The best of times

An occasion to enhance the process of renewal of the Catholic Church of Ireland, so that the Country may recover from the serious economic crisis as well as from the crisis caused by the cases of sexual abuse by members of the Church, which affected the faith of Irish people. It is the setting of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress, due to take place in Dublin on June 10-17 2012. The theme of the Congress is “The Eucharist: Communion with Christ and one another”. On March 7th Cardinal Seán Baptist Brady, Archbishop of Armagh, and the Archbishop of Dublin Msgr. Diarmuid Martin launched the International Congress. Background. The first International Eucharistic Congress took place in France in 1881, attended by 300 people. During the following 125 years, the format of Congresses strongly evolved and they now attract some 12,000 to 15,000 participants for a full week of celebrations, adoration, catechesis, cultural events, fraternal gatherings, and commitments to aid the poor. Ireland last hosted the International Eucharistic Congress in 1932. It is anticipated that as many as 25,000 people each day, both from Ireland and from overseas, will participate in the Congress. Among the early indications of overseas participation are large numbers from Canada, the United States and Britain, as well as groups from Ivory Coast, Paraguay, Taiwan, Vietnam. It is estimated that 3,000 volunteers will be needed to help organise the Eucharistic Congress in Ireland. Most events will be staged at the Royal Dublin Society, a conference centre in Dublin, where the opening ceremony will take place. The event will culminate in a closing ceremony in Croke Park.The “Congress Bell”. Although the congress is due to take place in 2012, preparations for the Congress are already under way. On March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, (the Patron Saint of Ireland) a pilgrimage of the Congress Bell will visit all 26 dioceses of Ireland. “The bell is a symbolic invite to Irish Catholics, and for Christians of other traditions, to join in the call to faith, prayer, reconciliation and mission,” underlines a press release by the Communications Office of the Irish Bishops’ Conference. Why in Ireland. “The purpose of every Eucharistic Congress is to deepen understanding of, and devotion to, the Holy Eucharist, which is central to our Catholic faith. That devotion holds a special place in the affection of Irish Catholics”, said Seán Baptist Brady, Archbishop of Armagh, presenting the event to the press. “It is our hope that the 2012 Congress will assist renewal in the Catholic Church in Ireland by reflecting on the centrality of the Eucharist at the heart of our increasingly diverse community, and give renewed impetus to the living of faith”. “Why a Eucharistic Congress in Ireland in 2012?”, asked the Archbishop of Dublin Msgr. Diarmuid Martin. “The Catholic Church in Ireland is undergoing a process of renewal. In Ireland, as in many Western societies, that renewal must spring from a new evangelization, a vibrant re-presentation of the essentials of the Christian message to men and women who, though baptized and who were perhaps at one time active participants in the life of the Church, have in various ways drifted away from full sharing in that life”. “Evangelization and renewal in the Church take place at various levels. A Eucharistic Congress is a particular instrument of renewal in the Church”, said Msgr. Martin. Why now. “We are looking at the Congress as an important event”, replied the Secretary General of the Congress Father Kevin Doran. “Some may argue that it’s not a great time, considering the ongoing economic crisis and also the serious crisis linked to the responsibility of Church clergy in the sexual abuse of children. Moreover, the Eucharistic Congress in Dublin signals that this is time for us to recover the relationship of faith and communion, which has been weakened by our failures. This will be possible only with the presence of Christ and ministry to Christ. This is like the opening lines of “The Tale of two Cities” by Charles Dickens: ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times …'”.