IEC2012 would like to take this opportunity to extend an invitation to a series of events to bring together those who participated in the 1932 Eucharistic Congress and to give them the opportunity to attend this year’s 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin in June, 80 years since the last Congress was held in Ireland.

A series of events, the first in late April, will be held in Dublin and IEC2012 is currently compiling an up-to-date list of pilgrims from around Ireland who attended the 1932 Eucharistic Congress. If you, or a member of your family who is well enough to attend some events in Dublin in April and June, has personal memories of participating in the 1932 Eucharistic Congress, please contact us as soon as possible at 01- 2349940 or 01-2349903 to register your name, address and phone number between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday or email press@iec2012.ie

Full details of events will be sent by post to all qualifying persons who register with IEC2012.

Read the speaking note of Most Rev. Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin, Primate of Ireland on the celebration of Corpus Christi 2011.

Thousands of people from parishes all over the country will travel to Knock to take part in a number of special events, workshops, celebrations and prayer – including the Knock Youth Festival, which is running at the same time as the National Congress.  

The National Congress in Knock will be a key opportunity for parishes and dioceses around Ireland to come together. Central to the National Congress will be the celebration of the Eucharist during which 26 candles will be blessed, one for each of the Cathedrals in Ireland. The candles will be brought back to each diocese and will be alight the next day to celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi nationwide.

Father Kevin Doran, Secretary General of the International Eucharistic Congress organising committee, said that he is looking forward to the Congress in Knock and the delegates meeting this week has brought great momentum to preparations. He said they were particularly pleased with the response to the National Congress. 
 
Father Doran said “The celebration in Knock is a chance to focus on the local community and the pastoral preparation in Ireland for the International Congress next year. The Congress is not just a once-off week of events in 2012 – but a journey of renewal for all of us. This is an opportunity to remind ourselves that we are part of something bigger than ourselves and to do something together - in communion - as one body.”

For more information on the National Eucharistic Congress and to register for workshops, please click here.

Download resources from the National Eucharistic Congress in Knock, The Art of Living Eucharistically and The Eucharist Makes the Church.

Father Doran, Secretary General of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress, attended World Youth Day and invited pilgrims from five continents to next year's International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin.

Listen to Father Doran describe how the Catholic church is now preparing for the next major event, the 50th International Eucharistic Congress.

Listen to Father Doran speak about his encounters with Catholic pilgrims from China and Canada at World Youth Day.

 Listen to Father Kevin Doran speak about the spirit of communion he witnessed in Madrid during World Youth Day.

The Catholic Church in Ireland is marking the one-year countdown to next year's 50th International Congress by hosting a National Eucharistic Congress at the Marian Shrine in Knock today.

Thousands of people, from parishes all over the country, have travelled to Knock this weekend to participate in the National Eucharistic Congress, the high-point of which will be Mass with the anointing of the sick. The day's activities will also include a series of workshops which are being hosted by organisers of next year's International Eucharistic Congress – see programme below. The National Eucharistic Congress coincides this year with the celebration of the Knock Youth Festival, which has its own dedicated workshops and celebrations.

Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland; His Excellency Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza, Apostolic Nuncio; Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin and President of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress (IEC2012); Archbishop Dermot Clifford, Archbishop of Cashel and Emly; Archbishop Michael Neary, Archbishop of Tuam along with many other Irish bishops and priests; will lead pilgrims from the 26 dioceses on the island of Ireland in a concelebrated Mass at 3pm this afternoon in Knock to mark Ireland's National Eucharistic Congress.

The pilgrims include staff and volunteers of IEC2012. The Eucharistic Congress Bell, which began its journey around the parish of Ireland on St. Patrick's Day, has arrived in Knock and will be present during the National Pilgrimage as a symbol of the invitation to faith and to the Eucharist.

The vestments worn by the principal celebrants at today's Mass will feature the four icons which accompany the Eucharistic Congress Bell and which reflect the four stages of the catechesis for next year?s International Eucharistic Congress.

Welcoming pilgrims to the National Eucharistic Congress Cardinal Brady, Principal Presider for the Congress Mass and who will preach the homily, said: “The celebrations in Knock provide an opportunity to remind ourselves that we are part of something bigger than ourselves. The Church events this weekend appeal to the spiritual needs of men and women of all ages and are in keeping with the theme of next year's 50th International Eucharistic Congress which is: "The Eucharistic: Communion with Christ and with one another".

“Today's National Eucharistic Congress, coupled with the celebration of Mass which will take place in every Cathedral around the country tomorrow, both have a common focus on the local community and our pastoral preparation in Ireland ahead of the International Eucharistic Congress next year.

“The International Congress is not just a once-off week of events in 2012, but a journey of renewal. Today the Irish Church is setting out on a new path of healing and renewal, inspired by Pope Benedict XVI's Pastoral Letter to the Catholics of Ireland of March 2010. The Church needs healing and reconciliation. The Eucharistic Congress offers us the possibility for that.”

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said, “The Congress will be an important event in the life of the Universal Church and I hope it will be a vital element in the reform of the Irish Church. The Congress should renew in us a sense of gathering – of community and sharing. It will be a Congress of our times where people will come together to examine what a Church of Communion means for the people of the Church and what role the Church should have in wider society.”

Read more on our Media Centre.

Alpha’s role in the Host Church programme will begin on Tuesday 12th June at Whitefriar Street Church, Aungier Street, Dublin 2. Alpha International will be offering a mini-Alpha experience, giving Congress pilgrims and members of the public a taste of the Alpha course.

As part of this programme individuals will be invited to several daytime and evening sessions during the week, to listen to short talks from live speakers on a range of topics relating to the Christian faith, for example, ‘How and why should I pray?’ ‘How and why should I read the Bible?’ and ‘Telling others’. Participants will then be divided into groups for refreshments and an open discussion about the talks.

On Thursday 14th June, Alpha’s involvement continues with a talk by Nicky Gumbel, a Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton, an Anglican church based in central London. Gumbel is a pioneer of the Alpha course, a 15-session introduction to the Christian faith, which is now running in 60,000 churches of different denominations including Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant churches.

Nicky’s talk will take place on the themed day of reconciliation at the Congress, 14th June. He will discuss the theme of unity in a talk entitled ‘Communion in our Common Baptism’, focusing on Jesus’ prayer that those who believe in Him ‘may be one ... so that the world may believe’ (John 17: 21).

Since 1993, more than 18 million people have completed an Alpha course. Currently Alpha is running in thousands of Catholic parishes in more than 65 countries and has received the support of many Catholic leaders across the world, including His Eminence Marc Cardinal Ouellet, Papal Legate for the 50th International Eucharistic Congress who said:

“Alpha brings people closer and helps them to find that power which unites. The Alpha experience is not only a means through which one finds true life, but also a way to share the good news of the Living Christ. It paves the way for reconciliation and is a symbol of hope for Christian unity.”

As the Chiara Luce Youth Space comes to a close towards the end of the Congress week, young people will be commissioned to go back to their parishes to begin a local faith programme.

On Saturday evening, 16th June, Alpha present the session ‘And tomorrow?’ equipping and encouraging young people to spread the faith.

Read more about Main Congress Programme.

Read more about Youth Programme.

His Eminence Cardinal Seán Brady
Archbishop of Armagh
President of the Irish Episcopal Conference

The Holy Father was pleased to learn of the celebration of the Irish National Eucharistic Congress and he sends his warm and prayerful best wishes to you and to the Bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful of Ireland.  His Holiness is spiritually united to all who, through prayerful reflection on the Eucharist, offer adoration, thanksgiving and praise to the living God for the saving sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, renewed in the celebration of every Holy Mass.  He is confident that the frequent and worthy reception of the Bread of Life will guide all who, especially in this time of renewal, walk together the path of conversion, in truth, justice and charity, pursuing the gift of purification from sin by seeking and offering pardon and by strengthening the bonds of reconciliation and communion.  He prays that by drawing nourishment from this Sacrament, their whole life will become, with Christ, an offering to God (cf. Sacamemtum Caritatis 71).  Commending all the faithful people in Ireland to the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, the Holy Father cordially imparts his Apostolic Blessing.

ENDS
Notes to Editors

• National Eucharistic Congress 2011
Archbishop Michael Neary, Archbishop of Tuam, read out the Apostolic Blessing from Pope Benedict XVI on the occasion of Ireland’s National Eucharistic Congress which took place on 25 and 26 June.  All 26 dioceses on the island of Ireland were represented by the estimated 13,000 pilgrims who attended the Congress which took place in the Marian Shrine in Knock, Co Mayo.  The Congress involved Morning Prayer and workshops on: adoration and prayer; young people and the Eucharist; reconciliation and forgiveness; and St Paul’s response to a divided Church.  The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick was administered to pilgrims before Mass.  The high point of the National Eucharistic Congress was the celebration of Mass in the Basilica in Knock at which Cardinal Seán Brady was Principal Presider and which was concelebrated by 180 bishops and priests.  Mass was followed by Benediction and a procession to the Apparition Chapel.

• Knock Shrine
Each Irish diocese makes an annual pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine and the nine-day Knock novena attracts ten thousand pilgrims every August.  The story of Knock began on the 21 August 1879 when Our Lady, St Joseph and St John the Evangelist appeared at the south gable of Knock Parish Church.  This miraculous apparition was witnessed by fifteen people, young and old.  Knock is an internationally recognised Marian Shrine and was visited by Blessed John Paul II as part of his 1979 papal pilgrimage to Ireland.  During his visit, which coincided with the Shrine’s centenary year, the late pope celebrated Mass at the Shrine and addressed the sick, their helpers and pilgrimage directors.  Archbishop Michael Neary, Archbishop of Tuam, is the custodian of the Marian Shrine and Monsignor Joseph Quinn is parish priest of Knock.  Please see: www.knock-shrine.ie

Read more information on our media centre.

Further information:
Catholic Communications Office Maynooth: Martin Long 00353 (0) 86 172 7678 and Brenda Drumm 00353 (0) 87 310 4444

The Papal Legate is Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the Canadian President of the Congregation for Bishops, (the Vatican office which deals with the appointment of bishops around the world). Cardinal Ouellet is a member of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses.

Up to the time of his present appointment in June 2010, Cardinal Ouellet was Archbishop of Quebec City, which hosted the last International Congress in June 2008. Our new Legate, therefore, has an intimate working knowledge of a Eucharistic Congress “from the inside.”

As one might expect of a Canadian bishop, Cardinal Ouellet is fluent in English as well as his native French. As a result of time spent teaching in Bogota, Colombia and in Rome, he also has a good command of Spanish and Italian. 

The Role of the Papal Legate: 

The Archbishop of Dublin, as bishop of the host diocese, is the President of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress. The Papal Legate is the Special Envoy of the Pope and he assumes the effective Presidency, during the actual celebration of the Congress. While the Legate will be present throughout the Congress, his principal public role will include presiding at the opening Mass on Sunday June 10th at the RDS and the Statio Orbis, or concluding Mass in Croke Park on Sunday, June 17th.

Previous Papal Legates:

The Papal Legate to the 31st International Eucharistic Congress, which was celebrated in Dublin in 1932, was the Roman-born Cardinal Lorenzo Lauri, who arrived in Dun Laoghaire by mail boat after the long overland journey from Rome. Cardinal Lauri was awarded the freedom of Dublin City during the Congress. No details of Cardinal Ouellet’s arrival have been announced to date.

The Patrician Congress which was celebrated in 1961 to mark the 1,500th anniversary of the death of St. Patrick, was not a major international event like the Eucharistic Congress, but it did attract the appointment of a Papal Legate for the Patrician Congress, Cardinal Grégoire-Pierre Agagianian, (a native of Georgia on the eastern frontier of Europe). Agagianian was one of those most intimately involved at the time in the management of the Second Vatican Council.

In mediaeval times papal legates were occasionally appointed to settle disputes about authority and about diocesan boundaries. The best known of these was St. Malachy, the first canonized Irish Saint, who was appointed Papal Legate in 1139 and sent back to Ireland to finalise agreement on diocesan boundaries and ecclesiastical provinces. The structures which he established then have been substantially maintained up to the present day. 

The Difference between a Papal Legate and a Papal Nuncio

The Papal Nuncio, currently Archbishop Charles Brown, is the permanent representative of the Holy See (the Vatican ambassador) to the Republic of Ireland. He is also the Pope’s representative to the Catholic Church in Ireland. In this role, his brief covers the whole island of Ireland.

By contrast, a Papal Legate is normally appointed for a specific mission and for a defined period of time.

Read Cardinal Brady's comments on the announcement of the Papal Legate for the Eucharistic Congress.

Read Archbishop Diarmuid Martin's comments on the announcement by Pope Benedict XVI of the nomination of a Papal Legate who will be his representative at the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, it is a joy and a real privilege for me to celebrate this televised Holy Mass for you this morning. As you know, I am the Papal Nuncio and I only arrived here in Ireland about three months ago. But in those three short months, I have been the grateful recipient of so many wonderful Irish welcomes, from all over this beautiful country, and for that I am deeply and sincerely grateful.

Our Gospel this Sunday could not be more appropriate for the times in which we live. It is taken from the Gospel of Saint John, and is part of the final, farewell discourse which Jesus speaks to his disciples at the Last Supper, the night before his betrayal, crucifixion and death. And at this most crucial moment in his earthly life, Jesus teaches us – his followers – about the most crucial thing. He uses an agricultural image, which would have been readily understandable to his disciples: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). But what does this mean? It means that all of us, as disciples of Jesus Christ, are part of him. We are part of him, as branches are part of a vine. Branches cannot live on their own. If they are separated, cut off from the vine, they wither and die. And just as life flows into a branch because of its connection to the vine, so in a supernatural sense, grace – which is spiritual life and divine energy – flows into us because of our connection with Jesus. Yes, at this most crucial moment in his earthly life, Jesus teaches us about the most crucial thing, and that most important thing is unity; for the image of the vine and branches used by Jesus is meant to teach us about the unity of his followers, the unity of his body, which we call the Church. By baptism we are made part of this body, this community; by receiving Jesus in the Eucharist we are made fully part of his body, the Church, and his life, his grace, his supernatural energy, flow into us. Our task as Catholics is to allow that connection with him to deepen and strengthen throughout our lives on this earth. As he says to us in the Gospel today: “Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty, for cut off from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). But being connected to the Lord through baptism and the Holy Eucharist is not a purely individual thing. The vine has many branches; the body has many parts and the Church has many members. The unity of the Church is the gift of Jesus to us; it is the result of being made part of him, part of the vine that is his community. But the unity which is the gift of Jesus isn’t without its cost. Jesus exhorts his disciples to unity at the Last Supper. But those same disciples who listen to his words are scattered into disunity by the events of the betrayal, arrest, crucifixion and death of the Lord the very next day. Only the holy and courageous women, Mary his Mother, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, together with Saint John, are united and remain with Jesus during his crucifixion. We too as Catholics in our own day have to resist the dis-unifying forces that are around us. It is not by chance that the original Greek word in the Gospels for the Evil One is diabolos – meaning quite literally the one who separates and divides. It is he who wants to separate us from Christ and separate us from our brothers and sisters in Christ.

As I mentioned earlier, I am the Apostolic Nuncio, which just means that I seek to represent Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI here in Ireland. We should always remember that the principal task of the Holy Father, as the successor of the Apostle Peter, is to protect the unity of the Catholic Church – the unity that Jesus asks for at the Last Supper. Blessed John Paul II wrote that the role of the Pope is to be “the first servant of unity” (Ut unum sint, 94). Everything that the Holy Father does, day in and day out, is somehow related to that single principal mission given to him by Jesus – to serve the unity of the Church: a unity that is expressed in what we believe as Catholics, in how we worship as Catholics, and in how we love one another, a love that is “not just words or mere talk, but something real and active” (1 John 3:18). Unity doesn’t mean uniformity – the Catholic Church is a rich variety of people from every walk of life, every kind of culture and language. Here in Ireland, the history of the Church is marked by the examples of so many men and women who made the greatest sacrifices imaginable to preserve the unity of the Catholic Church in love, remaining faithful to the Bishop of Rome, even in the darkest times of suffering. Their witness teaches us that the unity of the Church does not come cheap. All of us need to pray for that unity and at times also to suffer for it. That unity is beautifully summarized in the title chosen for the upcoming International Eucharistic Congress, which will be held here in Dublin next month, “the Eucharist: communion with Christ and with one another”. That is what the Church is: “communion with Christ and with one another”. And that is what we, as Catholics, are called to achieve. The many talks and activities of the Eucharistic Congress will help us learn how to put our own gifts at the service of that communion of love. Let us pray that the Eucharistic Congress, which promises to be such an exciting and beautiful event, will strengthen all of us as we strive to live in communion with Christ and with

He continued: “My brothers and sisters, you are the new heralds of the Word of God in the electronic world and missionaries of Christ. And I have every confidence that like the great missionary saints who lived before us, you can and will bring many people to faith!”

Reflecting on the hectic pace of our lives, he said: “Prayer is made easier if you and I can quiet our minds and sit in silence each day. Coming from New York City, the city that never sleeps, silence is not easy for me either. Given the hectic pace of our lives and our ability to communicate electronically every minute of every day, silence can even be frightening. But God needs a place where he can talk to us in our hearts. And in order to listen, we need to learn how to be still, to sit in silence and to wait with patience.”

Saturday 16th June was the seventh day of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin. Morning Prayer was led by Archbishop Piero Marini, Pontifical Committee for the International Eucharistic Congresses, The Vatican. The daily catechesis was delivered by Archbishop Antonio Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, Philippines, and this was followed by a personal testimony from Professor John Monaghan, Vice President, Society of St Vincent de Paul, Ireland.

In his Celebration of The Eucharist, Cardinal Robert Sarah, also reflected on theme of Communion through the Word of Mary: “Today in this Eucharist, on the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Jesus knocks at the door of our heart. In us, He wishes to take up His abode and, through our body, enter human history. When we welcome Him, He gives birth to divinity within the crib of our hearts. What answer will our heart give to His divine proposal?”

The musical performers during the final day of the Congress programme in the main RDS arena included: Tommy Fleming, Corpus Christi Texas Cathedral Choir, Killaloe and Limerick Diocesan Choir, Roscrea Parish Choir, Fr Columba McCann, Irish tenor Dominic McGorian and singer Danielle Rose.

Your Excellency, Archbishop Brown, this is the first opportunity the people of the Diocese of Clogher have had to welcome you to Ireland as the representative of His Holiness and we are greatly encouraged that you have been able to accompany Cardinal Ouellet on his visit to this ancient site of prayer and penance.

