Cuenca, one of the main cities of Ecuador, celebrates the Corpus Christi, its “sweetest party”, during the “Eucharistic Septenary” that goes from June 20 to 26, that is, until the eve of the Fiesta del Sacred Heart of Jesus. This year it has not been the exception and thousands of faithful have accompanied the Blessed Sacrament in these happy celebrations full of love and faith in the Lord.
Mons. Vicente Cisneros, Archbishop of Cuenca between the years 2000 and 2009, explains in a pastoral message of 2006 that the Corpus Christi party was one of the first that was established from the foundation of Cuenca in 1557; And it was the City Council, which ordered the public cult that had to surrender to the Blessed Sacrament.
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For the strong Eucharistic tradition, it was decided to celebrate the party for seven days, the septenary, which remembers the novenas, the nine days of sentences prior to a Catholic celebration; The Archbishop Cisneros added in a 2006 message.
This 2025, the motto of the Eucharistic Septenary has been “pilgrims of hope”, within the framework of the jubilee. From Radio Católica Cuenca it is estimated that some 100,000 people have participated in the celebrations.
Corpus Christi 2025 in Cuenca
On Thursday, June 19, a holy hour was held in the church of San Sebastián, and then continue with the procession through the streets of the city, chaired by Mons. Marcos Pérez, Archbishop of Cuenca, accompanied by his auxiliary bishop, priests, seminarists and faithful.
“The mounted police opened the procession, followed the Army Music Band. The faithful took their families and with them their tribute to affection expressed in flowers, perfume and lanterns,” says a note from Radio Católica Cuenca, sent to ACI Press on June 26.
The Eucharistic procession came that day to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, where Mons. Pérez presided over the Mass, which was also offered by the jubilee of the apostolic movements of Cuenca.
“If we say that the good we do is illuminated by faith, we must recognize in these events that Jesus is bread of life, food of eternal life and that food that is his own body, invites us to be less selfish, not to be petty and share the daily food,” said the archbishop in his homily.
On the wide variety of sweets offered during the septenary days, the Ecuadorian prelate stressed that “we invite us to sweeten life and share the daily food”, while “the band reminds us of the joy that cannot be missing in the heart of a Christian.”
When talking about the artificial fireworks, also present in the celebration of the septenary, the Archbishop of Cuenca commented that “the pyrotechnics with its colored lights, they tell us that Jesus is the light of the world and that Jesus has come to illuminate the heart of each believer and to overcome the world of darkness, sin, oppression, vanity and violence.”
This year, explains Radio Católica Cuenca, in total 136 candy stalls were installed, among which you can find alfajores, cocadas, nogadas, corn sweets, yolk threads, scratches, perniles, among many others.
Corpus Christi “is the presence of God who awaits us”
Father Julio Castillo, Vicar of Pastoral de Cuenca, says that Corpus Christi “is not an empty tradition, is a sign of the presence of God who awaits us. It is recognizing Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist.”
“Every time we approach to commune we meet Christ. Jesus does not want to be a memory, he wants to be a meeting place with Him. This solemnity invites us to return to the source, to go into communion and keep Christ,” he said.
In the seven days of the septenary, the priosordomos or butlers lead the celebrations, among those who are priests, lay people, as well as various public and private companies, which are responsible for activities such as folk dances, fireworks, fireworks and the participation of music bands.
The Eucharistic Septenario concludes this Thursday, June 26, with the Mass that will preside in the Cuenca Cathedral Archbishop Marcos Pérez.
Walter Sánchez Silva
I am husband since 2008. With my wife we have three children here and one who went to heaven in 2023, before birth. Since I joined ACI Press in 2005, I have had the opportunity to cover various events of the Catholic Church. Among them, the World Youth Days in Colonia, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro and the apostolic trips of Pope Benedict XVI to Mexico and Pope Francis to South Korea. I have been sent to the Vatican to cover the family’s synods, in 2015; of the Amazon, in 2019 and that of Sinodality, in 2023. I follow the situation of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, which suffers the persecution of the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega, as well as the ecclesial news in the region.