Slovenia: the first Eucharistic congressThe first Eucharistic Congress of Slovenia will take place in Celje on June 13. It will be presided over by the Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone appointed for the occasion Pontifical Legate by Benedict XVI. As made known by the Press Office of the Slovenian bishops, some 30 thousand faithful are expected to attend what is considered to be most important Catholic event held in the ex-Communist Country in recent years. The Congress will address three major objectives: “delving into the personal relationship with Jesus in the sacrament of the Eucharist and liven participation to the Sunday Mass; increasing missionary activity; stepping up charitable work in the year after the Eucharistic Congress”. The Congress will begin with a pilgrimage of the miraculous image of Our Lady Auxiliatrix, which will leave from the national Marian sanctuary of Brezje, across parishes up to the stadium in Celje. Here the Catholic youth will hold a prayer vigil the night of June 12-13 while Sunday’s program, before the Eucharistic celebration, envisages musical performances, testimonies and a Eucharistic procession. During the Mass His Eminence Cardinal Bertone will celebrate the beatification of the Servant of God Alojzij Grozde, the first martyr of Slovenia. Alojz Grozde was born in Zgornje Vodale on May 27 1923. He was a member of Catholic Action since his high school years. In the last months of 1942, during a trip toward home for Christmas, he was captured and tortured by the Communist partisans who accused him of being a secret spy. He died as a Christian martyr when he was only 20. His tomb became the destination of pilgrimages and his figure stands out as one of the symbols of all Catholic Slovenians undergoing martyrdom because of their Christian faith.Ireland: 50th international Eucharistic congress”It is almost two years now since Pope Benedict XVI announced that the 50th International Eucharistic Congress would take place in Ireland in 2012. The main events of the Congress will take place in Dublin, but I hope that the preparation for the Congress and its fruitfulness will touch every diocese and every parish community in Ireland”, said the archbishop of Dublin Msgr. Diarmuid Martin commenting on the preparations for the Congress themed “Communion with Christ and with one another”. On June 6 the second national collection to support the preparation and hosting of the Congress took place throughout Ireland’s dioceses. Over the next two years the theme will be developed in four distinct preparation stages, due to be organized by the “Eucharistic Congress planning committee”. Msgr. Martin, who is the president of the Eucharistic congress, tasked the Committee with “preparation of materials for use by the faithful”. The Committee will “involve volunteers from each of the 26 dioceses of Ireland in the process of preparation for the 2012 celebrations and welcome participation by anyone who shares our faith in Jesus to support the Eucharistic Congress in a practical way by, for example, contributing suggestions for short reflections, prayers, poetry and extracts from literature relating to the Eucharist, communion and community”. These resources will be compiled into a booklet and/or online resource. Suggestions can be sent to: Eucharistic Congress Office, Holy Cross Diocesan Centre, Dublin 3, or email info@iec2012.ie.England: religious services after the Whitehaven massacreThe Christian churches in Whitehaven, the city located on the North-West coast of England, where last week taxi-driver Derrick Bird shot dead 12 people from his car, organized prayer vigils for the relatives and friends of the victims and for the local population. Approximately one thousand people attended a service in the Anglican Church of St. Nicholas and earlier More than 400 local people endured torrential rain to take part in the ceremony with hymns, prayer and a minute of silence on the beach of Seascale. The ceremony was presided over by the vicar, Rev. John Bannister, who read out the names of the victims and said that the past days have been the worst of his life. However the force of the local community will enable the inhabitants to overcome the tragedy. In a message released on the website of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales the Catholic bishop of Lancaster, the diocese of Whitehaven, said, “I share in the profound sense of shock and loss that so many are feeling at today’s news of the deaths and injuries in West Cumbria. My prayers, and the prayers of the Catholic community of the Diocese of Lancaster, are with the families and friends of the victims. I especially pray for the souls of the departed – may God be merciful to them”.
