planning a procession

[Kaesekopf]

Would it be legal/allowable/prudent to try and organize a eucharistic procession over a public bridge (over water)? 

If so, any ideas as to how I would go about planning this event.  It'd be a few months in the making, I know that.

[drummerboy]

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTT1qUswYL0&feature=player_detailpage[/yt]

I hate Illinois Nazis!

[verenaerin]

There is a group in northern CA, I think, that puts on an incredible procession. Like military precision, and taking over the whole city. I'll look around for the videos, then you could call them up for help. Obviously you need a priest and the gear, then you need permits. After that you should have a choir, music handouts, and a group of men/ older boys who help everyone contained and make sure everything is cleared up ahead. And if you have them, absolutely have the KOC. Even if you ask them over from another parish. It looks awesome, and maybe it will convert a few (if they need it).

[verenaerin]

Here is a couple groups that do a good job. But I haven't found the video I am looking for yet...

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddIcdUsaAdM[/yt]

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h-0PZWWJu0[/yt]

[drummerboy]

I think asking for a permit over a bridge though is too much, it'd create a major disturbance.  Otherwise, try for it! I'm sick of all those queers running around naked at their sodomist shame parades, we need to step it up.

[ResRev]

I think asking for a permit over a bridge though is too much, it'd create a major disturbance.  Otherwise, try for it! I'm sick of all those queers running around naked at their sodomist shame parades, we need to step it up.

Can't hurt to request the permit. You want a disturbance, right? if nobody notices you, that takes most of the point out of it. There was an awesome procession over one of the bridges in Rome while we were trying to cross. It caused a disturbance, too. Cool!

If you get the permit, the local emergency services should help you close down traffic along the route. They're used to it and they usually do a good job.

[verenaerin]

I agree with Resrev, you need a permit. The last thing you want is for the whole thing to be shut down because paperwork wasn't filed. It can't be that hard.

First step would be to start a committee. The priest, the MC, a guy from the KOC, choir director, someone with security, and maybe a media guy. Once you all get together, choose the date, everyone's role should be self explanatory. The altar servers are going to have to practice, so will the choir. I imagine the idea is to have it every year. Have a photographer from the parish take really great pics so you can out them on the parish web site. You can have your media guy alert the newspapers so they can do a story.

Each year can get bigger. Eventually people can bring banners- like in pilgrimages. The one that I am thinking of is something like a mile long. It has grown tremendously and is amazing.

[moneil]

I'm kinda supposing this is perhaps for Corpus Christi?  Anyways, I've never organized an Eucharistic procession (been otherwise involved in several though) but I've been involved in helping plan other public events that at times involved street closures, so here are my random thoughts.

First, not to dissuade a public in the streets procession, and the value of the same, in my old age, while I like to think I'm not loosing the enthusiasm of my youth I also like to think I've become "a bit" more pragmatic, and part of that often involves "Keep It Simple Stupid."  My former parish would have a Corpus Christi Procession  and also several others during the year (one was related to Our Lady of Fatima, another to an image of Our Lady popular with Filipinos, and for Our Lady of Guadalupe it was HUGE).  It is an 8k family parish with a 1,000 seat church, a pre-8 school, gymnasium, big school yard, and with good public street frontage.  So, we had plenty of territory to have a nice procession with a public view but not venture off the property.  I'm just saying that some discernment might go into how important it is to have the procession "on the streets" so to speak."

Break the event into TWO aspects and find people to help with each:

Aspect One, "ecclesiastical": A priest (or priests, and deacons, in full vesture, of course), acolytes, altar servers, candles, incense, and all of that.  Singing is good (provide printed lyrics for the crowd).  A canopy over the priest and monstrance is a nice touch, though I don't believe it is requisite.  You might need to find some people to sew / construct one if it is desired (something that could be used year to year though, so a useful investment).  As has been suggested, having the Knights of Columbus involved is a potential idea.  I'm guessing this event may be under SSPX auspices (?), so "maybe" an issue.  But it is true that few things add "plumage" to a procession quite like the Fourth Degree Knights in full regalia (and they often have great experience in organizing events).  In any event if there are parish / chapel organizations (altar society, Catholic Daughters, Holy Names Association, St. Vincent DePaul Society, Legion of Mary, Third Orders, local sodalities, etc.) have them involved with someone carrying their organizational banners (or get them to each make a banner as part of the preparation .. these likewise can be used for many future events).

Aspect Two, "secular":  If you want to go "on the streets, over the bridge" there are a LOT of variables depending on size of the parade, population density, traffic congestion, local regulations, etc.  If this were in Washington (where I live) I would come up with a "best gestimate" of the size of the procession and draw out a route map with perhaps a couple of alternate routes, then go to the police station (if the route is within a city or town limits) or the county sheriff (if outside city limits), and ask what would be involved.  Requirements will vary widely but usually would involve purchasing a "parade permit", and "might" include: posting street closure notices at affected intersections the day before, maybe publishing the same in the "official" section of the newspaper, renting traffic barricades to set up, hiring reserve / off duty police or sheriff deputies (or a private security firm) for traffic / crowd control.  It also might be as simple as having two teams of flaggers who "leap frog" ahead of each other for traffic control at each intersection.

Not meaning to dissuade the idea of a "on the streets, over the bridge" procession, but if that were to become "too complicated" and the local parish / chapel on premise venue is not idea, you maybe could consider a local public park for the procession.  This might involve getting a reservation or permit but eliminates the need for traffic control / street closure.

Finally, referencing the processions at my former parish, often there would be a picture in the local paper, with a nice article about the Catholics having a procession.  Sometimes it would even be a color picture on the front page.  Occasionally there might even be television footage shown on the local news.  This involves having a good publicity person who puts some effort into trying to get an otherwise bored and news starved reporter to show up, I don't think they are just out looking for this stuff.  If you can identify any Catholic connections in the local media that would be good also.  Have a "publicity person" as part of the organization of the event.  In addition to contacting the news media also send notice to neighboring parishes / chapels (I'm "ornery" enough that I would include everybody "Catholic" in my publicity, but that is just me).

Hope a little of this might be useful.  Please feel to hit me up with any questions if you want, and good luck and  !

[Akavit]

It's doable.  Back until the Joliet diocese replaced the pastors with Latin-Mass hating priests, there used to be an annual procession in Kankakee, IL that crossed a bridge during the trip from one church to another.  It just required making the right inquiries with the police and obtaining a police escort.  Offering to provide the overtime pay for the escort can't hurt but I believe the Kankakee officers were kind enough not to demand it.  Not sure on that.

Plan the least disruptive route possible then present your plans to the authorities.  If they don't like it they may still give permission for an alternate route.