All of us here present in St Patrick’s Basilica, distinguished members of the clergy, the Prior and Staff on the island, victims of child abuse and those on pilgrimage, we are aware that your visit here is a pastoral one. We know, Cardinal Ouellet, that you have come in the name of the Shepherd showing his love for the wounded sheep. We share the shame of these wounds. We share the admiration and appreciation of all good people who acknowledge the courage of those victims who have come forward and spoken.

Your Eminence and Your Excellency we join our hearts with yours in reaching out to all victims of abuse. We will cooperate with you and with His Holiness in every way we can to prevent this happening again. As we join you in acknowledging our own weakness and in listening to God’s nourishing word; as we share with you the wounded self-gift of our Saviour in the Eucharist, we are confident that God’s grace, so eloquently witnessed in your visit, can bring healing to us all".

Bishop Caggiano said: As young people, I wish to give you a special task today. Your generation is the first to live comfortably in the virtual, electronic world. I ask you to be present in this virtual world as witnesses of the Lord Jesus. For it seems to me that many people, especially young people, are searching in the electronic world for a word of hope in their troubles, a word of consolation in their fears, a word of welcome in their loneliness.

He continued: “My brothers and sisters, you are the new heralds of the Word of God in the electronic world and missionaries of Christ. And I have every confidence that like the great missionary saints who lived before us, you can and will bring many people to faith!”

Reflecting on the hectic pace of our lives, he said: “Prayer is made easier if you and I can quiet our minds and sit in silence each day. Coming from New York City, the city that never sleeps, silence is not easy for me either. Given the hectic pace of our lives and our ability to communicate electronically every minute of every day, silence can even be frightening. But God needs a place where he can talk to us in our hearts. And in order to listen, we need to learn how to be still, to sit in silence and to wait with patience.”

Morning Prayer was led by Archbishop Piero Marini, Pontifical Committee for the International Eucharistic Congresses, The Vatican. The daily catechesis was delivered by Archbishop Antonio Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, Philippines, and this was followed by a personal testimony from Prof John Monaghan, Vice President, Society of St Vincent de Paul, Ireland.

In his Celebration of The Eucharist, Cardinal Robert Sarah, also reflected on theme of Communion through the Word of Mary: “Today in this Eucharist, on the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Jesus knocks at the door of our heart. In us, He wishes to take up His abode and, through our body, enter human history. When we welcome Him, He gives birth to divinity within the crib of our hearts. What answer will our heart give to His divine proposal?”

The musical performers during the final day of the Congress programme in the main RDS arena included: Tommy Fleming, Corpus Christi Texas Cathedral Choir, Killaloe and Limerick Diocesan Choir, Roscrea Parish Choir, Fr Columba McCann, Irish tenor Dominic McGorian and singer Danielle Rose.

Can I allow myself today to illustrate the question of the meaning of our common baptismal faith by sharing with you our experience in the Taizé Community? The life we live in Taizé is intimately linked to the rediscovery of our common baptism as, in the words of Vatican II, a “beginning, an inauguration wholly directed toward the fullness of life in Christ” (ibid.).

Our experience in Taizé is of course far from covering all aspects of the question. But it can be shown that—and I continue to quote Vatican II—on the one hand, baptism is already “the sacramental bond of unity existing among all who have been reborn by it” and that, secondly, it commits us to continually seek “a complete profession of faith, complete incorporation into the system of salvation such as Christ willed it to be, and finally complete ingrafting into eucharistic communion” (ibid.).

I want to tell you specifically how we seek to highlight the unity of the faith that baptism implies and to anticipate it, both between the brothers of the community and with the young people of all denominations whom we receive week after week on our hill. And since Brother Roger, the founder of our community, participated in the entire Second Vatican Council, whose fiftieth anniversary we are celebrating, I would also like to speak about his personal journey, since he opened an original way to head towards the visible unity of Christians.

In the early days of our community, writing the Rule of Taizé, Brother Roger addressed to every brother of the community the appeal, “Make the unity of the Body of Christ your passionate concern.” It is that passion which fills our hearts.

If you had asked Brother Roger what the essential of the Christian faith was, the focal-point of the faith confessed in baptism, he might have quoted the words of Saint John, “God is love” (1 John 4:16). For him, the heart of the Gospel was there. The vision of God as a stern judge had wreaked havoc in the consciences of many. He took the opposite tack, affirming that “all God can do is love.”

He would also sometimes tell the young people gathered in Taizé, “If Christ were not risen, we would not be here.” The resurrection is central to the faith; it is a sign that God loves without limits. It brought together the disciples dispersed by Good Friday and it continues to bring Christians together; its first fruit is the new communion born of its mystery.

The centre of our faith is Christ, the Risen Lord present among us, who is in a personal bond of love with us and who by a common baptism brings us together. Brother Roger called this reality “the Christ of communion.”

In his last book, published a few weeks before his death, Brother Roger wrote: “Christ is communion.... He did not come to earth to start one more religion, but to offer to all a communion in God... ‘Communion’ is one of the most beautiful names of the Church.”

Personally, I can say that it was this vision of the Church as communion that struck me on my first visit to the hill of Taizé. Still very young, I was impressed on the one hand by the prayer and silence, but also by the communion which was lived out concretely—the Gospel lived not individually, but in community. And I can affirm that, as a Catholic, it was in Taizé that I discovered more deeply the catholicity of the Church.

Reconciliation in the Body of Christ

I would like now to begin with the question: what do the words “the Body of Christ” mean, and why is reconciliation in the Body of Christ so important?

In the letters that St. Paul addressed to various communities of his time, he refers to the Church as the “Body of Christ” to try to help them understand the mystery of the unity between Christ and Christians, and the mystery of unity between Christians. “You are a body,” he writes to the Corinthian Christians, “and this body is Christ, each of you is a part of it” (1 Cor 12:27)

Baptism is the foundation of the unity of this body. That is why he writes: “In the one Spirit we were all baptised into a single body.”(1 Cor 12:13)

Forming one body in Christ, we belong to each other. “Is Christ divided?” (1 Cor 1:13), Paul asks, concerned at seeing the Christians of the same community separate from one another. And he called for them to be reconciled.

His words remain so relevant today: there is only one baptism, and you are the Body of Christ, so do not waste so much energy in opposition, sometimes even within your Churches.

Communion Received as a Gift

On the eve of his passion, Christ prayed, “May they all be one! As you, Father, are in me and I in you, may they also be one in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:21).

Often the words “may all be one” are construed as a command to be put into practice. But they express first of all the gift that Christ gives to humankind: he bears us within himself; he brings us with himself into the communion of the Holy Trinity; he makes us “sharers in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). He does not only pray that all may be one but that they may be one “in us”.

Christ asks that “all” may be one: this gift is not restricted to a few individuals; it is offered to all those who bear the name of Christ, and is intended for all human beings.

This communion in God accomplished through baptism is an exchange. In becoming flesh, God chooses to take on human frailty. He comes to live amidst our divisions and our pain. Christ meets us at the lowest point; he becomes one of us so as better to reach out his hand to us. In him God welcomes our humanity and, in exchange, he gives us the Holy Spirit, his own life. The Virgin Mary is forever the guarantee that this exchange is real; she sustains our hope that it will lead to the life of humanity in God.

We can be immensely grateful to Orthodox theology for having demonstrated this in such a profound way. Last year I went with some of my brothers and 250 young people from across Europe to take part in the Holy Week celebrations with the Orthodox Church in Moscow. “Christ is risen,” we repeated umpteen times on Easter night. And I felt down to the depths of my being the certainty that Christ enables us to participate in his resurrection already here on earth.

When we discover that communion with God is an exchange, then we understand better that reconciliation is not one dimension of the Gospel among others; it is the very core. It coincides with what is central to our life as baptised persons; it is the restoration by Christ of mutual trust between God and humanity, the beginning of a new creation. And that transforms the relationships between people.

Christ makes all the baptised ambassadors of reconciliation in the world. We are the Body of Christ, not in order to feel good together and to withdraw into ourselves, but to reach out to others. The human body has the calling of expressing the person on the outside. Likewise, the Body of Christ has the calling to express that Christ wants to reconcile all humanity.

We cannot receive unity with God without receiving unity among all human beings. The purpose of the Church is to be the visible sign, the sacrament of this. The Second Vatican Council expressed it with great clarity by saying: “The Church is, in Christ, like a sacrament or as a sign and instrument both of a very closely knit union with God and of the unity of the whole human race” (Lumen Gentium 1,1).

Ecumenism and Communion in God

If communion, founded in baptism in one Spirit, is a gift from God, then ecumenism cannot be primarily a human effort to harmonize different traditions. It must situate us within the truth of the redemption of Christ, who prayed: “My wish is that where I am, they too may be with me” (John 17:24).The apostle Paul said, “Our life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

The first ecumenical effort is to seek to live in communion with God, in Christ, through the Holy Spirit. Maurice Zundel, a Swiss theologian of the last century, explained admirably how “it is in a mystical union with Christ that ecumenism can find its ultimate realization,” otherwise, he said, “ecumenism is just idle chatter.”

It is true that Churches and ecclesial communities sometimes demonstrate different paths to achieving this communion. However, the more deeply each one belongs to Christ, the more they are enabled to see the others correctly, seeing them as sisters and brothers. We should even go further: recognizing the others as sisters and brothers is the sign that one truly belongs to Christ.

Dorotheus of Gaza, in the sixth century, described this reality with an image: if God is at the centre of a circle, the more the radii approach the centre, the closer they come to one another.

This vision of communion requires a purification of our way of believing, a “conversion” undertaken over and over again in an Ecclesia semper reformanda.

One of the documents of the “Groupe des Dombes,” a group of Protestant and Catholic theologians in France, provided a solid basis for this view by calling for priority to be accorded to baptismal identity over denominational identity. Attributing a priority to baptismal identity over denominational identity: is that not also what we want to reflect on during this first day of the Eucharistic Congress? The Dombes document explains that, to define Christian identity, today in all the Churches denominational identity has been put first. People define themselves first of all as Catholics, Protestants or Orthodox. The Dombes theologians show that, in reality, baptismal identity should be put first; all Christians should define themselves first of all as baptised persons. The document therefore calls on Churches to enter into a “dynamic process of conversion.”

Reconciliation, an Exchange of Gifts

We sometimes have the impression that, over the centuries, Christians have become accustomed to being divided, as if this were something normal. To prepare reconciliation, it is up to us to emphasize the best of the different traditions.

Then an exchange of gifts can take place: sharing what we have received from God, and also seeing the gifts that God has placed in others. And this exchange is possible precisely because we have the foundation that unites us, baptism, in common.

An exchange of gifts has begun. Through common prayer and personal encounters, mutual appreciation has deepened. Many have realized that certain aspects of the Mystery of the faith have been exploited better by another tradition than their own. How can we go further in sharing these treasures? And what are these treasures?

Eastern Christians have focused on the resurrection of Christ, which is already transforming the world. Is it not because of this that many of them managed to survive decades of suffering in past centuries? The East has preserved the teaching of the Church Fathers with great faithfulness. Monasticism, which it gave to the West, has instilled in the whole Church a life of contemplation. Could Western Christians be more open to these treasures?

The Christians of the Reformation have emphasized certain realities of the Gospel: God offers his love freely; by his Word he encounters anyone who listens to it and puts it into practice; the simple trusting of faith leads to the freedom of the children of God, to the immediacy of a life with God today; singing together internalizes the Word of God. Are not these values, to which the Christians of the Reformation are attached, essential for us all?

The Catholic Church has kept visible, throughout history, the universality of communion in Christ. She has constantly sought a balance between the local Church and the Church universal. One cannot exist without the other. A ministry of communion at all levels has helped to maintain unanimity in the faith. Could not all the baptised go further in a progressive understanding of this ministry?

Brother Roger’s Path

After expressing how our common baptism is the foundation of the call for reconciliation in the Body of Christ, I now turn more specifically to the path of Brother Roger and our community. Is it because Brother Roger was so consistent with this vision of the Church bringing together all the baptised, and lived it out with all its consequences, that he was recognised by different Church leaders as a brother sharing communion in Christ?

Five years after his death, Pope Benedict XVI wrote, “May his witness to an ecumenism of holiness inspire us in our march towards unity.” Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople added: “This search for unity, in joy, humility, love and truth, both in relation to others, ‘sacrament of the brother’ as well as in the relationship with God, ‘sacrament of the altar’, sums up the essence of this approach, the path of Taizé.” “Combining fidelity to the teaching of the Holy Fathers with creative adaptation to the needs of today, in a missionary ministry among youth, characterized the path of Brother Roger and that of the community founded by him,” commented the Patriarch of Moscow, Kirill. And the Secretary General of the World Council of Churches, Olav Fykse Tveit, recalled that what Brother Roger has done "has inspired churches throughout the world.”

Brother Roger lived in Christ. Is that what enabled him to discern the presence of Christ in others? He did not let himself be brought to a halt by the splits between different tendencies. He discovered Christ in the baptised of all denominations. He even saw as “bearers of Christ” women and men who, without professing an explicit faith, were witnesses to charity and peace: some of them, he wrote, “go before us into the Kingdom.”

In the course of his journey, he never worried about losing his identity. He saw the identity of a Christian above all in communion with Christ, working itself out in the communion among all those who belong to Christ.

He undertook a step that had no precedent since the Reformation, going to the point of saying, “I have found my own Christian identity by reconciling within myself the faith of my origins with the mystery of the Catholic faith, without breaking fellowship with anyone.” And sometimes he would add: “... and with the Orthodox faith,” since he felt so close to the Orthodox Churches.

Entering into communion with others without breaking with his origins: since this approach was so new, it was easy to misinterpret it and overlook its significance.

Our Taizé Community, a Little Parable of Communion

When he was still very young, Brother Roger had the intuition that a life of community made up of men constantly searching for reconciliation could become a sign. That is the primary vocation of Taizé, to constitute what he called “a parable of communion.”

But monastic life had disappeared from the Churches of the Reformation. So, without repudiating his origins, he created a community which had its roots in the undivided Church beyond Protestantism, and which by its very existence was inextricably linked to the Catholic and Orthodox tradition.

Brother Roger was convinced that such a community could give visible expression to the unity of the Body of Christ, which not only lies before us as a goal, but which already exists in God. The Church is divided, but in its depths it is undivided. In the heart of God it is one. So it is up to us to create places where this unity can emerge and be manifested.

Brother Roger lived a life so deeply rooted in the undivided Church that, born in a Church of the Reformation, he wanted the community he created to anticipate communion with the Catholic Church and with the Orthodox Churches.

Our community sought early on to express a communion with the Orthodox Church. In 1965, Patriarch Athenagoras sent monks to Taizé to share monastic life with us for several years. Bonds of friendship and trust with the Orthodox Churches have become deeper and deeper down to the present day.

And when, at the end of the 1960s, the first Catholic brothers entered our community, the question of how to anticipate communion with the Catholic Church became still more urgent within the community: how could the barrier of the separation between these two traditions be overcome?

For Brother Roger in his personal life, gradually entering into full communion with the Catholic Church became a reality in two ways—by receiving the Eucharist and by recognising the need for a ministry of unity exercised by the Bishop of Rome.

He did not see this as expressing an “ecumenism of return to the fold,” because in his eyes, beginning with John XXIII and Vatican II, the Catholic Church had welcomed the basic demands of the Reformation: the priority of the grace of God, freedom of conscience, Christ-centered faith and the emphasis on the Bible. And he would have been glad to learn that in 2008 the Synod of Bishops in Rome, devoted to the Word of God, recalled that two realities already unite all Christians—Baptism and the Word of God.

Brother Roger’s path is a delicate and demanding one, and we have not finished exploring it. In his steps, we want to anticipate reconciliation in our lives, starting from the baptism that unites us, by living as people who are already reconciled, and this experience certainly prepares theological developments.

In the history of the Church, has not lived-out faith always preceded the theological expression of it? In the future, we will continue to rely on two steps which our community took at the beginning of the 1970s:

–The first step: since 1973, with the approval and encouragement of the bishop of Autun, the diocese in which Taizé is located, we have all been receiving communion in the Catholic Church. It was the only possibility given to us to take communion together. The progress of ecumenical theology, particularly the work of our Brother Max on the meaning of memorial, allowed us to come to a common understanding of the Eucharist.

–And the second basic step of our community is this: during the yearly council-meeting in 1969, the brothers had found that the mere presence of Catholics brothers in the community led them “to live ever more an anticipation of unity by remaining in communion with the one who exercises the ministry of the servant of the servants of God.”

Our community had become convinced that the reconciliation of non-Catholics with the Church of Rome would not be accomplished by indefinitely setting conditions, but by helping it to evolve from within. The twentieth century has shown how the Petrine ministry has been able to change.

John Paul II himself has appealed to non-Catholics to assist with this evolution. In his encyclical Ut unum sint, he wrote these words: “Could not the real but imperfect communion existing between us persuade Church leaders and their theologians to engage with me in a patient and fraternal dialogue on this subject, a dialogue in which, leaving useless controversies behind, we could listen to one another, keeping before us only the will of Christ for his Church?”

The brothers in our community who come from Protestant families accept these two steps—receiving Catholic communion and anticipating communion with the universal pastor—without repudiating their backgrounds, but as a broadening of their faith.

For their part, the brothers from Catholic families find their faith enriched by opening themselves, in line with Vatican II, to the questions and gifts of the Churches of the Reformation. This has become quite natural for us. If these efforts sometimes involve limitations and sacrifices—can there be any reconciliation without sacrifices?—the broadening of a life of communion is incomparably more important.

A Period of Transition towards Reconciliation

I have spoken up till now about the brothers of the community. What about the young people who come for a stay at Taizé?

For us, all that has to do with the young is primordial. It is even a daily concern: how can we find new ways to communicate the Gospel to the younger generations today?

Week after week, we welcome to Taizé youth from all the countries of Europe, and also from other continents, with all their differences. Prayer three times a day brings us together in the presence of Christ, and in praying together, the Holy Spirit already unites us. The biblical teaching given each day to the young people enables them to go to the wellsprings common to all. And we reflect with them about how to continue this search in their everyday life.

These young people are growing up in a fragmented society, which does not offer clear points of reference. They are faced with life-choices which are often difficult. In the domain of ethics as well, the divisions between Christians do not help young people find ways of living out the gospel in their personal lives. In this delicate area, rather than defining positions too quickly resolved, which distance them from one another, could not Christians take more time for dialogue and to look for a common path?

