The “bell” call

(Dublin) – The Irish Church is on the frontline of the spiritual – and practical – preparations for the 50th International Eucharistic Congress due to take place in Dublin next June 10-17 2012. Colette Furlong, the Pastoral Development Officer for the Congress, on June 2-3 presented an overview of the pastoral program to international Catholic media representatives and to 75 Church delegates from 70 countries. The Officer told SIR Europe that the spiritual journey focuses on adults, “for whom, in fact, there is very little in our parishes”. “The event of the Congress, whose theme is The Communion with Christ and with one another, is an opportunity to provide a catechesis on the Eucharist, which there is dire need of – she underlined -. Our national Pastoral Office has drawn up a program mapped out in four stages that delve into the significance of being a Christian community, the importance of the Word, the sense of the Eucharist as sacrifice and sacrament along with the relationship between Communion and mission. The parishes have received this material and shall propose moments for reflection, perhaps during the Advent or the Lenten period, although they are free to choose which theme they wish to delve into further”.The Eucharistic Congress bell across 26 dioceses. The Congress is an “eco-friendly” event, meaning that all the Catechesis documents are available for download on the website www.iec2012.ie along with registration forms, so as to cut paper and energy waste. The Congress Bell donated by the Dominican Sisters in Cabra, that was blessed past March 17 on the occasion of St. Patrick’s Day, is a key symbol of the event. A Pilgrimage of the Congress Bell will visit streets, schools, churches, along with all the places where the “life” of Irish dioceses unfolds. “It isn’t just a symbol chosen for the occasion – the coordinator explained -. It’s a strong element of the culture of our people. When St. Patrick founded a new community, he donated the bell. Its ‘voice’ set the pace of the days; in the past it tolled to signal a serious and/or exceptional events. The bell resounds within us. It’s the voice of God summoning his people”. The Bell Pilgrimage was presented to the guests attending its arrival in the Saints Peter and Paul parish church in the Elphin diocese, where the local community gathered for a celebration of the Word with the children who were to receive Confirmation the following day. “An occasion for renewal”. During the two-day “preparatory” meeting, Father Kevin Doran, Secretary General of the International Eucharistic Congress Organising Committee, said the Congress is not just a once-off week of “events” in 2012 – but “a journey of renewal for all of us”. The priest explained that Ireland has experienced “a loss of faith” in the Church, caused by the abuse scandal, and in the economy, marked by the desire “for excessive profit, which placed ordinary people at extreme risk of economic disaster” propelling the entire Country in a very difficult situation. As relates to the ongoing preparations, the Secretary General explained, “one delegate from each of all 26 Irish dioceses has been appointed for the event. On June 25-26 during the national Eucharistic congress at the Marian Shrine of Knock 26 candles will be blessed, one for each Irish cathedral. The journey of spiritual and pastoral preparation for the Congress devotes special emphasis to the youth. A delegate of the national Pastoral Office, Irish football champion Gerard Brennan, is working side by side with the pastoral team engaged in the preparations for the event”. Brennan was appointed to head the Irish youth group attending the WYD in Madrid, who will invite their peers at the 2012 in a dedicated stall featuring T-shirts with the Congress logo. The agenda. The program invites people to explore one or more themes ranging from baptism to marriage, to priestly and lay ministry, justice and reconciliation, poverty and marginalization in the headquarters of the Royal Dublin Society. 80 000 people, along with the delegates of world Churches in Dublin, are expected to participate in the closing ‘Statio Orbis ‘ ceremony for the Congress that will take place in Croke Park, one of the largest stadiums in Europe. Keynote speeches will be delivered, among others, by Cardinal Peter Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace; Cardinal Rodriguez Mariadiaga, Archbishop of Tegucicalpa, president of Caritas Internationalis; frère Alois, prior of Taizé, the Anglican Archbishop of the diocese of Dublin and Glendalough, Michael Jackson. The Congress has three Patron Saints. These are: Saint Columbanus, 1st Millennium missionary, founder of monasteries across Europe; Blessed Margaret Ball, imprisoned by her son Lord Mayor of Dublin at the time of Elisabeth I for celebrating Mass in her home; St. Mary MacKillop, esteemed for her outreach to all those on the margins of society and for pastoral engagement for children in 18th century-Australia.