Blessed Juliana of Cornillon
Blessed Juliana of Cornillon (also Juliana of Liège; born c. 1192 AD in Retinne, near Liège, Belgium; died April 5, 1258 AD in Fosses, Belgium) was a canoness regular and mystic of the region of Liège who was the principal promoter of the feast of Corpus Christi, the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. Through her visions and her zeal, the feast was first established at Liège and later extended to the whole Latin Church. She is venerated as a Blessed. Her feast day is April 5 (also kept on April 6).
Prioress of the leprosarium of Mont-Cornillon near Liège, Juliana received visions calling for a liturgical feast in honor of the Blessed Sacrament. Despite opposition and exile, she persevered, and the feast of Corpus Christi grew from her inspiration. Her cult was confirmed in 1869.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Juliana of Cornillon
| Blessed Juliana of Cornillon | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | April 05 |
| Profession | Canoness regular of Saint Augustine; prioress; mystic |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; canonesses regular of Saint Augustine |
| Patronage | Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament; the feast of Corpus Christi; Liège |
| Attributes | Monstrance; the Blessed Sacrament; canoness's habit; the moon with a notch (from her vision) |
| Birthplace | Retinne, near Liège, Belgium |
| Death Place | Fosses, Belgium |
| Cause of Death | Natural death; canoness and mystic; principal promoter of the feast of Corpus Christi; died at Fosses after being driven from Liège |
| Primary Shrine | Villers / Fosses, Belgium |
Biography
Juliana was born about 1192 at Retinne, near Liège, in what is now Belgium. Orphaned young, she was raised by the Augustinian canonesses at the leprosarium of Mont-Cornillon, near Liège, and she entered that community, in time becoming its prioress. She was learned, devoted to the Scriptures and the Fathers, and given to deep prayer, with a special love for the Holy Eucharist.
From her youth Juliana experienced a recurring vision of the full moon marked by a dark notch or band. After long prayer she came to understand it as signifying that the Church's liturgical year lacked one feast: a solemnity in honor of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, distinct from Holy Thursday. She became convinced that God willed the institution of such a feast.
Juliana confided her visions to learned and holy men, among them the theologian and future archdeacon Jacques Pantaléon (later Pope Urban IV) and the recluse Blessed Eve of Liège. With the support of the bishop, Robert de Thourotte, the feast of Corpus Christi was first celebrated in the diocese of Liège in 1246.
Juliana met with much opposition and intrigue, however, and was driven from Mont-Cornillon. She spent her later years in exile among various convents, sheltered by friends, and finally as a recluse at Fosses, where she died on April 5, 1258, in profound devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.
Her cause triumphed after her death: in 1264 Pope Urban IV, who had known her at Liège, extended the feast of Corpus Christi to the whole Latin Church, commissioning Saint Thomas Aquinas to compose its liturgy. Juliana's cult was confirmed in 1869 by Pope Pius IX. Her feast is kept on April 5.
Significant events
- c. 1192 — Born near Liège; raised at Mont-Cornillon.
- Receives visions calling for a feast of the Blessed Sacrament.
- 1246 — The feast of Corpus Christi first celebrated at Liège.
- Driven into exile; lives in various convents.
- 1258 — Dies as a recluse at Fosses on April 5.
- 1264 — Corpus Christi extended to the universal Church by Urban IV.
- 1869 — Cult confirmed by Pope Pius IX.
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Feast day
April 5
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