For our part, we try to help the young people glimpse “the one Church of Christ” in its visibility while respecting the traditions of the different Churches, and this necessarily involves a tension. Concerning the Eucharist, we give the young people the possibility of receiving communion in their own traditions. A Catholic Mass is celebrated every day. The Orthodox liturgy is celebrated when there are Orthodox participants who come with priests. When there are Anglican, Lutheran or Presbyterian groups, they are invited to celebrate a Eucharist according to their tradition.

We find that many young people, after having spent time in Taizé, are more active in their Church of origin, while at the same time having acquired a keener sense of the universal Church.

We do not claim to have found the solution at Taizé. Our ways of doing things are imperfect. We know that our situation is provisional, awaiting a fully realized unity.

The visible character of the unity that we attempt to live does not resolve all the issues. But we are trying to enter into an ongoing process of reconciliation. We would like it to lead separated Christians to become more aware of their common baptism, to learn that they belong to one another, to purify their respective traditions, to distinguish between the Tradition and traditions that are only customs, to go forward in an ecumenism which is not content to keep Christians on parallel tracks. In this way a period of transition towards reconciliation could be begun.

Common Baptism and Service

I now begin a final chapter to emphasize that the fellowship offered by Christ makes his disciples men and women with a universal outlook. It stimulates them to reach out to others, to be attentive to the weakest, to those who are poorer than they are, and also to seekers of God belonging to another religion or to those without any reference to God. In many places, Christians of different denominations live this openness together.

Brother Roger often repeated: “God is united to every human being without exception.” He held in his heart all human beings of all nations, especially the poorest, young people, children. This vision of universal communion led us to send brothers in small groups to share the lives of the most destitute in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and also to try and forge links between cultures and peoples.

These brothers are not equipped to change countless situations of distress. But for some of them, remaining each day before the Eucharist is a source of life that allows them, by their mere presence, to “wash the feet,” if I may dare say so, of the people in their neighborhood. And gradually modest initiatives of solidarity arise. They are only signs, but they can lead the way to Christ, who transfigures humanity and who opens, at the heart of the world, a horizon of hope.

I open a parenthesis here. Those of our brothers who live on other continents are in frequent contact with new assemblies of Christians which are arising in large numbers, especially in the Southern continents. Whether we like it or not, these new assemblies confront us all with a question.

Closing ourselves up in a categorical negative judgment can certainly be justified by good arguments. But a purely negative attitude ignores, in my opinion, all the reality of the situation. There is much diversity among these new assemblies; they sometimes profess doctrines that the great tradition of the Church cannot accept. But, perhaps more than we think, those who belong to those communities have a genuine love for Jesus because drug addicts are cured, alcoholics give up drinking, men take up again their responsibilities as fathers...

Do not we Christians of the historic Churches have the responsibility to seek, with discernment, dialogue with these new assemblies? Instead of looking only at what they lack, could we not see the positive things they have as well?

Of course this question leads us away from our subject, that of baptism as a basis for communion, but Christ's call to unity requires this openness of us today.

One day, Brother Roger wrote these words that we would like to meditate and keep on meditating:

“When tirelessly the Church listens, heals, and reconciles, it becomes what it is at its most luminous—a communion of love, of compassion, of consolation, a transparent reflection of the Risen Christ. Never distant, never on the defensive, freed from all harshness, it can radiate the humble trusting of love right into our human hearts.”

I am coming to the end. I spoke a lot about Taizé this morning. This was not to put forward our experience, but to share with you our hope, and to express our certainty that it is possible already now to give visibility to communion in one and the same baptism.

Let me stress again: since Christ came “to gather into one the dispersed children of God” (John 11:52), it is essential in our eyes that our common baptism leads us to be visibly one in him. Christ is the Good Shepherd of all. He is also the Gate, to the Father and to others. Will we go through that gate to enter the Father’s house to meet all together, visibly united? This would certainly lead to a new dynamism for our Churches, filled with the joy of Christ and the trust that the Holy Spirit will show us the future step by step."

Download Brother Alois's catechesis on the Christ of Communion.

St Patrick's College invites papers which explore the theological sources, development, reception and future horizons on the ecclesiology of communion. Active post graduate researchers or researchers who received a doctorate in the past three years are invited to submit papers.

The theme of the symposium suggests various approaches among which are:

• The ecclesiology of communion: biblical perspectives

• The ecclesiology of communion in a contemporary Systematic Theology.

• Moral theology in the light of ecclesiology of communion.

• The reception of the Second Vatican Council in subsequent Magisterial teaching.

• Communion and the Eucharist: new perspectives on the sacraments

• Ecumenical possibilities and tasks involved in receiving and living the Ecclesiology of Communion.

• Communion and Mission: evangelisation in the face of global politics.

• Communion and Creation

• Communion in a world of individuals

• Communion in the writings of Twentieth Century theologians

• The limits and challenges of an ecclesiology of communion.

Paper summaries of approximately 20 minutes will be presented in parallel emerging scholars’ sessions during the symposium.

Applications to present a paper should be sent to Mary McCaughey by 6th January 2012. Successful contributors will be notified by 10th February 2012.

Find out more about the call for papers for the international theology symposium.

Attn: Newsdesks, Photodesks and Religious Affairs Correspondents 

Cardinal Brady and Archbishop Martin to launch the International Eucharistic Congress 2012

• Congress Bell to visit all 26 dioceses of Ireland

Representative of the Media and Congress volunteers have been invited to the launch of the International Eucharistic Congress which takes place in Ireland in June 2012. The theme of the Congress is "The Eucharist: Communion with Christ and one another". Over the week 10 - 17 June 2012 a programme of liturgical and cultural events, workshops and daily celebration of the Eucharist will culminate in an open air Mass and closing ceremony in Croke Park on 17 June next year. The details for the launch of the International Eucharistic Congress are as follows: 

Venue                     Members' Club, RDS, Dublin (main entrance off the Merrion Road)

Date and Time       Monday 7 March at 11:00am

In attendance        Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh; Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin and President of the Congress; Fr Kevin Doran, Secretary General of the Congress; Ms Anne Griffin, General Manager of the Congress; and the choir from the Holy Child Secondary School, Killiney, who will sing the Congress hymn, Though We Are Many, composed by Bernard Sexton. 

Photo opportunity in the RDS with enthusiastic young volunteers wearing t-shirts embossed with the Congress logo alongside the International Eucharistic Congress Bell. On St Patrick's Day, 17 March next, a pilgrimage of the Congress Bell will begin from St Mary's Pro Cathedral, Dublin, going to St Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh and from there to 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 that is at the heart of the Church's preparation for the Congress over the next year and a half.

Further information: www.iec2012.ie/mediacentre

Blessed John XXIII set two main goals for the Council: to bring the presentation of the Church’s doctrine up to date and to promote the unity of Christians.[1] These two objectives were intended to renew the Church’s relation with the modern world and thus to revive her universal mission.

In order to attain these objectives, the Council Fathers undertook a fundamental reflection on ecclesiology, in the hopes of better defining the Church’s profound nature, her essential structure, and the meaning of her mission in a world increasingly emancipated from her influence and tradition.

The ecclesiology of communion is the fruit of this reflection, which ripened through the gradual reception of the conciliar texts—with notable divergences, according to which theological or pastoral interpretation privileged reform within continuity or rupture with the Tradition. Thus, after the “explication” and “reception” of the Council had been promoted, orientation for its interpretation became necessary. The 1985 Synod of Bishops provided this by declaring, “The ecclesiology of communion is the central and fundamental idea of the Council’s documents.”[2]

Pope Benedict XVI contributed greatly to this reflection, noting the need for it: “Why has the implementation of the Council, in large parts of the Church, thus far been so difficult? Well, it all depends on the correct interpretation of the Council or—as we would say today—on its proper hermeneutics, the correct key to its interpretation and application.”[3]It is enough to mention liturgical reform, episcopal collegiality, synodality, and ecumenism, to touch on the well-known key points of the ecclesiology of communion and its interpretation.

This ecclesiology is, however, richer and more promising than certain debates make it appear. Within the framework of this International Eucharistic Congress, I propose to offer a brief retrospective of the ecclesiology of communion since the Council, followed by a few indications for further development, with a view to concluding with the global significance of this ecclesiology for the Church’s mission in the third millennium."

I. A BRIEF RETROSPECTIVE OF THE ECCLESIOLOGY OF COMMUNION SINCE VATICAN COUNCIL II

A. The emergence of an ecclesiology of communion

A fifty-year anniversary is a propitious moment for assessing the path trod by ecclesiology since Vatican Council II. Already in 1982, Cardinal Ratzinger wrote, “To mention only the more important theological results: the Council reinserted into the Church as a whole a doctrine of primacy that was dangerously isolated; it integrated into the one mysterium of the Body of Christ a too-isolated conception of the hierarchy; it restored to the ordered unity of the faith an isolated Mariology; it gave the biblical word its full due; it made the liturgy once more accessible; and, in addition, it made a courageous step forward toward the unity of all Christians.”[4]

All these extremely important but not exhaustive results illustrate the emergence of an “ecclesiology of communion” before the term itself arises. In 1985, the extraordinary Synod confirmed this as the fundamental orientation of the Council.

1. People of God

At first glance, this ecclesiology of communion makes us think of the Church’s sociological dimension, with its structures of participation based on the common priesthood of the faithful and on the charisms the Holy Spirit stirs up so that the Church can accomplish her universal mission. Chapter two of Lumen Gentium refers tothis dimension of the Church with the term “People of God.”

We think of pastoral councils at the level of parish communities,presbyteraland pastoral councils at the diocesan level, and finally episcopal conferences as permanent structures that are represented at the Synod of Bishops. The multiple structures of participation in the new People of God make manifest a basic principle of Christianity: “it is only in the community of all the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ that one is a Christian, not otherwise.”[5]

We encounter the ecclesiology of communion concretely in these new structures, which implement the orientation of the Council. But this visible, functional, and participatory dimension of the Church is not all or even the essential of the ecclesiology of communion. The starting point of this ecclesiology can be found in the first paragraph of the Constitution Lumen Gentium: “the Church is in Christ like a sacrament or as a sign and instrument both of a very closely knit union with God and of the unity of the whole human race” (LG 1). This sacramental point of departure will mark the entire development of the ecclesiology of communion. Let us not forget that, in order to define the Church’s nature and mission, the first chapter of the dogmatic constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, speaks first and above all of the “mystery” of the Church and hence of her divine dimension, which proceeds from the Trinitarian missions of the Son and the Spirit in history: “The Spirit dwells in the Church and in the hearts of the faithful, as in a temple (cf. 1 Cor 3:16; 6:19)…. He both equips and directs with hierarchical and charismatic gifts and adorns with his fruits (cf. Eph 4:11-12; 1 Cor 12:4; Gal 5:22)…. Thus, the Church has been seen as ‘a people made one with the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit’” (LG 4).

This Trinitarian vision of the mystery of the Church is not new. It belongs to the great tradition, but was obscured in modern times by a predominantly juridical approach to ecclesiology, that of the societas perfecta. It was taken up again at the Council on the basis of the expanded notion of “sacrament,” applied to the Church as such[6]. This bold intuition invites us to see the visible realities of the Church immersed in the invisible reality of Trinitarian communion. We will come back to this later on.

2. Sacramental foundation

In a few paragraphs that take their inspiration from Sacred Scripture, the Council brings to light the sacramental foundation of the ecclesiology of communion: baptism and the Eucharist, which incorporate us into Christ:

Through Baptism we are formed in the likeness of Christ: “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body” (1Cor 12:13). Really partaking of the body of the Lord in the breaking of the Eucharistic bread, we are taken up into communion with Him and with one another. “Because the bread is one, we though many, are one body, all of us who partake of the one bread” (1 Cor 10:17). In this way all of us are made members of His Body, “but severally members one of another” (Rom 12:5).(LG 7)

Contemporary exegesis of 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 has once again brought to the foreground the ecclesial sense of Eucharistic communion.[7] According to St. Paul, communion in the Eucharistic body of Christ builds up the Church as his Body. The Eucharistic celebration actualizes the mystery of the Covenant, that is, the total gift that Christ makes of his body to the Church his Bride, to sanctify and nourish her (Eph 5:27) and to associate her to his own fruitfulness, for the salvation of the world (cf. LG 7). This ecclesial sense of the Eucharist was very strong at the origins. Unfortunately, this sense took an individualist turn during the second millennium, under the influence of a more dialectical theology that had lost the profound sense of symbolism of the Church Fathers.

Henri de Lubactraced the history of the semantic shift that marked the evolution of Eucharistic theology and its relation to the Church. At its origin, corpus mysticum referred to the Eucharistic body of Christ in closest relation with the ecclesial body associated with him. In the Middle Ages, Bérenger’s heresy prompted a reaffirmation of the real presence of Christ in the sacrament; the expression corpus verum was substituted for corpus mysticum, and the latter was relegated to the level of spiritual presence. It then referred to the ecclesial body in a purely spiritual sense, which lost its basis in the realist and concrete notion of sacrament.

This was followed by a weakening of the bond between the Eucharist and the Church. A more individualistic Eucharistic piety developed that was centered on the real presence, despite the fact that St. Thomas Aquinas still clearly maintained à propos of the Eucharist that “the reality (res) of the sacrament is the unity of the mystical body.”[8]

3. Eucharistic ecclesiology

It is important to stress here that the ecclesiology of communion promoted by the Council takes its inspiration from the Eucharistic ecclesiology of the Orthodox, especially Afanassief, who is cited in the texts. The Council’s ecclesiology is thus of great ecumenical import. The intervention of John Zizioulas, the Metropolitan of Pergamon, at the 2005 Roman Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist, testifies to this: “The ecclesiology of communion promoted by Vatican II and deepened further by eminent Roman Catholic theologians can make sense only if it derives from the eucharistic life of the Church. The Eucharist belongs not simply to the beneesse but to the esseof the Church. The whole life, word and structure of the Church iseucharistic in its very essence.”[9] Walter Kasper agrees wholeheartedly and holds that “eucharistic ecclesiology has become one of the most important foundations of the ecumenical dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches.”[10]

B. Stages of development of the ecclesiology of communion

1. Ecclesia domestica

Alongside the foundations laid by the Council in terms of a Eucharistic ecclesiology, we can add the discreet mention of the ecclesia domestica, which refers to the family founded on the sacrament of marriage. The family has the “mission to be the first and vital cell of society…. It will fulfill this mission if it appears as the domestic sanctuary of the Church by reason of the mutual affection of its members and the prayer that they offer to God in common, if the whole family makes itself a part of the liturgical worship of the Church” (ApostolicamActuositatem 11; cf. also LG 11). The ecclesia domestica rests on the “conjugal covenant” in Christ, through marriage, which establishes “the intimate partnership of married life and love” that forms the couple (GaudiumetSpes 48§1).

This notion of the ecclesia domestica was taken up again systematically in the post-synodal exhortation FamiliarisConsortio, which has given rise to an abundant literature under the impulse of John Paul II, the Pope of the family.[11] If it is indisputable that baptism and the Eucharist constitute the Church, the Body of Christ, the sacrament of marriage confers an ecclesial status upon the conjugal bond between a man and a woman. This status is recognized by the application of the term ecclesia domestica to the Christian family. At a time when we are witnessing an unprecedented anthropological crisis, characterized by the loss of a sense of marriage and the family, the Church can and must count on the resource of the family founded on sacramental marriage in order to confront the challenges of secularized societies. The evangelizing potential of such a sacramental reality still remains to be discovered and promoted, so that the Church’s endeavor for the new evangelization can become a reality.[12]

2. Ecclesia de Eucharistia

The publication of the encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia in 2003 was an important step in the development of the ecclesiology of communion. John Paul II’s encyclical filled a lacuna left by the Council, which had exalted the preeminence of the Eucharist in the Church’s life but had not systematically defined its relation to the Church.[13] This relation is now defined in the sense of a reciprocal dependence, in which the Church receives the Eucharist as the “gift par excellence” (EE 11), a gift that presupposes incorporation into Christ through baptism but also “reinforces” this incorporation, because it is the “unifying power of the body of Christ” (EE 24). The leitmotif of this encyclical is that the Church lives from the Eucharist. If we must add that the Church “makes” the Eucharist, she does so on the basis of the more profound causality of the Eucharist, which “makes” the Church.[14] Reviving the biblical and patristic perspective mentioned above, the encyclical deepens the apostolic dimension of the Eucharist and draws out the riches of its nuptial symbolism. It does so in the context of a Trinitarian and Marian ecclesiology that opens the way to a new equilibrium of ecclesial consciousness and practice.

Ecclesia de Eucharistia promotes spiritual and practical attitudes that allow us to live the Church’s blessed dependence on the Eucharist more profoundly and intensely: “The Eucharist… appears as both the source and the summit of all evangelization, since its goal is the communion of mankind with Christ and in him with the Father and the Holy Spirit” (EE 22).[15]In fact, ecclesial communion, nourished by the sacrament of the Eucharist, includes in its invisible dimension “communion with God the Father by identification with his only-begotten Son through the working of the Holy Spirit” (EE 34). In the visible dimension, it also implies “communion in the teaching of the Apostles, in the sacraments and in the Church’s hierarchical order” (EE 35). This magisterial intervention significantly confirms the ecclesiology of communion and revives the Council’s commitment to the cause of ecumensism by highlighting the witness of Catholics in this area.

The 2005 Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist draws out the pastoral and ecumenical consequences of the fundamental relationship between the Eucharist and the Church. The title itself of the post-synodaldocument, SacramentumCaritatis, contains an entire program intended to realize the Church’s identity as Christ’s Body and Bride, as well as the universal scope of her mission assacramentumunitatis. In this light, the apostolic exhortation makes an important clarification with regard to the relation between the universal Church and the particular Churches:

The unity of ecclesial communion is concretely manifested in the Christian communities and is renewed at the celebration of the Eucharist, which unites them and differentiates them in the particular Churches, “in quibuset ex quibusuna et unica Ecclesia catholicaexsistit.” The fact that the one Eucharist is celebrated in each diocese around its own Bishop helps us to see how those particular Churches subsist in and ex Ecclesia. (SC 15)

In fact, the oneness of the Eucharistic Body of the Lord implies the oneness of his mystical Body, which is the one and indivisible Church. This principle of unity leads to the openness of each community and of every particular Church to all the others that celebrate the Eucharist in the Lord. SacramentumCaritatis adds, “Consequently, in the celebration of the Eucharist, the individual members of the faithful find themselves in their Church, that is, in the Church of Christ” (SC 15). This position has great ecumenical significance, because it recognizes both the proximity of the Orthodox Churches and a basis for dialogue with the ecclesial communities that have their origins in the Reformation.

