Serratia marcescens - A Mouldy Corpus Christi

First Published on Indymedia

Waving the Papal Flag
Recent First Communion recipients last Thursday got donned out in their frocks and mini-suits, wiped their faces of chocolate and discarded their new gameboys and mobile phones to participate in the mainly traditional Roman Catholic feast day of Corpus Christi (Body of Christ or 'Boze Cialo' in Polish). National and papal flags were on display in abundance around Poland. So what's the background to this occasion?

Holy God - The Bread's Gone Mouldy!
In the early 15th century it was the Augustinian nun Juliana of Liège who spearheaded the campaign for a special feast day to be established to worship the holy eucharist. After many years her efforts were supported by Jacques Pantaléon, then Archdeacon of Liège and later Pope Urban IV.

In the mid-15th century Pope Urban IV facilitated an investigation into claims of a miracle in which blood had purportedly issued from a host in a neighbouring church. One modern theory is that the redness which had appeared upon the wafer was none other than a clustering of 'Serratia marcescens' (see above photo), a reddish bacteria that often grows on bread. Sure my own bread basket had a few problems with this nasty stuff not so long ago!

Despite their being no evidence to support the alleged miraclulous event, in 1264 he issued the papal bull 'Transiturus' in which Corpus Christi was made a feast day. Soon thereafter, Thomas Aquinas composed a new liturgy for the celebration.

Day of Leisure in Poland
And hence the fact that I am writing this blog rather than in work, as today remains a public holiday in conservative Catholic countries like Poland. The heathens in Ireland have long abandoned this as a day off, being now more desirous of consuming goodies of all sorts and building capital than adhering to the faith of their fathers and mothers.

I wonder how Poles in Ireland are dealing with the fact that they have to slave away at work today whilst their brothers and sisters back at home are free to have picnics, engage in a fashion show whilst attending their local church, and then carrying on regardless without any memory of what the words of scripture were during the overlong ceremony. I hazard to guess that are coping just fine.

The Body of Christ in Texas
On a trivial note, I was in Corpus Christi, Texas, 13 years as my brother was getting married in the vicinity. 3 associations fascinate me about the use of this latin term as regards this city.

About 14% of families and 18% of the population are below the poverty line, including 23% of those under age 18 and 16% of those age 65 or over.

Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD) is the largest industrial employer in South Texas.

And ironically Corpus Christi is also the name of a US Nuclear Submarine.