The Feast of Corpus Christi ( Latin for " Body of Christ ") is the Roman Rite liturgical solemnity celebrating the real presence of the body and blood of Jesus Christ , the Son of God , in the Eucharist —known as transubstantiation. Two months earlier, the Eucharist is observed on Maundy Thursday in a somber atmosphere leading to Good Friday. The liturgy on that day also commemorates Christ's washing of the disciples' feet, the institution of the priesthood and the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. The feast of Corpus Christi was established to create a feast focused solely on the Holy Eucha