This rapid overview of the ecclesiology of communion through the past fifty years remains fragmentary. Nevertheless, it leaves an impression of fruitfulness with respect to the fundamental orientation of the Second Vatican Council. With Pope Benedict XVI, we can clearly affirm that Vatican Council II and its ecclesiological development were a providential work of the Holy Spirit in our age. If it is true that we can criticize a number of post-conciliar developments that left a negative mark on the liturgy, the family, vocations, and consecrated life, we must acknowledge that the emergence of the ecclesiology of communion has borne abundant fruit in the areas of episcopal collegiality, synodality, the apostolate of the laity, charismatic and ecclesial movements, ecumenism, and the Church’s dialogue with the modern world.

Obviously, theological discussion must continue in order further to clarify the ecclesiology of communion. I will evoke three themes which, in my opinion, merit particular attention: the relation between the universal Church and the particular Churches, the theology of Christian initiation, and the integration of modern forms of Eucharistic piety in an ecclesiology of communion.

C. Theological discussions to be pursued

1. Universal and particular Church

An issue of great importance for both ecumenism and the mission ad gentes is the way we conceive of the relation between the universal Church and the particular Churches. This question occupied an important place in Vatican Council II. It was occasioned by the discussion of the sacramentality of the episcopate, in which the relation between the primacy of Peter and episcopal collegiality was clarified. In this context, the Council clearly affirmed that “in virtue of his office, that is as Vicar of Christ and pastor of the whole Church,the Roman Pontiff has full, supreme and universal power over the Church. And he is always free to exercise this power” (LG 22). According to some, the power of the college of bishops seems to be expressed in a more restricted fashion, which leaves little initiative to the particular Churches, episcopal conferences, and synods.

The rapid development of the ecclesiology of communion revived this debate, which has to do with the Church’s profound nature, her unity in diversity, the presence of the universal Church in the particular Churches, and the concrete meaning of episcopal collegiality. To counter the relativist interpretations of the ecclesiology of communion, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published a Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on Some Aspects of the Church Understood as Communion (May 28, 1992). This Letter prompted a number of criticisms, such as that of Walter Kasper, who worried about a vision of the Church that “becomes completely problematic if the one, universal Church is tacitly identified with the Roman Church, de facto with the Pope and the Curia.” According to Kasper, this would be, not “an aid for the clarification of the ecclesiology of communion,” but rather “its abandonment, and a kind of attempt to restore Roman centralization.”[16]

This strong criticism prompted a reaction from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who defended the ontological primacy of the universal Church over the particular Churches, against Kasper’s empirical interpretation, which affirmed their interdependence. Once the misunderstandings had been dispelled, the divergences between the two authors remained relatively minimal. However, the debate served to balance Orthodox-inspired Eucharistic ecclesiology with a reminder of the baptismal ecclesiology that is more fundamental for Protestants. The debate also helped us the better to understand the profound nature of the Church as a unique subject who “subsists” (LG 8) in the Catholic Church. Concretely, she subsists in each local community presided over by a bishop in communion with the college of the successors of the Apostles and its head, the successor of Peter. This subsistence of the Church cannot be affirmed of the other Churches and ecclesial communities, but permits the recognition of elements of ecclesiality in them.

The unique, universal Church is in fact always at the same time a local reality, incarnated in concrete persons—if only, before every local community, in the Virgin Mary, the Mother of the Savior, who is given a share by God in the birth and the growth of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.

On the level of ecumenism, Pope John Paul II invited the other Churches and ecclesial communities to tell him in what way he might exercise his Petrineministry to respond better to the expectations of other Christians (cf. Ut Unum Sint, 95-6). This invitation to dialogue carries great weight, for it presupposes an availability to adapt the exercise of the primacy and of collegiality to the new conditions of ecclesial communion ad intra and ad extra.

A great deal of flexibility is possible for ecclesiastical discipline in the areas of the liturgy, the clergy, synodality, the nomination and the governance of bishops, etc., but unity of teaching in matters of faith and morals nonetheless requires a doctrinal authority that decides in the final instance, according to the role traditionally attributed to the Sovereign Pontiff.

Between the universal Church and the particular Church, there is thus no opposition, but rather a mutual immanence that has its source in Christ’s primacy over the Church. There is no particular Church that is not first and always the universal Church welcoming God’s children, whom Christ gives her through faith and the sacraments celebrated in a given place.

The particular Church is rightly valued if we consider it as a “portion” of the universal Church, and not only as a part or a geographical region. “Portion” means: the universal Church is present in this portion and is the foundation for its communion with all the other portions. Together, they form a single Church. This presence of the unique Church in each portion implies a relation of communion between the bishops. For each bishop, this means full episcopal authority over the portion he has been given to shepherd, and whose communion with the universal Church he must ensure. The Pope bears “anxiety for all the churches” (2 Cor 11:28) as the Pastor of the universal Church, but he accomplishes this service as the guarantor of unity. That is to say, he does not substitute the authority of the local bishop, but confirms it from within. As the bishop of Rome, who presides over the college of bishops, of which he is the head, he has universal authority over the pastors and the faithful. His role is to keep watch over the unity of the whole Church, first of all by caring for the communion of the bishops with him and among themselves. The bishops, for their part, are not vicars of the Pope. They, too, are vicars of Christ, but in dependence on the head of the college in everything that touches on the doctrinal and disciplinary unity of the universal Church.

In brief, the relation between the universal Church and the particular Churches presupposes a Eucharistic ecclesiology based on a prior baptismal ecclesiology. This relation implies communion among the bishops and with the Successor of Peter, a communion that respects the primacy of Peter and the collegiality of bishops. Much progress has been made since the Second Vatican Council, but reflection must continue on the theological and practical levels, so as to render ecclesial and episcopal communion ever more faithful to the Church’s sacramental vocation.

2. The theology of Christian initiation

The ecclesiology of communion is fundamentally Trinitarian. This characteristic trait emerges in many passages of Lumen Gentium (2-4), as well as in the Proemium of many other documents (Ad Gentes, UnitatisRedintegratio, etc.). This corresponds to the very nature of the Christian faith, which is essentially Trinitarian and should be carefully developed in the process of Christian Education.

In this regard, we need a deeper reflection on the theology of Christian initiation, and on the relationship of the three sacraments that constitute this initiation. Christian initiation has as its goal integrating new members into the Body of Christ that is the Church. In light of a Trinitarian ecclesiology, we would have to show that the Trinitarian identity of the Christian involves a personal relationship with each of the divine Persons, as they give themselves to him in the sacraments of Christian initiation. The grace of adoptive filiation received at baptism is confirmed by the gift of the Holy Spirit at confirmation. The latter leads to the Eucharist, where our relation to the Father, who receives and responds to the Paschal sacrifice of his Son, is perfected.

The theological question we must ask is whether confirmation is a sacrament of initiation that completes the configuration of a member with a view to his participation in the Eucharistic assembly; or whether confirmation is the sacrament of Christian commitment in the power of the Spirit, which would require a certain maturity and thus justify a higher age. The option taken on the pastoral level reveals the underlying ecclesial model, which stresses either the grace to be received in confirmation or Christian’s commitment.

The light shed by ecumenism as well as the pre-conciliar Catholic traditionon this question points us in the direction of Christian initiation. When the sequence of the sacraments of initiation was changed in the 1970’s for pastoral reasons, we did not realize that the link to the Eucharist would be weakened. Eucharistic ecclesiology invites us to understand the witness of the confirmed in an ecclesial rather than a social sense. The first witness of the person confirmed is in fact to join the Eucharistic assembly and to be faithful to it, for it is part of his identity.

We must, then, reexamine the pastoral practice of Christian initiation and reaffirm the link between confirmation and the Eucharist, in the spirit of the apostolic exhortation SacramentumCaritatis (18)—not only because of the limits of current pastoral practice, but out of fidelity to the profound significance of the sequence of the sacraments of initiation. These sacraments configure the Trinitarian identity of the Christian, who becomes an authentic witness of Christ to the extent that he lives the Eucharist, the sacrament par excellence of Christian commitment.

3. Ecclesiology of communion and Eucharistic piety

One of the important tasks of theology, and above all of the pastoral practice of our day, is to integrate the Eucharistic devotions that arose in the Middle Ages within an ecclesial vision of Eucharistic communion. Certain partisans of a hermeneutic of rupture at times suggest that the modern practices of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Eucharistic processions, and private Masses do not help the faithful to understand the close connection between the Eucharistic celebration and ecclesial communion. Oversimplification in this regard does not favor ecclesial communion, for such simplification provokes unhelpful polarizations and does not acknowledge the values present in modern Eucharistic piety.

The adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, for example, must not be belittled as a pious but now outdated custom. It is a development of the living tradition, which felt the need to express faith in Christ’s real presence in the sacrament in this way. We must also remain aware that a unilateral stressing of that ecclesial aspect identified as “communitarian” can involve the danger of reducing the Eucharistic celebration to its ethical or social implications.

The balance is to be sought in the reintegration of the manifestations of Eucharistic piety outside of the Mass into a comprehensive vision of Eucharistic and ecclesial communion. The adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, for example, is a form of spiritual communion, which prolongs sacramental communion or replaces it when an obstacle hinders the reception of the sacrament. We must always try to show the ecclesial meaning of other manifestations of Eucharistic piety by reattaching them to the Eucharistic celebration. The Church’s Eucharistic tradition is so rich that it cannot be reduced to the celebration of the Eucharist alone. We need all the Church’s Eucharistic culture in order to keep all of its aspects in balance. The dialogue between theologians, pastors, and the faithful[17] must thus be carried out in a climate of openness and respect for spiritual traditions.

II. PERSPECTIVES FOR THE FUTURE

A. For an ecclesiology of communion in a nuptial perspective

Earlier we evoked the relation between baptism and the Eucharist, which configures the ecclesiology of communion. Baptism highlights the belonging to the universal Church, since it incorporates the believer into Christ, who is unique and universal. The Eucharist highlights the belonging to the particular Church, since it is always celebrated in a concrete community, which thus becomes more the Body of Christ. This difference does not justify an opposition between two ecclesiologies, because the two sacraments of the New Covenant are ordered to one another.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church offers us the right perspective for the ecclesiology of communion when it proposes nuptial symbolism to describe the articulation of the sacraments:

The entire Christian life bears the mark of the spousal love of Christ and the Church. Already Baptism, the entry into the People of God, is a nuptial mystery; it is so to speak the nuptial bath (cf. Eph 5:26-27), which precedes the wedding feast, the Eucharist. Christian marriage in its turn becomes an efficacious sign, the sacrament of the covenant of Christ and the Church. Since it signifies and communicates grace, marriage between baptized persons is a true sacrament of the New Covenant.[18]

Even if we cannot demonstrate it here, this nuptial perspective on the Christian life in general and on the Eucharist in particular is rooted in the biblical notion of mysterion.[19] This term has multiple semantic connotations, but its sacramental significance gradually unfolds in the direction of the “great mystery” St. Paul expresses in Ephesians 5:32, which refers to Christ’s nuptial love for the Church. The (Trinitarian) mystery hidden in God from all ages unveils its interiority through the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word—a mystery that culminates in the nuptial relationship of Christ and the Church.[20] When God gradually reveals his mystery in salvation history, he privileges nuptial symbolism, particularly in Genesis, the prophets, the Song of Songs, the Gospels, the Pauline letters, and the Book of Revelation. This biblical notion of mysterion is taken up again by the Fathers, who understood it rather broadly as the foundation of the sacramental economy and the keystone of the relation between the Eucharist and the Church. Cardinal Henri de Lubac draws our attention once againto this relation in the Fathers, with its profoundly nuptial harmonies, by re-circulating the famous patristic expression that structures John Paul II’s encyclical: “The Eucharist makes the Church.”[21]

This systematic articulation is more important than it appears, for it gives us a new model to think of the synergy between Christ and the Church in the economy of sacramental grace. The sacraments are efficacious signs of the New Covenant; they are acts of Christ and the Church performed in an intimate synergy, in the one Spirit.

On the theological level, SacramentumCaritatis further clarifies the relation between the Church and the other sacraments when it affirms, “The Church receives and at the same time expresses what she herself is in the seven sacraments” (SC 16). This clarification is important, since the Church is both active and passive in her relationship to Christ through faith and the sacraments. She is not an autonomous subject who appropriates and manages Christ’s foundational gestures as she sees fit. She remains always the Body that depends on the Head, and the Bride attentive to the will of the Bridegroom.

One might object that this nuptial perspective has above all an aesthetic value, and that it does not sufficiently involve communion on the level of the dramas and conflicts of human life. The response to this objection depends on a further development of the ecclesiology of communion under the sign of Mary.

B. Mary, the Eucharist, and the Church

The intimate relationship between the Eucharist and the Church, such as it appears in the First Letter to the Corinthians and in a strong liturgical tradition of the first millennium, invites us to reaffirm in sacramental practice the unity of the Body of Christ, who rises with his Eucharistic and his ecclesial Body. This strict but differentiated unity implies the participation of different actors at the level of the rite, but also at the level of the mystery, of which the sacrament is the memorial. Ecclesia de Eucharistia reaffirmed the apostolicity of the Eucharist, against the widespread tendency to relativize the role of the ordained minister in order to affirm the conscious and active participation of the assembly in Christ’s sacrificial offering.

This tension on the liturgical level invites us to ask, on the theological level, about the Church’s participation in the sacrifice of the Redeemer. “Is the Mass a sacrifice of the Church?” asked Hans Urs von Balthasar shortly after the Council. The Catholic conception of the Eucharist presupposes this participation but does not always make its foundation explicit. The ecclesiology of communion would benefit by listening here to the theologian from Basel, who takes up the question once again within the framework of his Theo-Drama: “So the question is, is the Church already the Body of Christ in offering her sacrifice, or is it only by her action that she becomes such?”[22]

Balthasar adds, “the community’s celebration of the Eucharist led to the more and more conscious insight that faith in his sacrifice, which already includes us, ‘passively,’ by way of anticipation, also demands our active collaboration.”[23] This apparently sibylline question is extremely important for ecumenism, since Protestants reproach Catholics for diminishing the work of Christ by claiming to add something to his redemptive sacrifice, from which flows all the grace of our salvation. Balthasar is very aware of this objection; he attempts to receive it and to respond to it fully.

In his account of the drama of the Eucharist, he shows the place and the archetypical role of Mary’s “yes,” which, in the grace of the Spirit, precedes and encompasses every other “yes” in the Church of sinners to the sacrifice of Christ: “Insofar as Mary’s Yes is one of the presuppositions of the Son’s Incarnation, it can be, beneath the Cross, a constituent part of his sacrifice.”[24]

Balthasar further deepens our understanding of this question in relation to the mediation of the ministers of the Eucharist. He affirms that “Christ is entrusted to the hands of Mary at birth and at his death: this is more central than his being given into the hands of the Church in her official, public aspect. The former is the precondition for the latter.”[25] This profound vision helps us correctly to integrate the essential role of the ordained minister in the sacramental offering of the Eucharistic sacrifice, but without isolating it from the community. His role remains essentially dependent on the Marian faith in which and from which he can exercise his liturgical function. There is a function that represents Christ in the Church because the Church is already constituted by Mary’s faith, which is communicated to us at baptism.

The Church is confirmed and strengthened in her identity as the Body and Bride of Christ through the Eucharist. She participates as the Bride of the Lamb in the offering entrusted to the hands of her ordained ministers; but this offering was first placed by the Spirit of the Redeemer in the heart and the hands of Mary at the foot of the cross.

Such a vision allows us to understand the primacy of the baptismal priesthood, which culminates in Mary’s act of faith, offering Jesus to the Father and offering herself with him. Consequently, we can say that, thanks to her, it is the entire community of the baptized that participates in offering the Eucharistic sacrifice, even if the community’s role is to receive, like Mary at the foot of the cross, the sacramental gift that the minister accomplishes in Christ’s name.

Lastly, Balthasar demonstrates the hidden presupposition that makes possible this participation of Mary in the redemptive sacrifice: her Immaculate Conception, which permits her to be in perfect solidarity with her Son in the sacrificial offering. She does not add a surplus, as a “work” that would be proper to her, but consents to let God’s will be accomplished in the unique redemptive sacrifice. This humble and painful consent remains the permanent foundation of the Church’s participation in Christ’s Eucharistic offering.

Balthasar notes the paradox: it is through the mediation of the mystery of Mary, in whom everything is grace, that we can overcome the Protestant objection, which reproaches Catholics for adding their own works and merits to the unique sacrifice of Christ.

C. The ecclesiology of communion and charisms

Vatican Council II certainly was a breath of Pentecost that freed the Church from her isolation from the modern world and her ecclesiological limits. The Council did not only reestablish the balance between the primacy of Peter and episcopal collegiality, or simply articulate the royal priesthood of the baptized in relation to the hierarchical ministry. It also provided a broad opening to the charisms the Spirit distributes for the renewal or the expansion of the Church: “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Cor 12:7). In the words of Lumen Gentium, “These charisms, whether they be the more outstanding or the more simple and widely diffused, are to be received with thanksgiving and consolation for they are perfectly suited to and useful for the needs of the Church” (LG 12).

I remain profoundly convinced that the Council greatly contributed to the appearance of a multitude of charisms, which now have full rights of citizenship in the Church. Old and new communities of consecrated life, ecclesial movements, the lay apostolate, and everything St. Paul describes in his non-exhaustive list of charisms—all of this belongs to the Church of Christ, which the Holy Spirit abundantly enriches to make of her a beautiful and resplendent Bride, according to the divine will. All this dynamism forces theology to rethink the ecclesiology of communion, systematically integrating these new realities along with the old. Both belong to this order of realities destined to build up the Church.

Taking up again the expression of Zizioulascited earlier, I would say that the charisms are generally seen as useful to the Church’s beneesse, but not as necessary to her esse as such. We would have to say more in order to support the new evangelization, and we can thanks to an ecclesiology of communion that integrates all the gifts of the Spirit, both hierarchical and charismatic (LG 4), in a comprehensive vision of the Church as the sacrament of salvation.[26]

CONCLUSION

Fifty years after the opening of the Second Vatican Council, we have seen that its chief inspiration was the ecclesiology of communion, which a right interpretation of the Council gradually identified and emphasized. The ecclesiology of communion is still in the process of development. It is enriched by ecumenical dialogue with the Orthodox and their Eucharistic ecclesiology, as well as by dialogue with the ecclesial communities that have their source in the Reformation and maintain the primacy of a baptismal ecclesiology.

