Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954), Monday 28 May 1951, page 3


70,000 Attend Corpus Christi

A RECORD crowd estimated by police to total 70,000, yesterday attended Brisbane's 39th annual Corpus Christi procession. Held in the main Exhibition arena, the cele

bration was the greatest mass religious demonstration ever staged in Queensland.

Roman Catholic church leaders later hailed it as 'unparalleled in the religi-ous history of the Brisbane archdiocese.' During the ceremony, 60,000 people packed round the arena. Another 10,000 were massed 80 deep before an altar set up in the John McDonald stand. Hundreds of special trams, trains, and buses ran to the grounds. More than 70 police were de-tailed to handle the crowds. Thousands of people be-gan streaming into the grounds soon after 12 o'clock. By 2.30 p.m. they were standing and sitting up to 30 deep round the arena. Mile-long march

At 2.45 p.m. 10,000 marchers moved from Exhibition No. 2 oval in a mile-long procession. Marching six abreast, they took more than an hour to enter the main arena. Led by 200 altar boys, the pro-cession included clergy, Catholic sodalities, University students, youth movements, New Australians, nurses, Scouts, and school children. Twenty flower girls strewed rose petals in the path of the Co-adjutor Archbishop of Brisbane (Archbishop O'Donnell) as he carried the Sacred Host. During the march, thousands of people sang hymns and re-cited the Rosary and litanies.

'Facing crisis' Later, Archbishop O'Donnell gave Benediction on a temporary altar in the McDonald stand. Main speaker after Benediction was Monsignor J. English. He said the Church was fac-ing one of the greatest crises in its history. International Communism was threatening man's highest spiritual and temporal ideals. 'But no human agency can smash Catholicism,' Monsignor English said. 'With a faith in-spired by 1900 years of blood and anguish, the Church will ultimately triumph over every opponent.'

Statue big attraction Hundreds of sick and maimed people will travel by train, plane, and car to Bris-bane this week for the pil-grimage to the Statue of Our Lady of Fatima. Many people will make the pilgrimage following a claim by a Lockhart (N.S.W.) nurse that she was cured of poliomyelitis after praying before the statue. The statue will arrive at Eagle Farm airport next Mon-day evening. More than 100 cars will form a procession behind the statue, which will be carried on a float through Valley and city streets, to St. Stephen's Cathedral. The 3ft. 6in. wood carving will be taken to most Roman Catholic institutions during its week-long stay in Brisbane. It will then be taken to north and south coast districts, later going to Rockhampton, Towns-ville, and Timor.

SATIONAL COSTUMES COLOUR PROCESSIO1S VIVID national costumes of New Aus- Ground yesterday. A huge crowd tralians added colour to the Corpus saw the 10,000 marchers in Brisbane's Christi procession at the Exhibition biggest Roman Catholic demonstration.

SATIONAL COSTUMES COLOUR PROCESSIO1S VIVID national costumes of New Aus- Ground yesterday. A huge crowd tralians added colour to the Corpus saw the 10,000 marchers in Brisbane's Christi procession at the Exhibition biggest Roman Catholic demonstration.