The magnificent sun monstrance, in the middle of which the host is shown as a sign of christ's presence, was carried through the streets by regional dean thomas teuchgraber. At four altars, the cathedral chapter gave the blessing with the monstrance and the blessed sacrament.
More attentive in everyday life
Again, many associations with flag delegations, communion children, the fire department, the BRK and the police as well as mayor wolfgang beiergroblein, his deputies angela hofmann and markus wich as well as the city council took part in the testimony of lived faith. Their way led them, starting from the church square in front of the city parish church first over the amtsgerichtsstrabe to the town hall square, where the eucharist celebration took place.
The procession went through lucas-cranach-strabe, strauer torweg, strauer strabe, johann-nikolaus-zitter-strabe, marienplatz, schwedenstrabe, bamberger tor and melchior-otto-platz, before the ceremony ended in the parish church. In his sermon at the first altar, the city's pastor referred to ringing signs in worship as well as in everyday life. The churchgoers are accustomed to the ringing of the altar boys in the church during the consecration as well as during the sacramental blessing with the monstrance – as a call for attention and an intense moment of encounter with god. "Today on our way through the streets of kronach the bells are with us", according to the pastor. When we look at the radiant monstrance with the holy bread, perhaps it rings – proverbially – in us: "is perhaps the dear god coming now??"
If we asked ourselves this question every time we rang the doorbell, we would certainly be more attentive to many situations, more attentive to the people we meet and talk to.
The second altar, which was erected at the christus church, was a sign of ecumenism. For the liturgical celebration, the "charismatic renewal" was there kronach voiced prayers and petitions to their main concern "love" and "unity in front of. Prayers were offered in particular for the patients, staff and visitors to care facilities.
Fire and flame
The boys and girls of the catholic integrative kreuzberg kindergarten framed the third altar on marienplatz. To the motto "fire and flame for jesus they love – accompanied by the sound of guitars – joyful songs resounding.
As a small gift, they gave the participants of the procession matches, whose boxes they had colorfully painted and labeled.
Prayers were offered for all the kindergartens and schools in the city with their teachers, pupils and children, but also for all the employees in trade and commerce, while the fourth altar in front of the parish church was dedicated to all the employees in the hotel and tourism sector, agriculture and especially aid and rescue organizations. This was designed by the committee "mittendrin of the parish council of kronach, which offered thoughtful reflections on the theme of the "building site of the church recited. The foundation of a living church has always been faith in god. Other important components are also the service as a gathering of the faithful as well as the concern for the world, because one must never resign oneself to the misery and suffering of people.
The corpus christi procession was musically accompanied by the youth orchestra of kronach.