Within the Catholic Church, the ecclesiology of communion gives value to the episcopal ministry, the episcopal conferences, and the Synod of Bishops, while giving renewed impetus to reflection on the primacy of Peter; it promotes the search for a new equilibrium between primacy and collegiality in the relation between the universal Church and the particular Churches. At the level of the particular Churches, the sacramental dimension of the ecclesiology of communion extends the Church’s consciousness into the family, the ecclesia domestica. It demands a renewed pastoral practice of Christian initiation, as well as the harmonious integration of charisms for an efficacious new evangelization.

The ecclesiology of communion has thus revitalized the Church ad intra and multiplied her ecumenical and missionary openings ad extra. Let us rejoice at this fruitfulness of the Council, which is far greater than the phenomena of regression or ideological reception. Among the consequences of the Council, we note the Church’s renewed commitment to peace and justice in the world, her promotion of interreligious dialogue, and an extension of solidarity to a global scale, in the spirit of the encyclical Caritas in Veritate.

However, the ecclesiology of communion still requires deeper theological reflection and pastoral implementation. At the end of these fifty years, this ecclesiology appears more and more to be the concrete realization of the Church, the Sacrament of salvation. The notion of sacrament applied to the Church is to be understood not only as the efficacy of the seven sacraments, but as the participation of ecclesial communion in the communion of the Trinity, given to the world in Jesus Christ. “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 John 4:16).

The sacramentality of the Church therefore means ecclesial communion as a force of attraction and evangelization. Let us not forget that the evangelizing power of the first Christians emanated from their witness of reciprocal love, which attracted and converted the pagans: “See how they love one another!”[27] The Church thus becomes a sacrament, or “a sign and instrument both of a very closely knit union with God and of the unity of the whole human race” (LG 1), in accordance with the general definition of sacrament. As “sign,” she is the bearer of a mysterious divine reality that no image or analogy of this world will adequately express. As “instrument,” she works efficaciously for the salvation of the world through her union with Christ, who associates her to his unique priesthood as his Body and Bride. The Church’s mission thus coincides with the sacramental form of the love that reveals God at work in the world, in an intimate synergy with the witnesses of the New Covenant.

The future of the Church’s mission passes through her witness of unity and her dialogue with all of humanity in the name of the Trinitarian communion. This communion is destined for everyone, and she is its sacrament. Her sacramental mission means more than a reference to the Holy Trinity as an ideal or a model; it means a communion that is an authentic participation in the witness of the Trinity in history. “There are three witnesses, the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and these three agree in one. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater…. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who has not the Son of God has not life” (1 John 5:7-9, 11-12).

Cardinal Ouellet said:

" Dear brothers and sisters, Pope Benedict XVI asked me, as His Legate to the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin, that I would come to Lough Derg and ask God’s forgiveness for the times clerics have sexually abused children not only in Ireland but anywhere in the Church.

Lough Derg in Ireland is the symbol of conversion, penance and spiritual renewal. Many people come here to pray, to fast and to apologize for their sins. According to a long tradition, they follow the steps of Saint Patrick who evangelized the country in the fifth century.

I come here with the specific intention of seeking forgiveness, from God and from the victims, for the grave sin of sexual abuse of children by clerics. We have learned over the last decades how much harm and despair such abuse has caused to thousands of victims. We learned too that the response of some Church authorities to these crimes was often inadequate and inefficient in stopping the crimes, in spite of clear indications in the code of Canon Law.

In the name of the Church, I apologise once again to the victims, some of whom I have met here in Lough Derg.

I repeat here what the Holy Father told to the victims in His Letter to the Catholics of Ireland: “It is understandable that you find it hard to forgive or to be reconciled with the Church. In her name I openly express the shame and remorse that we feel. At the same time, I ask you not to lose hope. It is in the communion of the Church that we encounter the person of Jesus Christ, who was himself a victim of injustice and sin.”

Dear brothers and sisters, in today’s Gospel, Jesus said to His disciples: “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again? It is good for nothing and can only be thrown out to be trampled underfoot by men.”

The tragedy of the sexual abuse of minors perpetrated by Christians, especially when done so by members of the clergy, is a source of great shame and enormous scandal. It is a sin against which Jesus himself lashed out: “It would be better for him if a millstone was put around his neck and he is thrown in to the sea than for him to cause one of the little one’s to stumble” (Lk 17:2).

As members of the Church, we must have the courage to ask humbly for God’s pardon, as well as for the forgiveness of those who have been wounded: we must remain close to them on their road of suffering, seeking in every possible way to heal and bind up the wounds following the example of the Good Samaritan.

From the context of this International Eucharistic Congress, I reaffirm the commitment of the Catholic Church to create a safe environment for children and we pray that a new culture of respect, integrity, and Christ like love would prevail in our midst and permeate the whole society.

May the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints help us all to eradicate the evil of sexual abuse and set us free toward a deep and lasting spiritual renewal of the whole Church.

We are here to pray God with the same words of Saint Augustine in the Confessions: “You called and cried to me and broke open my deafness: and you sent forth your beams and shone upon me and chased away my blindness: your breathed fragrance upon me, and I drew in my breath and do now pant for you: I tested you and now hunger and thirst for you: you touched me, and I have burned for your peace” (Book 10,27).

A true conversion can only happen through a restored deep personal relationship with Christ that we invoke for the entire Church, as the prayer of Saint Patrick, the Apostle of the faith in this country, reminds us:

Christ be with me, Christ within me,

Christ behind me, Christ before me,

Christ beside me, Christ to win me,

Christ to comfort and restore me.

Amen."

After the homily the following prayers of intercession were said by all present:

- For the Church: that its leaders be bestowed with wisdom and courage to strengthen people’s faith and nourish them on their journey. Lord, hear us.

- For all of us here present: that we may be the salt of the earth for those around us and a light to guide people on their pilgrim way. Lord, hear us.

- For the failure to love, respect, nurture and cherish young people, particularly the most vulnerable, we ask your forgiveness. Lord, hear us.

- For the crimes and sins of sexual and physical abuse perpetrated against children and young people, especially in Church-run institutions, by clergy and other servants of the Church. Lord, hear us.

- For the inadequate response often given by Church leaders when abused people told their stories, we ask forgiveness. Lord, hear us.

- That all whose lives have been broken by abuse of any kind may experience support and lasting healing. Lord, hear us.

- For personal intentions, for intentions of other pilgrims and for all who are sick. Lord, hear us.

- For all who have been bereaved, and for our dead, especially family members and other loved ones; for those who died recently, all who have been pilgrims to Lough Derg and for those who died tragically or through violence. Lord, hear us.

- Lord God, through the intercession of Patrick our Patron, hear the prayers of your people gathered here in faith and hope. As you nourish us with your word, give us also the bread that gives us life – Jesus Christ your Son and our Lord, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

During Mass celebrations for St Patrick’s Day in Armagh, His Eminence, Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All-Ireland, will ring the Cathedral Mass Bell in preparation for the forthcoming Eucharistic Congress.

Cardinal Brady will then hand the Cathedral Mass Bell to the new Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Charles Brown, who will ring the bell as part of ‘Ring for Renewal’. The Clarion Bells of the Cathedral will then be played for two minutes.

This week Pope Benedict XVI joined ‘Ring for Renewal’ when he sounded the Eucharistic Congress Bell in Rome last Wednesday (14 March), calling people from across the world to Dublin for the Eucharistic Congress, which takes place from 10-17 June 2012.

In solidarity with the Holy Father, Cathedrals and parishes across Ireland have signed up to ring their bells for two minutes at 12 noon and 6pm, as a symbol of renewal and a call to gather in preparation for the Congress.

Cathedrals that will ‘Ring for Renewal’ on St Patrick’s Day include: St John’s Cathedral, Limerick; St Patrick and St Felim’s Cathedral, Cavan; Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas, Galway; Cathedral of the Assumption, Carlow; Cathedral of Christ the King, Mullingar.

Keeping with the ecumenical focus of IEC2012, Christchurch Cathedral in Dublin will be ‘Ringing for Renewal’ at 12pm and 6pm on St Patrick’s Day.

By ringing a bell on St Patrick’s Day, everyone can join the journey towards the Congress in their own personal way. Parishes are encouraged to leave a bell in a suitable place within their chapel for people to ring during a visit to the Church on St. Patrick’s Day, for mass or for personal prayer.

Whether people are working, travelling, or attending the St Patrick’s Day Parade, Fr Kevin Doran, Secretary General of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012, encourages everyone to take a moment to ‘Ring for Renewal’ on the Feast of St Patrick. “We invite you, wherever you are, to pause for a moment from the activity of your day, and to allow the ringing of the bell to speak to your heart.”

‘Ring for Renewal’ extends an open invitation to everyone to ring a bell on 17 March, to pause for a moment in the day and to reflect on how they can be renewed as individuals and members of the Church as they prepare for the 50th International Eucharistic Congress.

IEC2012 website is hosting the chiming of the Eucharistic Congress Bell available to stream online: www.iec2012.ie/ringforrenewal

About the Eucharistic Congress Bell

The symbol of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress is a Bell. The Eucharistic Congress Bell originated in the Dominican Convent, Portstewart, Co Derry.

Tradition has it that St Patrick left a bell in each Church he consecrated as a way to call people to the Eucharist. In parishes all over Ireland, the Eucharistic Congress Bell Pilgrimage is building on the tradition of St Patrick and the ringing of Bells.

Since commencing its pilgrimage on St Patrick's Day 2011, the Bell has visited the 26 Dioceses of Ireland, over one thousand parishes, more than 100 schools, and a dozen hospitals and nursing homes, calling people to ‘Come to the Congress’.

In September 2011, the Bell travelled to Lourdes, France with the Dublin Diocesan group. The Bell has now entered phase two of its pilgrimage and is travelling abroad for the second time.

These were the words that I used just over three months ago at the conclusion of the final Mass of the Fiftieth International Eucharistic Congress in Croke Park. I think that without qualification I can say that over the months which have passed since that evening, our reflection on those busy days in June has if anything strengthened that conviction of just how much the Eucharistic Congress awakened in our hearts something which went way beyond our plans and our expectations. We come this afternoon to be with one another once again; to share experiences and memories; to express our thanks and to look forward to the future.

In expressing my thanks to you, I recall that in my short talk at the end of the Congress the one sentence which brought the most prolonged and intense applause was: “We thank the volunteers who made us welcome and assisted us and kept us in good cheer”. There was universal recognition then – and I consistently hear it still - of the fact that your enthusiasm was infectious and contributed in a very special way to the success of the Congress. The Church in Ireland is indebted to you.

Many people came to the Congress not knowing what to expect. Some came out of a sense of duty; some came out of a sense of curiosity; some came with their own fixed ideas; some were openly hostile. Something happened the moment one entered into the Congress which changed all of that. Many who came with a one-day booking, immediately decided to come back on the other days. Many who came sceptical not just overcame their own scepticism, but regretted that they had not done more at an earlier stage to get the message of the Congress across to others.

The Congress atmosphere created something special. The only complaint that someone came to me with was from one of the volunteers: she said to me “it’s terrible that people cannot get into the workshops”. Certainly it was terrible: people had paid to come and hear one or other of the speakers. Thank God – due in no small part to a courageous volunteer who apprehended the Archbishop - we were able to rectify the problem with repeat performances and with large screen projections. Now we can say that the overflow attendance at the workshops was indeed one of the most significant signs of the success of the Congress.

There are many who say that the Eucharistic Congress marked a turning point for the Church in Ireland. Is that true? How are we to discern which were the signs of the Eucharistic Congress which touched hearts and fostered deeper reflection on what the Church and the Christian life is about? What are, not so much the lessons to be learned, but rather the building blocks we can discern which we can used to construct a programme of new evangelization in Ireland for the future? The Congress showed us that despite the difficulties of the Church in Ireland there are also signs of hope and signs of seeking and searching in people’s hearts about what the fundamental values and attitude towards life must be and how we can find an answer to them in the person and message of Jesus Christ.

The first of these indications is that the overflow interest in the workshops indicates a real desire on the part of many of our brothers and sisters to have access to real adult faith formation. We heard wonderful catecheses about prayer, about marriage and the family, about living our faith in the public square. By adult faith formation I mean a formation in faith for adult Christians, which helps them address, in the light of faith, the realities and challenges of their lives as adult Christians in the adult world in which they live.

Secondly the atmosphere of prayer and silence which pervaded many of the events – and especially the prayer space – is sign that men and women, young and old, feel a need to step aside from the hustle and bustle of ordinary life and be alone first of all with themselves, and then to be alone with God. There is something special about silence. In silence you are on your own, you are stripped of all the superficial supports which we think are the ones which will make us look and feel as we would like to. In silence we are alone with ourselves, with our talents, but also with our inadequacies and worries and anxieties. When that silence becomes communion with Christ then our inadequacies become a real channel for the power of the Lord to enter into our lives and change our self perception.

The third significant sign of renewal were the volunteers, especially the large number of young volunteers. I would love to have the opportunity to dialogue with you and your contemporaries about how you look on the future of the Church and how the experience of the Church you had at the Eucharistic Congress led you closer to Jesus and to understand yourselves in the light of his message. I will be holding a further catechetical encounter with young people in Clarendon Street Church at 7.30 p.m. on Thursday next to which all are welcome.

Next I would again like to express my thanks to the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin and to the leaders of the others Christian Churches for an extraordinary common ecumenical witness and for the fraternal support they offered to this event of the Catholic Church. This is a sign of the common search that all Christians in Ireland are undertaking to renew the faith in a changing Ireland.

Finally there was something about the Eucharistic Congress which we are living again here today: the fact of being together, of supporting each other, of being proud of our faith and our Church, which can only be generated by our communion with Christ and our sharing in his sacrificial self-giving which we live in the Eucharist.

The Gospel reading that we have heard is a familiar one. It reminds us of the need to foster in our hearts a fertile soil for the reception of the Gospel. But it is also a parable which reminds us that from the very time of Jesus himself many did not have within them the receptivity to really understand his message and to make the Gospel their own. At the time in which our Gospel reading was being written, the Gospel was being preached to a world in which only a small minority had accepted the word of Jesus.

The Gospels illustrate many moments in which the teaching of Jesus was rejected. Think of his rejection in his own home town. It was not just that small pockets of the community represented ears and hearts that were unprepared to understand Jesus and his message. It is something greater. Rejection has always been a part of the history of evangelization.

Perhaps in Ireland we became so used to Christianity being the majority faith and having a dominant role in Irish culture that we fail to see that the ground of our culture is perhaps less fertile for the Gospel than we had imagined and its roots of our faith are often so fragile that in the rapid change in Irish the culture the distancing from the message of Jesus has become deeper and more widespread.

This does not mean that we become depressed or demoralised. The Gospel must be preached and preached fully and preached in its integrity even though the numbers of those who respond remains few, even though there are those who do not wish to hear it or those who become trapped within a culture which makes it difficult for the Gospel message to flourish.

Irish society is certainly marked by a strong religious sense. But vague cultural Catholicism is not the soil on which to construct a deep renewal of faith in today’s world. Faith requires deeper roots and those roots are built on our knowledge of the person of Jesus Christ, through familiarising ourselves with the scriptures, through deepening our understanding of the faith of the Church into which we have been baptised, through prayer, and through our sharing in the Eucharist.

Through our knowledge of and communion with Christ we can create that caring communion with one another which was not just the theme of the Eucharistic Congress but a characteristic mark of the Congress. It must become the mark of believers in Jesus Christ in the society and the world in which we live. Reform and renewal in the Church will not be attained simply by changing structures. The path towards reform and renewal in the Church will not be one charted simply by hearings or surveys. What is needed is a radical transformation of hearts and relationships, through a more intense living of our faith in Jesus Christ, through Communion with him and with one another. As we remember those great days of the Eucharistic Congress, let us commit ourselves, young and old, to that challenge this afternoon and for the months and the years to come.

Click here to watch passages from the homily given by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin at the Celebration gathering

“Our challenges as the Catholic Christian community in Dublin are not just our own (...)  I am aware that the challenges that we as Catholic Christians face are the same challenges that other Christian communities face also. All Christians must learn to work together”, said Archbishop Diarmuid Martin. “If we work together, this Eucharistic Congress will not be simply an outward week-long spectacle or the triumphalistic celebration of an inward-looking Church.  If we work together, it can become a moment of real renewal in the life of the Church in Dublin and a true celebration of what the Church authentically is and should be.”

The ceremony that Church of Ireland Archbishop Jackson will lead during the Congress will be an Ecumenical Liturgy of Word and Water and will take place on Monday 11th June 2012. This first full day of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress will focus on the communion into which we are drawn with Christians of every tradition through the Sacrament of Baptism and through our sharing in the Word of God.

To read Archbishop Martin’s complete homily notes, visit our Media Centre here: www.iec2012.ie/mediacentre
Visit our Congress speaker’s section here: www.iec2012.ie/speakers

One week ago we set out on a journey of prayer and reflection, of song and silence, of renewal of our hearts and renewal of our Church. In these eight days the Eucharist has awakened in our hearts something which went way beyond our plans and expectations.

The Eucharist has been the nourishment of the extraordinary sense of our communion with one another which those of us who have been in the RDS and are here today have experienced. We have experienced the communion of the Church. We have been enriched by our sharing with those who have joined us from over 120 countries. We have been joined by individuals, parish groups, and diocesan pilgrimages from all over Ireland. We have come as bishops and priests, deacons, religious men and women, families, lay people who animate much of our parish life, young people and children. Catholic communities right across Ireland, and with them many communities of other Christian denominations, have been praying with and for this event.

We are grateful for his presence here today of the President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, along with public figures from North and South.

We thank God for the experience of these days. We experienced the presence of Jesus with us in the Eucharist and the power of the Eucharist spread through every aspect of our assembly. We thank all those who contributed to this great event. We thank Father Kevin Doran, the General Secretary and his team for the extraordinary organisation; we thank Father Damian McNiece who prepared all the liturgies and his team who coordinated them. We thank the various choirs from all over Ireland. We thank the volunteers who made us welcome and assisted us and kept us in good cheer. We thank those who spoke at the various events. We thank those who celebrated our liturgies and those who ensured vital moments of silent prayer and adoration.

We thank Cardinal Marc Ouellet most sincerely for his tireless work during these days in Dublin, at Lough Derg and in Knock. We express through you our affection and loyalty and gratitude to Pope Benedict XVI and you can assure him of the prayers of all of us.

Our prayers and support go to the city and the diocese which will host the 51st International Eucharist Congress: Cebu City in the Philippines. We pray that the Congress will bring the same special blessing to that city and diocese and nation as this Congress has brought to Dublin and Ireland. I am told that in the monsoon season you can produce rain storms which equal or even surpass the ones we experienced in these last days.

The 50th International Eucharistic Congress was not just a seven-day event. Over the past year a great deal of catechesis has been carried out across Ireland in preparation for this week. Tomorrow we must start our catechesis anew to prolong the fruits of this Eucharistic Congress through a dynamic of New Evangelization. The extraordinary interest that was shown in these days for the workshops and catecheses of the Congress tells us just how much thirst there is in our Catholic community to deepen the understanding of our faith.

In my service at the Holy See I was privileged to work alongside two extraordinary superiors. One was a Polish Bishop, who in the early days of the Second World War, then a young Deacon, was arrested and interned for the entire period of the War in Dachau where he was the object of horrendous medical experiments. The other was a Vietnamese cardinal who was held in prison camps, often in total isolation, or under house arrest for over eleven years. Both had remarkable stories to tell of their ordeal, but the most striking thing that both spoke about was the Eucharist. Both told of the extraordinary lengths they went to in order to be able to celebrate or participate in the Eucharist in secret and how it was the Eucharist which gave them gave them courage and hope in the darkest of days. They spoke of the sadness they experienced on the days and months when it was not possible to experience the nourishment of the Eucharist.

We must go away from here with a renewed passion for the Eucharist. We must go away with a renewed love the Church. We must go away from here wanting to tell others not just about the Congress, but about Jesus Christ himself who in giving himself in sacrifice revealed to us that God is love. In the Eucharist we are captured into that self-giving love and are empowered to be loving people.

We go away deepened in our faith. In October next, Pope Benedict will inaugurate the Year of Faith. His words about that year can be a programme for us as we move forward from this Eucharistic Congress: "We want this Year to arouse in every believer the aspiration to profess the faith in fullness and with renewed conviction, with confidence and hope"; to intensify the celebration of the faith in the liturgy, especially in the Eucharist...; to ensure that believers' witness of life may grow in credibility; to rediscover the content of the faith that is professed, celebrated, lived and prayed.

In our prayers in these days we have kept in our prayers and in our hearts all those who suffered criminal abuse within the community of Christ's Church and all those who feel in any way alienated from the Church and who have not experienced in our Church the love of Jesus Christ. We go away from here committed to build a Church of communion and service after the model of Jesus Christ. It is Jesus himself who will renew his Church. It is Jesus present in the Eucharist who will be food for the journey of purification and renewal to which we commit ourselves as we leave this Fiftieth International Eucharistic Congress strengthened in our desire to deepen our Communion with Christ and communion with one another.

https://www.trocaire.org/whatwedo/donate-to-trocaire?fund=32

http://tuamarchdiocese.org/2011/12/mgr-joseph-quinn-1947-2001-rip/

Archbishop Tagle explained: “The so-called crisis of the clergy unfolding these past years is immense in scope. It includes allegations of sexual misconduct, suspicions about the clergy’s handling of money, accusations of misuse of authority, inappropriate lifestyle and a host of other things. The faithful are appalled at the rudeness of their pastors.”

“At first glance, this crisis seems to be about explicitly sexual behaviour only. But a closer look at the actual cases reveals that deep theological, spiritual, anthropological and pastoral issues are involved. That is why the impressionist way by which some people tackle the problem is quite inadequate and even unfair,” he added.

In the main RDS arena, Archbishop of Perth, Barry Hickey delivered the catechesis on ‘God as Loving Communion’. The musicians and performers on the main arena stage included: Gardiner Street Gospel Choir, Kisi Kids: International Catholic Movement, Composer Ian Callanan, Diocesan choirs from Kildare & Leighlin, Ossory & Ferns, Waterford & Lismore and directed by musician Father Liam Lawton.

The Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, Mr Carl Anderson, gave a personal testimony as a husband and father on the Eucharist and faith in his life, in the main RDS arena. He explained that “too often the cultural commentary about marriage —especially found in defence of divorce—suggests marriage and family is risky because one’s commitment and contribution may not ‘pay off’—that there may not be an adequate return on one’s investment in the marriage.”

Mr Anderson added “And yet, our sacrifices are put in perspective at every Mass when we say: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof. What a dramatic expression of Christ’s love for us!”

This was followed by teacher and columnist, Breda O’Brien who delivered a personal testimony on marriage and family life. “In our family, the kitchen table is very important. The moment when each child left the highchair and joined the rest of us was a great moment. It is there that we learn to listen, and to forgive and be forgiven. It is there that we are nourished, body and soul. It is there that we learn to be thankful, and to give thanks for all we have. In that way, it is the place where we first learn the meaning of Eucharist, of Christ present in our midst. If we want to re-learn the value of the Eucharist, perhaps we also need to re-learn the value of the kitchen table and the family meal,” O’Brien said.

The principal concelebrants at the celebration of Mass were Cardinal André Vingt-Trois; Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal George Alencherry; Major Archbishop Siro-Malabar Church, Archbishop Barry Hickey; Emeritus Archbishop of Perth, Archbishop Gerald Cyprien Lacroix; Quebec City, and Bishop Joachin Hermes Robledo Romero; Paraguay.

Delivering the homily, Cardinal André Vingt -Trois said the first mission of Christian families is to live concretely by the values of “reconciliation, mutual acceptance and joy in giving one’s life for one’s loved ones”.

Meanwhile, the Papal Legate Cardinal Marc Ouellet attended a special meeting at Áras an Uachtaráin with President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina, along with guests Archbishop Diarmuid Martin and the Papal Nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown.

The main events of the Programme take place in the RDS Arena. On most days these will be in the afternoon and will include:

The Catechesis: a “teaching” moment, usually presented by a bishop, reflecting on the theme of the day and its challenges

The Testimony: words of encouragement and inspiration from a lay-person with a story of faith to tell

Celebration of the Eucharist: Mass celebrated with all the Congress delegates, presided over by a bishop

There are some variations from day to day and you can see these below.

Alongside the programme in the Arena, there is a full programme of workshops and cultural events, many of which are now confirmed. In addition there is the Youth Space which has its own dedicated programme, details of which will appear shortly.

Read more about the programme here: www.iec2012.ie/programme

"Ten years ago I visited Ireland for the first time. I came to be with a dear friend, Lieta Betoño, who was dying. She was from Argentina and had spent thirty years of her life in Ireland in the Focolare community. I had often heard her speak of the warm welcome she had received in this country. During my brief visit here, I too, as well admiring the wonderful rainbows, enjoyed the warm family spirit in the communties I met.

I find the same spirit here among you and it is a joy to be here for this International Eucharistic Congress.

I have been asked to share a short testimony on the topic of “Communion in one Baptism”.

Baptism is the sacrament that links all Christians. It is the sacramental bond of unity.

As the Joint Working Group of the Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches puts it in their Eighth Report on the Ecclesiological and Ecumenical implications of our common baptism: “All Christians who receive the one Baptism into Christ’s one body have also received a radical calling to communion with all the baptised”.

So it could be said that baptism has given us not only the common right to the name “Christian” through incorporation into Christ, but it has also provided us with a specific task to build communion among one another through loving one another as Jesus loved us.

To say “yes” to this calling is our great chance in life. It’s not that we “have” to say “yes” but we “can” say “yes”! To be able to say this “yes” and say it together is the expression of our dignity as children of God.

And to do this, we Christians have in our hands a great treasure: the Gospel. I know that in many ways the Irish are a people born of the Gospel.

From the very beginning of the Focolare Movement, Chiara Lubich and her first companions discovered and chose the Gospel as their only lifestyle.

The Movement began in Trent (Italy) in 1943. The War was raging. There were constant bombardments. Every time the air-raid alarm sounded, they would run to the shelters, bringing with them only a small copy of the Gospel. Chiara had understood that Jesus is the Truth and so she had to follow him, not books or theories but rather him by putting into practice his words.

They opened the Gospel. And then something amazing happened for them: those words they had heard so many times before, since they were already Christians, lit up as if a light was switched on beneath them. They understood them in a totally new way and felt prompted, certainly by the Holy Spirit, to put them into practice.

This is how Chiara put it: “To us these words seemed to have a revolutionary power, an unknown vitality, to us they seemed the only words capable of radically changing life; and of changing the life of us Christians in our times.”

Others who gradually wanted to live like Chiara plunged themselves into these words of the Gospel, nourished themselves on them. Moved and delighted, they experienced how all that Jesus has said and promised was coming true: “Give and you will be given”. It was their daily experience: they gave, gave gave and received, received, received.

“Ask and it will be given to you”. They asked for all kinds of things because of the great needs of the time. It was war time and there were many people in need around them. They asked and even though it was a time of great poverty sacks of flour, tins of milk, as well as wood, jam, etc. arrived and they would then distribute them to the poor in the city.

Soon the word about these experiences spread. It was like an echo of the words of the apostles who went out proclaiming to the world “Christ is risen”. With their experiences, Chiara and her companions were saying: “Christ is alive! Christ is alive!”

The War sowed ruin, destruction, death. One day, during an air-raid alarm, Chiara and her companions were in a dark cellar, a copy of the gospels in hand. She opened it and in the candle-light read Jesus’ prayer before he died: “Father.... may they all be one” (Jn 17: 11, 21). It was not an easy text to start with, but a strong conviction stirred in their hearts, that they were born for that page of the Gospel.

On the feast of Christ the King they said to Jesus: “You know the way to achieve unity. Here we are. If you desire, use us”.

Today too, here, Chiara Lubich shows us again only the Gospel, nothing other than the Gospel because, as she said, in order to find meaning in life, humanity, “needs not so much cultured and learned people who have a lot of ideas but rather wise people filled with the Holy Spirit, men and women who are truly evangelical.”

In a time when knowledge of the Gospel was reserved for just a few people, Martin Luther wrote:

“We must be sure that our soul can do without everything, other than the Word of God, nothing is good without the Word of God. But when we have the Word of God... we have sufficient food, happiness, peace, light, intelligence, justice, truth, wisdom, freedom and every good in abundance.”

It is the Gospel and the life of the Word that can evangelise first of all ourselves, making us then capable of lighting up the “dark cellar” which is the world that surrounds us, responding to the questions and challenges that life puts before us, and before each and every human being on earth.

Personally and together, we would like to repeat with Chiara: “If by some absurd hypothesis all the Gospels of the earth were destroyed, we would like to live in such a way that people could to some extent rewrite the Gospel by observing our behaviour.”

We find an echo of this idea in an eighteenth century Evangelical-Lutheran theologian, Gerhard Tersteegen, who wrote:

“Open yourself totally [to Christ] in silence like a white page, in such a way that he may write his law in your heart by the Holy Spirit until you, in your being and in your life behaviour, become a sacred Scripture, a letter that everyone may read. Then Scripture will remain a precious witness to Christ, and we’ll believe not only because we have read it, but because we have listened to and known Him.”

The Movement then development in accordance with a plan that was surely written in heaven and that was revealed to us step by step. Spreading in a way that was defined as “an explosion”, the Movement soon went beyond the borders of Italy, then Europe and reached all the continents. Today it is present in 198 countries with members in more than 300 churches and with members too of all religions and convictions.

I myself met this experience in 1959. The year before that I had gone on a pilgrimage and had asked God to help me meet someone or something that would fill completely a void that I felt within me, one that I couldn’t even explain to myself because I could say I had everything: a good family, all I needed to live on, success in studies...

Then a year later, in 1959, I met a group of young people who were at Mass in the chapel in the University of Rome and I was very impressed by them. You could see a joy among them, an “atmosphere” that was different. I became friends with them and they showed me a way of life that was totally new.

I remember my first visit to a focolare house (a community that lies at the heart of the Movement). When I asked: “But what should I do to be like you?” they said to me it was enough simply to live the Gospel because it was a question of living, not of an organization. Jesus was asking me to begin this new life with him.

My first experience was that of listening to my aunt out of love for Jesus – even if she was telling me things that didn’t really interest me – because in her, as in everyone, I could meet and love Jesus himself! The Gospel tells us that “whatever you do the least of my brothers and sisters, you do it to me” (Mt 25: 40).

In the Focolare communities in the early times of the Movement, just as today too, it was felt essential to share with one another the experiences we have lived, in other words, to communicate the fruits of the Word of Life lived out.

At that time it was a heartfelt need to do this. A spirituality of communion was coming to life, the spirituality of unity that prompted them to share all their goods, not just material goods. And could there be any better good to share than the fruits of the Word lived?

Considering the world in which we live, it seems to us that it was the Holy Spirit that suggested to us this practice, this method, let’s say, (of sharing experiences) because faced with the general relativism today that often makes it difficult to explain or demonstrate the truth logically, the evidence of a life-experience cannot be questioned. It may be understood or not understood, appreciated or not, but it cannot be questioned because it is experience, it is life.

This sharing of experiences in mutual love links all who are involved and bears witness, just as the Gospel says: “by this all will know you are my disciples if you love one another” (Jn 13: 35).

I spent 10 years in Turkey, responsible for the Movement in that geographical area. I knew neither the culture nor the language of that country. Often I didn’t know what to do there. News from the Christian world didn’t reach us. External signs of religion were absent. Churches were hidden. The Sunday Church bells were silent.

And yet, I recall many moments when I experienced the beauty of the family that Jesus came to create on earth.

For instance, in our desire to show others how we really wanted to be close to them, we went to meet with the leaders of the various Christian Churches there: the bishop of the Catholic Church of the Latin rite as well as the Armenian bishop. But also the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church of Constantinople as well as the Apostolic Armeican bishop and the Jacobite-Syrian bishop. All these churches are very much minority churches and in all kinds of major difficulties within a hugely Islamic majority. For us it was a case of going to share suffering, to support hope and encourage initiatives. And the fruit of doing this was always a new ardour and joy.

We were linked with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch through a long and deep story of friendship that began in 1967 with various meetings between Chiara Lubich and the great Patriarch Athenagoras. This friendship then continued with his successors Dimitrios I and Bartholomew I.

I remember something we often noticed in people we came into contact with was that they weren’t completely clear on belonging to a particular Church. They saw themselves generally as Christians and, while this was lovey and fruitful in building relationships, it could, however, generate confusion and misunderstandings among the leaders of the Churches. We wanted to help by trying to spread a healthy ecumenical spirit and we did so by encouraging people involved in our groups to establish relationships with their own churches to which they belonged.

I recall occasions when we accompanied some Orthodox groups who were involved in our Movement to meet personally with their Patriarch. They were always very warm, deep meetings with a family atmosphere in which the people in those groups rediscovered they had a father and they felt embraced by the maternity of their Church.

For his part, the Patriarch always expressed his affection and esteem for what we were trying to do and today too, every time he gets a chance, he expresses his gratitude to Chiara Lubich and to the Movement for a genuine ecumenism lived out.

The effects of the Word lived out in the Movement in these past seventy years have been innumerable. They cannot all be listed.

But one of the fundamental effects was ecumenical dialogue.

Right from the beginning of this new life, the unity that Jesus prayed for in his last will and testament was for Chiara and her companions their objective, to be achieved through living mutual love

First and foremost, unity among themselves as faithful of the Catholic Church without expecting any developments that might come in the future.

Soon, however, precisely because of an evangelising power that was a fruit of unity, the Movement spread throughout the world. God’s providential guidance, led to contact with people of various churches and faiths, indeed also with people with no particular religion, and relationships of mutual love were established with them.

Cardinal Bea pointed out that the more deeply Christians from various denominations live the Gospel, the more they will draw close to one another because in this way they will become more like Christ.

We find the same idea, even if expressed in other words, in a document of the theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation which states: “… the common way of listening to the word of God and the faithful attachment to the one Gospel (see Gal 1:6-10) are essential steps on the way towards full unity.’

In these almost 70 years of the Movement’s life, we have noticed that the communitarian and ecumenical spirituality that we strive to live, itself a fruit of a charism sent by the Holy Spirit for our time, links all those who live it so that in a certain sense we already feel we are one – one Christian people.

In this way, what we have called “a dialogue of the people” comes about, that is, a “dialogue of life” among Christians. And this dialogue is ever more urgent because history has shown that the conclusions and even the most forward-thinking positions taken among theologians are not enough if the people are not prepared.

United by this spirituality, we would like to be a leaven among the churches and contribute to speeding up their journey towards full, also visible and also Eucharistic, communion.

A concrete experience that bears witness to this dialogue, one that is bringing it forward is the “Together for Europe” project. This is an extraordinary reality of communion and fellowship among Christian communities and movements from various denominations from almost all the countries of Europe. About 250 movements take part, including some in Belfast and other parts of Ireland. Together they are committed to a journey of sharing, mutual recognition, welcome and collaboration, in favour of the true good of the continent of Europe and beyond.

In my testimony today, I have tried to show how the Gospel when lived together, with a sharing of experiences, makes us one.

From the beginning of the Movement, in the long hours spent in the air-raid shelters, the sentences of the Gospel that spoke most about love, came to light: “Love your neighbour” (Mt 19:19); “Love your enemy” (Mt 5:44); “Love one another” (Jn 15:17); “Above all let your love for one another be sincere” ( 1 Pt 4:8)…

Now, if there are many of us trying to life like this and if we try to put into practice Jesus’ commandment par excellence, “As I have loved you, so you should love one another” (Jn 13:34), love becomes reciprocal.

And reciprocal love lived out has an effect, it is a cornerstone in the communion and fellowship among the baptised – it makes possible the presence of Jesus among Christians united in his name: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Mt 18:20).

His presence among us inserts us more completely, more vitally, into the presence of Jesus in the Church; it makes us Church.

Jesus between a Catholic and an Anglican who love one another, between an Anglican and an Orthodox, between an Armenian and a Reformed Church member, between a Methodist and a Quaker...

This presence of the Jesus Risen is a very powerful impetus to the journey of Christians towards full communion and fellowship. It enlightens us on what steps to take; it gives us courage to put our proposals into action; it makes us share joys and sufferings.

As well as this, Jesus among us, urges us to look together at the world as he did: to love it, to save it, to help people experience the peace and light that he brings.

In this way, the Church goes beyond the confines of our buildings of worship. In full communion and fellowship among all, it draws closer to today’s humanity in order to respond to all its needs and questions with the answers that only the Gospel can offer.

I would like to conclude with a sentence from the late David Stevens, a Presbyterian from Northern Ireland and ex leader of the Corrymeela community. He spoke of the space that the Risen Christ opens for us when we live the Gospel together. He wrote: “The Gospel invites us into the space created by Christ and to find there those who were previously our enemies.... This is a vision of a new humanity reconciled in Christ and living together in a new community”.

May the Risen Christ grant that, through baptism and the Gospel lived, we may contribute to rendering the enchantment of this vision real and visible and may he give us the joy of experiencing ever more his presence among us. "

Download Dr Maria Voce's testimony on Communion in one Baptism.

The theme of the day was ‘Exploring and Celebrating Our Communion through Baptism’.

Thousands of international and Irish pilgrims attended morning Mass in their native languages at IEC2012’s 34 host churches located throughout Dublin City. Hundreds of Canadian pilgrims gathered in the RDS Congress Prayer Space for Mass at 9.30am.

The Congress Choir, Discovery Gospel Choir, soloist David MaGuire, and singer Owen Lynch and Choir provided music and song for events in the main arena at the RDS.

A catechesis on our common baptism: ‘Communion and Baptism: A Passion for the Unity of Christ’s Body’ was delivered in the main RDS arena by Br Alois Löser, Prior of the Taizé Community, France.

Dr Maria Voce, President of the International Focolare Movement, shared her personal testimony on ‘Word of Life’ before the Liturgy of Word and Water that was presided by Archbishop Michael Jackson.

The Liturgy of Word and Water was presided by Archbishop Michael Jackson; Anglican Archbishop of Dublin and Glendalough, Rev. Kenneth Lindsay; President of the Methodist Church, Bishop Brian Farrell; Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, Fr George Zavershinsky; Russian Orthodox Church Ireland, and Deacon Martin O’Connor; St Anne’s Church of Ireland, Dawson Street.

Speaking during the liturgy of Word and Water, Archbishop Jackson said: “The importance to me of this Eucharistic Congress is in its hope of an outworking of this principle. It speaks of the broader picture of the life of communion flowing from baptism. Once we accept that mission is, first and last, God’s mission, questions have to be asked about how we enable this gift of God to be the spiritual activity and the active spirituality of the church of today. And we need to be mindful always that God speaks through the world to the church, as also to the world through the church. Both need each other and both are enriched by the interchange of care and concern.”

He added that “Baptism enables distinct Christian communities to have not simply parallel lives but a shared life ‘conjoined in the missionary purpose of God’ (The Toronto Report). The ministry and mission of God in the church for the world is the responsibility of all God’s people.”

Earlier during the ecumenically themed day, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, IEC2012 President delivered an address at the RDS Concert Hall about ‘The Church in the Modern World’.

Archbishop Martin said: “The particular challenge in Ireland is to learn to know who Jesus is. Many nominal Catholics, including some who, notwithstanding regular attendance in church, have never reflected personally on the faith they have assimilated through societal and familial influence.”

He explained: “The Church has to find new ways of being present in a new Irish society. To do that the Church must re-discover its own sense of communion and sense of common purpose, overcoming its internal divisions in a spirit of love of the Church and in a dialogue of charity.”

“My hope is that this Congress may be a signpost as to how our Communion with Christ in the Eucharist can generate a new understanding of our communion with each other in a modern world which is today very different to that of the 1960s and in a future which will be even more different and challenging.”

The International Eucharistic Congress, due to take place in Dublin, Ireland in June 2012, fits perfectly into the program for modernisation of the Church in that country, Pope Benedict XVI said Thursday as he greeted participants at the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses.

National delegations from across the globe gathered this week to discuss preparations for Dublin 2012, when the Archdiocese will open its doors, chapels and churches to all those who want to take part in the week long event, centred on the theme "The Eucharist, communion with Christ and with one another”.

The Irish delegation was led by the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, and speaking to them Thursday the Pope observed, “your Assembly has paid great attention to this event, which is also part of the modernization program of the Church in Ireland. The theme,… recalls the centrality of the Eucharistic Mystery for the growth of the life of faith and every authentic process of church renewal”.

Pope Benedict also remarked that this week’s meeting falls on the 50th anniversary of the Eucharistic Congress in Munich, Bavaria, which marked a turning point in understanding these ecclesial events, and which the Pope said “I had the pleasure of attending that assembly in person, as a young professor of theology”. In addition, the 2012 Congress in Dublin will have a jubilee character, as it will be the 50th, and it will also be 50 years since the opening of the Second Vatican Council.

Tracing the long history International Eucharistic Congresses, the Pope said “Through the characteristic formula of the "statio orbis”, they emphasize the universality of the celebration: in fact, it is always a celebration of faith centred on the Eucharistic Christ, Christ's supreme sacrifice for humanity, which involves the faithful not only of a particular Church or nation, but as far as possible, from all over the globe. It is the Church, which gathers around the Lord”.

“The task of Eucharistic Congresses, especially in the current context”, he concluded “is also to make a distinctive contribution to the new evangelization by promoting mystagogical evangelization, which takes place in the school of the Church in prayer and through the liturgy”.

Source http://www.radiovaticana.org/EN1/Articolo.asp?c=438300

- Pilgrimage to begin following reception of bell by Cardinal Brady at St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh 

Date: Thursday 17 March, St Patrick’s Day 

Times and venues: 

Dublin: Following the 10am Aifrinn La Féile Padraig in St Mary’s Pro Cathedral. 

Armagh:  5.30pm at St Patrick’s Cathedral. 

Following the St Patrick’s Day Mass in St Mary’s Pro Cathedral, Dublin, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin will bless the Eucharistic Congress Bell. He will also bless the first of four icons which have been prepared for use with the Congress Bell. The bell will then depart Dublin for Armagh. 

Cardinal Seán Brady will receive the bell at the gates of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh at 5.30pm after which there will be a procession into the cathedral for Evening Prayer and Benediction at 6.00pm with priests and people of the St Patrick’s Cathedral Pastoral Area.

Cardinal Brady will bless the second icon which will be attached to the plinth of the bell. 

On Friday 18 March the bell will be available in the Cathedral for the parishes of the Cathedral Pastoral Area. An invitation has been extended to parishioners across the pastoral area to visit St Patrick’s Cathedral to take part in the various liturgies and prayer.

Morning Mass will take place at 10am. The closing Mass for this part of the bell pilgrimage will take place in the Cathedral at 7.30pm. Cardinal Brady will preside at the Mass.

The bell will move on from Armagh to the other pastoral areas in the archdiocese. The bell will be in the Archdiocese of Armagh for a total of 15 days. From Armagh it will move onto the Dioceses of Dromore, Down and Connor and Derry and onto the remaining dioceses. It will also be taken to the World Youth Day event in Madrid in July and will be taken to Lourdes as part of the Annual Dublin Diocesan pilgrimage. The first stage of the bell pilgrimage will be completed on 29 Jan 2012. 

The full travel itinerary for the Eucharistic Congress Bell is available at the following link: http://www.iec2012.ie/bell

This year, the Lourdes pilgrimage included a focus on the preparations for the International Eucharistic Congress. It was the first time that the Eucharistic Congress Bell left Ireland since the bell pilgrimage began in St Mary’s Pro Cathedral in Dublin on St Patrick’s Day.

The Eucharistic Congress Bell pilgrimage is an invitation to faith, prayer, to reconciliation and to preparation for the 50th International Eucharistic Congress which will take place in Dublin from 10-17 June 2012.

To date the Congress Bell has visited 15 dioceses and hundreds of parishes around the country. It was carried to the summit of Croagh Patrick and to the Aran Islands in July and it was a feature at the Dublin Horse Show in the RDS in August. Later this month the bell will be at the National Ploughing Championships in Athy, County  Kildare.

Read more about the annual diocesan pilgrimage  to Lourdes.

During the period of preparation for the Congress, many people expressed concern that the Congress would result in a substantial debt for the Irish Church. While the accounts are still subject to audit and will become a matter of public record in due course, it is now clear that the final cost of the Congress was something in the region of €9.3 million (as against the budget of €11.8 million). Speaking at a meeting of diocesan delegates yesterday (Wednesday 26th) Fr. Kevin Doran, Secretary General, paid tribute to the careful financial management of Anne Griffin, General Manager of the Congress and the hard work of all of the Congress team in delivering the Congress under budget, without any reduction in quality.

Fr. Doran also noted that almost 50% of the total cost of the Congress was raised through the generous contributions of parishioners in four annual national collections since 2008. “This is quite remarkable given the present economic climate,” he said. “I am personally very grateful to the Catholics of Ireland for this very practical expression of their support and encouragement for what we were trying to do, at a time when some would have questioned whether it was the right time for a Congress.” Fund-raising for the Congress was carried out by a separate committee headed by Bishop John Fleming.

In the next few months a selection of DVDs will be produced, beginning with a twin pack of the Opening and Closing events of the Congress, and followed by a DVD featuring the highlights of each day of the Congress. The texts of the various talks and workshops presented at the Congress and at the pre-Congress Symposium of Theology will also be published before Christmas by Veritas Publications.

For the past three months, the remaining staff members at the 50th International Eucharistic Congress have been carrying out the “wrap up” operation which follows any large international event. This has involved settling accounts with suppliers and clients, the archiving of materials and the writing of reports and of letters of thanks. The Congress Office at Simmonscourt Road will close this weekend (Friday 28th September). “There is a very real sense of sadness as we prepare to leave the RDS” said Fr. Kevin Doran. “We have worked at the RDS for the past eighteen months and have experienced a great sense of warmth and welcome from the management and the entire staff here. They could not have been more helpful to us.”

ENDS

Further information:

Notes for Editors:

• The 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012 took place in Dublin from 10 - 17 June 2012, with daily attendances at the RDS of between 10,000 and 16,000 and with 65,000 participants in the closing liturgy at Croke Park. Total attendance over the course of the week was approximately 150,000. Seven thousand overseas pilgrims participated, representing more than 114 different countries.

• A Congress is an international gathering of people, held every four years somewhere in the world, which aims to promote an awareness of the central place of the Eucharist in the life and mission of the Catholic Church; to help improve our understanding and celebration of the liturgy and to draw attention to the social dimension of the Eucharist. These aims are achieved through a programme of pastoral preparation in the years leading up to the Congress and a programme of liturgical and cultural events, lectures and workshops over the course of one week.

• Among the highlights of the Congress week were the Ecumenical Liturgy celebrated by Archbishop Michael Jackson (C of I, Dublin) and the Liturgy of Reconciliation celebrated by Cardinal Peter Turkson.

• A surprisingly high number of 15,000 participated in a joyful and prayerful Eucharistic Procession which took place on Wednesday 13th June in the streets around the RDS

• 38 keynote addresses were delivered in the RDS arena during the week of the Congress

• 182 speakers delivered other presentations and workshops as part of the IEC2012 programme of events, and many of these had to be repeated such was the demand.

• 41 speakers delivered participated at the Chiara Luce Youth Space for young people between 17 and 25 years old.

• 245,294 people viewed the Congress website and there were 2,514,390 pages views between Dec 2010 and July 2012

• Previous Congresses took place in Quebec (2008) and Guadalajara (2004)

• The next International Eucharistic Congress will take place in Cebu City, The Philippines, in 2016

• The Congress web-site www.iec2012.ie will remain live until the next International Eucharistic Congress in 2016 and many of the addresses and liturgies can be found there.

“We are very grateful to the Bishop of Clogher, Liam McDaid and the Prior of Lough Derg Father Richard Mohan for their support.”

Lough Derg’s Station Island, the location of the Pilgrimage, is often referred to as Saint Patrick’s Purgatory. It is a special sanctuary of peace and personal challenge. This small lake-island, renowned in Irish Christian tradition since the time of Saint Patrick, has been receiving pilgrims continuously for over 1000 years.

The Healing Stone is a large piece of shaped Wicklow granite inscribed with the words of a prayer composed by a survivor of clerical abuse. The prayer was originally featured in the Liturgy of Lament celebrated in Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral in 2011.

Work on the Healing Stone project began in early 2012. Following consultation with various people, including abuse survivors, it was agreed that the stone would be an appropriate symbol for the Congress.

The Papal Legate was accompanied to Lough Derg by the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown and the Bishop of Clogher, Bishop Liam McDaid. They stayed overnight on the island during which time they fasted and participated in other penitential exercises with pilgrims on Lough Derg.

The fiftieth occurrence of the International Eucharistic Congress is now coming to a close. We are deeply grateful to God for the light of His Word and for the gift of the Holy Eucharist, which strengthen our communion with Christ and with one another.

At the end of this celebration we will listen to the message of Pope Benedict XVI. His speaking to us reminds us that this International Eucharistic Congress bears witness to the Catholic Church as the universal communion of many particular Churches. The Bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful here represent the Catholic Church which is found throughout the world in thousands of communities, but which is one in faith and love of Jesus Christ. I greet the ecumenical representatives and I thank you all for being part of this grace-filled event.

I greet the President of Ireland, and all the civil authorities, fondly aware of the noble tradition of this courageous nation. I thank wholeheartedly Archbishop Martin, Cardinal Brady and all the collaborators of this event for the gift of their warm hospitality and for the example of their strong dedication to Christian renewal in this country.

In order to prepare ourselves to listen to the Holy Father's message, let us briefly reflect on today's readings, which bring us a message of great hope and confidence.

Through the prophet Ezekiel the Lord says, 'From the top of the cedar, from the highest branch I will take a shoot and plant it myself on a very high mountain. I will plant it on the high mountain of Israel. It will sprout branches and bear fruit, and become a noble cedar' (Ez. 17:22-23).

In the Gospel, Jesus uses a similar image to speak about the Kingdom of God: '[The kingdom] is like a mustard seed which at the time of its sowing in the soil is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade' (Mk. 4:31-32).

We understand the prophecy of Ezekiel in the light of Christ. Jesus Christ is the shoot taken from the highest branch, he is God from God, and planted by God himself on a very high mountain, which is Calvary.

God the Father has planted on Calvary the seed of the Cross out of love for his creation and for all sinners. The seed of the Cross is the Sacred Heart of His only begotten Son, pierced to death by our sins, but raised up from death by the power of divine mercy. Therefore Christ Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He is the Holy Redeemer in whom we trust and find salvation. The seed of Christ's love, buried in the ground of Calvary, produced an unimaginable fruit: a tree, the Tree of Life, a noble cedar which is the Holy Church of God, the dawn of the Kingdom. We believe in the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church, because we believe in Christ who wills the Church to be His body, born from the self-gift of His Eucharistic Body.

Dear brothers and sisters, let us rejoice and be full of confidence. 'We are full of confidence' (2 Cor. 5:6), as St. Paul says to the Corinthians. We are so because the risen Lord is our home and our safety. We do experience limitations and failures in the Church, but the Lord sustains us, healing our wounds and strengthening our love. Let us rejoice in Him and be glad!

We can rely on the Lord for a new beginning. St. Paul gives us the key for any personal or ecclesial renewal: 'We are intent on pleasing Him'(2 Cor. 5:6). This key to renewal in our lives is a decision to recommit ourselves to love the Lord and to live and to die for Him, knowing that His grace will never fail. May the upcoming Year of Faith strengthen in us this decision!

Jesus is the seed sowed by God Himself in the depths of the earth, a seed that fell to the earth, died and was raised to eternal life. From this smallest seed of salvation comes the Tree of Life, the Church, in which all of humanity is called to find a home and safety in the company of the risen Lord.

For this very reason, the Church is called, and we are called, to bear witness to the Lord by pleasing Him, that is, preaching the Gospel, living in fraternity and praising God for the gift of salvation.

After this week of Eucharistic reflection, celebration and adoration, we are certainly more aware of God's call to communion with Him and with one another.

Let us bear witness to this grace by calling others to faith in this communion. The Irish bell, which resounds from Lough Derg, from Knock and Dublin, must resound in the whole world. Let's ring the bell further through our personal testimony of renewed faith in the Holy Eucharist.

Faith is the most precious gift we have received with Baptism. Let's not keep it private and fearful! Let it grow as a splendid tree through sharing everywhere!

Even if we are sometimes tested in our faith, do not be afraid, and remember who we are: the body of Christ intent on loving God over and above all things, intent on living in the Spirit of the new and eternal covenant.

We are not alone; the Spirit of Pentecost dwells in us. The communion of saints, with Mary at its heart, comes to our assistance as soon as we have rung the bell of prayer in total confidence. Keep hope and be glad, for the kingdom of God is near!

Dear brothers and sisters, at the end of this Mass we will listen to the Holy Father's message for the conclusion of this Congress. Let us listen to him with great respect and gratitude since he is our spiritual father, a father who is holy and worthy of our trust and sincere obedience.

May our communion with the Body of Christ be a new bond of love; a small seed perhaps, but, by God's grace and divine mercy, a fruitful one.

Together we pray the words of Saint Ephrem, deacon and doctor of the Church:  'Lord... we have had your treasure hidden within us ever since we received baptismal grace; it grows ever richer at your sacramental table. Teach us to find our joy in your favour! Lord, we have within us your memorial, received at your spiritual table; let us possess it in its full reality when all things shall be made new' (Sermo 3, De fine et admonitione 2. 4-5). Amen!

- “May this National Eucharistic Congress, and the International Congress next year, help to bring healing to the social, economic, spiritual and moral wounds that have so deeply afflicted our country and Church in recent times”
- bishops and priests anoint the sick before Mass in the Basilica: “May these days of grace bring healing, strength and peace to us all”
-“my hope is that those who have drifted away from regular Mass will hear the simple request of Jesus: Do this in memory of me”
- thanks young people for attending and encourages use of social media to invite others to be part of Ireland’s preparations for the International Eucharistic Congress 2012
- welcomes Saint Joseph’s Young Priests Society to Knock and thanks the Society for its many years of support for seminarians
- “Jesus is gentle and merciful and loving. He understands the weakness of the human condition. He reaches out to us with compassion and a love that heals. But Jesus is also challenging. He is not afraid to confront us about our laziness, our selfishness and our sin. He does so - He calls us to conversion - because these things hold us back from experiencing the fullness of life God wants us to have. This is the fullness of life that comes from our immersion in the Word of life and in the Eucharist – the Bread of Life”.

Read the complete homily on our media centre.

He invited all people of good will to become part of the journey of reflection and renewal of community that is at the heart of the Eucharistic Congress and the visit of the Congress Bell to each of the 26 dioceses in our country. These are just but some of his words:

“The bell had an honoured place in the mission of our National Apostle. It called the people to pray. It invited them to pause from their busy and distracted lives and to turn to what gives life to the spirit and the soul. It beckoned people to meet Jesus himself in his Word and in the Eucharist.”  

"That call to a new evangelisation will continue to ring out in every parish the bell will visit. It will ring out in memory of Patrick who, in spite of his personal weakness and the many obstacles that came his way, burned with zeal for the hope, life and love that the message of Christ offered to the people of Ireland. The bell will call every one of us to take up that mission from Patrick and make it our own in living out our baptismal call.”

Read the complete homily on our media centre (by clicking on "Media Section"on your left menu and then "Press releases" ), or click on http://www.iec2012.ie/pressreleases

During previous International Eucharistic Congresses there has been a tradition of hospitality with accommodation hosts offering a room and breakfast to overseas pilgrims.

By providing free accommodation, this generous hospitality from hosts in Dublin will allow pilgrims from poor nations to attend the Congress.

All pilgrims who accept host accommodation will be aged over 18 and won't be staying in homes where there are children or vulnerable adults.

You need to apply to become an accommodation host. Read more about hosting accommmodation for pilgrims during the 50th International Eucharistic Congress.

The Youth Space will feature a rich mix of interactive catechesis, workshops, drama, dance and music, and is open to all adults between 17 and 25 years old.

Youth Programme Officer, Anna Keegan, said:

“I’m really excited to be involved in the Chiara Luce Youth Space at the International Eucharistic Congress. It gives young people an opportunity to learn more about their faith by discussing and questioning international speakers and Celebrating the Eucharist together. With the mixture of fun, music, and meditation we hope to build a strong community of young faithful people. This is our time to Get up and go to the Congress.”

The six day youth programme at the Congress will commence with a morning prayer, ‘Get Set Go’ led by Net Ministries National Evangelisation Team (NET) Ireland, resident house band Elation Ministries and 3Rock Church of Ireland Youth Initiative.

Throughout the week from midday, a series of four workshops will focus on the chosen daily Congress theme.

On Monday 11th June, up to 1,000 young people from across the 26 dioceses in Ireland will gather at the Chiara Luce Youth Space for an evening of prayer with the Brothers of Taizé.

On Tuesday 12th June there will be a workshop on ‘Love and Relationships’ by the Elijah Fellowship.

On Wednesday 13th June there will be a talk show, ‘Young and On the Mission…in Your Daily Life!’ focusing on three young lay people and three religious about living their lives as Catholics.

On Thursday 14th June Cardinal Peter Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, will present a workshop Praying with the Breath. Later that day, Bishop Donal McKeown, Diocese of Down and Connor, will facilitate a short, dynamic conversation with young people on ‘Reconciliation in Our Communion’.

On Friday 15th June the Focolare Movement will deliver a workshop on Chiara Luce; The Hurricane of Light.

The Chiara Luce Youth Space is named after Chiara Badano, meaning ‘Claire Light’ in Italian. She was a young woman involved in the Focolare movement, who died in 1990 aged 18, having suffered bone cancer. She was described as ‘a hurricane of light’ and beatified in 2010.

Other highlights: Each evening between 6.30pm and 11pm, the Youth Space will also hosts an array of events including interactive catechesis sessions, concerts, a drumming circle with the Psalm Drummers from Belfast, and preparation for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Pilgrims can pirouette their praise with a workshop led by Sister Bernadette Purcell, Chaplaincy, IT Tallaght, Dublin, on liturgical dance: ‘Sacred Dance: Using the Body to Pray.’ Or, they can learn street dance with ‘The Move of Faith’ workshop by Donking Rongavilla, Dance Donking, Ireland.

Each day there will be interactive catechesis led by a Bishop involved in youth ministry. On Saturday, Bishop Frank J Caggiano, Diocese of Brooklyn, USA, leads the catechesis and the final prayer at the Chiara Luce Youth Space: Good to Go! Following the footsteps of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Young people are encouraged to participate in this Mission to go out and be the Church in action with Christ and with one Another.

Find out more about the Youth Programme during the 50th International Eucharistic Congress.

Speaking briefly at the invitation of the Archbishop, Fr. Kevin Doran (Secretary General of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress) invited the young people present to come to Ireland for the Congress.

He announced that, following discussions with the International Catholic Deaf Foundation, it has been agreed that there will be a full deaf track at next year’s Congress, including six workshops facilitated by the Foundation and signed for the deaf.

"You are welcome twice over" Fr. Doran said "You are welcome as young people and you are welcome as deaf people." He also encouraged young people from the Irish deaf community to sign up for the Congress Volunteer Programme.

Find out about volunteering at the 50th International Eucharistic Congress.

The Eucharistic Procession will commence in the RDS Main Arena at 7.30pm. Members of the public and parish groups from across the country who wish to attend the procession should (unless booked for the Congress on Wednesday 13th June) gather in the RDS Simmonscourt extension area from 5.30pm until 6.30pm, where they can join and follow the procession after it has left the Main RDS Arena.

From there the procession will turn left down Simmonscourt road, turn right onto Anglesea Road, right again onto Merrion Road, and it will complete the route in the grounds of the RDS Simmonscourt, a route of approx 2.5km.

The PA system will relay prayers and music from the Main Arena around the procession route. Pilgrims remaining in the Main Arena may watch the procession on the large screens beside the main altar. Individuals and parish groups walking the procession are encouraged to bring colourful banners.

People who do not wish to join but want to watch the procession are welcome to gather along the road as the procession passes on Merrion Road, Anglesea Road and part of the Simmonscourt Rd.

The theme of the day was Exploring and Celebrating Our Communion through Baptism.

Thousands of international and Irish pilgrims attended morning Mass in their native languages at IEC2012’s 34 host churches located throughout Dublin City. Hundreds of Canadian pilgrims gathered in the RDS Congress Prayer Space for Mass at 9.30am.

The Congress Choir, Discovery Gospel Choir, soloist David MaGuire, and singer Owen Lynch and Choir provided music and song for events in the main arena at the RDS.

A catechesis on our common baptism: ‘Communion and Baptism: A Passion for the Unity of Christ’s Body’ was delivered in the main RDS arena by Br Alois Löser, Prior of the Taizé Community, France.

Dr Maria Voce, President of the International Focolare Movement, shared her personal testimony on ‘Word of Life’ before the Liturgy of Word and Water presided which was by Archbishop Michael Jackson.

The Liturgy of Word and Water was presided by Archbishop Michael Jackson, Anglican Archbishop of Dublin and Glendalough, Rev. Kenneth Lindsay, President of the Methodist Church, and Bishop Brian Farrell, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity.

Speaking during the liturgy of Word and Water, Archbishop Jackson said: “The importance to me of this Eucharistic Congress is in its hope of an outworking of this principle. It speaks of the broader picture of the life of communion flowing from baptism. Once we accept that mission is, first and last, God’s mission, questions have to be asked about how we enable this gift of God to be the spiritual activity and the active spirituality of the church of today. And we need to be mindful always that God speaks through the world to the church, as also to the world through the church.

Both need each other and both are enriched by the interchange of care and concern.”

He added that “Baptism enables distinct Christian communities to have not simply parallel lives but a shared life ‘conjoined in the missionary purpose of God’ (The Toronto Report). The ministry and mission of God in the church for the world is the responsibility of all God’s people.”

Earlier during the ecumenically themed day, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, IEC2012 President delivered an address at the RDS Concert Hall about ‘The Church in the Modern World’.

Archbishop Martin said: “The particular challenge in Ireland is to learn to know who Jesus is. Many nominal Catholics, including some who, notwithstanding regular attendance in church, have never reflected personally on the faith they have assimilated through societal and familial influence.”

He explained: “The Church has to find new ways of being present in a new Irish society. To do that the Church must re-discover its own sense of communion and sense of common purpose, overcoming its internal divisions in a spirit of love of the Church and in a dialogue of charity.”

“My hope is that this Congress may be a signpost as to how our Communion with Christ in the Eucharist can generate a new understanding of our communion with each other in a modern world which is today very different to that of the 1960s and in a future which will be even more different and challenging.”

In his Homily he said: “Much has changed in the world after two thousand years. Yet the story is the same as it ever was. The Christians in Jerusalem at the beginning of the Church, were very few and found courage only in the presence of Christ.

“Today, we too, need to realise that Christ is with us, and find courage in His presence. Though are very few and diminishing in number, may we Christians in Jerusalem as well as all Christians remain faithful where the Lord has placed us!”

“Considering the political situation in the Middle East, it is human to be afraid, because we suffer and feel threatened in our existence. But fear is not an acceptable response for a follower of Christ…while we may feel alone; Christ is our hope, joy and freedom.”

The concelebrants at Mass were: Patriarch Fouad Twal, Jerusalem; Archbishop Bashar Warda, Chaldean Archbishop of Erbil, Iraq; Bishop Elias Bolanos Avelar, El Salvador; Bishop Pierre Tran Dinh Tu, Vietnam; Bishop Vittorino Girardi Stellin, MCCJ, Costa Rica; Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin; and Cardinal Seán Brady, Primate of All-Ireland.

Archbishop Bashar Warda, Chaldean Archbishop of Erbil, Iraq delivered his catechesis "Suffering as a means of communion". In his address he spoke about how “The Iraqi people are extremely sensible and moved, when one of the family members passes away. They weep loud and bitterly, and for weeks. They gather and sit together recalling the deceased one, with the whole family, and the complete clan. At those moments, all differences and disputes are forgotten…At those moments of grieving, the family, and even the whole village become deeply united in their sorrow and pain.”

He then spoke of the impact of the persecution that exists for some members of the Christian Community in Iraq and how such intense moments of feeling, unite the church as a community.

Ms Rose Busingye of Meeting Point International, Uganda, spoke about her work with people with HIV/AIDS, orphans, poor and old, teachers in schools. She said: “The aim is not to leave them alone in front of sickness, suffering and death, but to discover together the meaning and the sense of their suffering even death. It’s something that provokes and awakens us to discover the full meaning and the dignity of the human life and love.”

The musical performers during the main arena events were Meath Diocesan Choir; Directed by Jim Walsh and accompanied by Ephrem Feeley, Colleen Gormley; Spiritual Singer, Elation Ministries, St Ultan's Orchestra, and Ian Callanan and choir.

During the Liturgy of Reconciliation, Cardinal Turkson said: “Be perfect and mend your ways! It’s a call for intense introspection and examination of conscience, so that we can put all our broken ways into the healing and repairing hands of God in the sacrament of Penance – a Penance that can reconcile us with each other and bring us back into the embrace of communion with each other.”

Pilgrims had the opportunity to attend confession in the IEC2012 Prayer Space, while a series of interesting workshops focusing on reconciliation took place. Daily catechesis was delivered by Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, Archbishop of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Earlier while delivering Morning Prayer, Archbishop Michael Neary, Archbishop of Tuam, spoke about the importance of the psalm and the role it plays in morning prayer. Archbishop Neary said that as Christians we dedicate our whole day to God in the morning offering. Speaking about Psalm 95, he said: “This Psalm is a Psalm of personal dedication. It helps to refocus our life on God as we live in a busy world. It calls for a personal decision.” By praying this Psalm today, “we have access to God in a special way,” Archbishop Neary explained.

At 3pm Mr Richard Moore, Founder of Children in Crossfire, delivered a personal testimony. A ten year old in 1972, on the way home from school, he was blinded by a bullet in Derry. Mr Moore spoke to pilgrims, gathered in the arena, about forgiveness: “First and foremost, forgiveness is a gift to yourself.” The second thing he said is that “Forgiveness won’t change the past, but it will change the future.”

Cardinal Seán Brady was the main concelebrant at the daily Congress Mass at 4pm. Speaking about the surviving victims of clerical abuse, Cardinal Brady told pilgrims gathered in the rain: “I want to take this opportunity of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress to apologise for the times when some of us were blind to your fear, deaf to your cries and silent in response to your pain.”

The Primate of All-Ireland explained: “My prayer is that one day this [Healing] stone might become a symbol of conversion, healing and hope. I hope it will become a symbol of a Church that has learned from the mistakes of the past and strives to become a model for the care and well-being of children. What this stone represents, what has happened in the Church in Ireland and in other places in the world, is a stark warning to all that there can be no passing by on the other side, no room for half-heartedness in our care for the vulnerable and the young.”

Concelebrating the Mass with Cardinal Bray were Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya; Archbishop of Kinshasa, Archbishop Michael Neary; Archbishop of Tuam, Archbishop William Slattery; Archbishop of South Africa, and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin; IEC2012 President.

The Congress Choir performed on the main RDS arena stage and during the Mass as well as the Vard Sisters, Full Set: Young Musicians, Father Liam Lawton: Composer and Musician, St Laurence’s Children’s Choir, and the Vocalese Singers.

The programme called ‘Go! Be Church!’ will happen in an area known as the Chiara Luce Youth Space at IEC2012 in the RDS from 10-16 June. Young people from 17 to 25 years of age will engage in a diverse range of activities that include workshops, dramas, interactive catechesis, celebrations, concerts, social activities, games, and art.

Around 2,500 young people are expected to participate in ‘Go! Be Church!’ this summer and, in preparation for the upcoming Congress, more than 350 young people from across the Dioceses of Ulster gathered in Tyrone on Sunday last, 26 February, to celebrate faith through music, workshops and prayer at an event called Crossroads 2012.

The significant role that youth play in the Church in Ireland was highlighted by the presence of Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All-Ireland, who was the principal celebrant of the Eucharist at Crossroads 2012.

Other bishops concelebrating the Mass at St Ciaran’s College in Ballygawley included Bishop Liam MacDaid, Bishop of Clogher, and Bishop Donal McKeown, Auxiliary Bishop of Down and Connor. They were joined by IEC2012 Diocesan Delegates from the Northern dioceses.

Bishop McKeown emphasised the important role the youth programme will play in the upcoming Congress: “These are difficult years for everybody in modern Ireland – and, in a particular way, for young people. We are all paying the price for trying to live in the fast lane or coarsening our hearts with superficiality.

“The 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012 provides a once-in-a lifetime opportunity for the people of this island to pause and reflect on the deep human hunger; for meaning, love, God, healing and communion. Adults may well need to see, hear and listen to young people much more than the youth need the adults!”

Bishop McKeown added: “The Congress is a God-given opportunity to reawaken our idealism through reflecting on the mystery of love, community and service. It is a divine invitation to put communion at the heart of who we are as a people.”

Francois-David Freschi, IEC2012 Youth Officer, said: “We are hoping that every parish in Ireland will send at least one young person to represent them in the IEC2012 Chiara Luce Youth Space. The Church in Ireland needs young people and the Congress is a fantastic opportunity for young adults to explore and celebrate their faith.”

Each diocese in Ireland is being invited by IEC2012 to bring groups of young people to the Congress, either for the entire week or a portion of it. At the end of the week, young people will be missioned to go back to their parishes to begin local faith programmes.

The IEC2012 Youth Space is named after Chiara Badano, an ordinary young woman involved in the Focolare movement, who died in 1990 at the age of 18, after succumbing to bone cancer. Because of her qualities as a friend, and her deep sensitivity to the needs of others, especially the poor, she came to be known as ‘Chiara Luce’ (Claire ‘the Light’ in Italian). Chiara was beatified in 2010 and is the patron saint of the IEC2012 Youth Space.

To support the spiritual journey of young people before and after the Congress, groups of young people are invited to dip into the Pastoral Programme which is available on www.iec2012.ie. It invites us to walk in the footsteps of the disciples on the road to Emmaus.

For High Resolution Images See Media Gallery here

• For more information on the Youth Programme click here

• The full programme of the IEC2012 is available here.

• Booking for the Congress is now live on http://www.iec2012.ie/registration

The Congress extends to the City Programme begins today, Saturday 9th June, when the President of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses, Archbishop Piero Marini will unveil an art exhibition, The Faces of Christ by art collector and author Mr Steen Heidemann, at 3pm in St Paul’s Church, Arran Quay, Dublin 7.

The Faces of Christ collection seeks to highlight the work of contemporary Christian artists from all over the world. This exhibition will showcase more than 100 works. This collection will be on display throughout Congress week, from 10th until 17th June.

Most of the Host churches will offer hospitality to different language groups gathered in Dublin for Mass on Monday morning.
The programme includes talks on "How and Why Should I Pray?" "Christianity – Boring, irrelevant, untrue?", perpetual Adoration throughout the day and night in Our Lady Queen of Peace Church on Merrion Road and St Teresa’s Church, Clarendon Street from Monday 11th June to Saturday 16th June.

An extensive programme awaits school children including talks on the ‘Life of the Saints’, guided Adoration, workshops for young teens and adults, and family workshops for parents and children together in Our Lady Queen of Peace Church.

Prayer ministries in the different spiritual traditions: Carmelite, Dominican, Jesuit and others such as the Family Rosary International; Father Patrick Peyton Centre, the Emmanuel Community and Alpha International will all welcome pilgrims and locals to their programmes.

A concert with Music and Verse in Irish Faith Tradition will be held in the Church of the Miraculous Medal, Bird Avenue, Clonskeagh on Monday 11 June at 8pm. A performance of Servant at the Supper, a one act play by Eleanor Glenn, takes place on Thursday 14th June at 7.30pm. The Church of the Assumption, Booterstown will host a concert by the ‘Goethe-Institut Choir’ on Thursday 14th June at 8pm.

The Congress Extends to the City programme is free and open to the public.

Read more about the Congress Extends to the City Programme.

During catechesis in the main RDS arena at 2pm, Archbishop J Michael Miller, Archbishop of Vancouver, Canada, spoke about three points on priesthood, which included the relationship between the priesthood of all the baptised and the ministerial priesthood; the priest as a man of communion called to foster unity and healing; and the role of the priest in serving his brothers and sisters in their participation in the Church’s saving mission.

Later in the afternoon, Mrs Noreen Carroll a parishioner from Foxrock Parish, Dublin delivered a personal testimony about "Priesthood and Ministry in the Service of Communion" in the main RDS arena. Mrs Carroll explained: “The way in which each priest makes Christ present to all of us who seek God is the great mystery of priesthood.”

Sr Conchita McDonnell, President of CORI (Conference of Religious Ireland) also delivered a personal testimony about "Consecrated Life – A Life of Communion". Sr McDonnell told the thousands of pilgrims gathered in the main RDS arena that despite all that has happened in Ireland in recent years it is clear that our witness is not ineffective but rather can have a lasting effect on the lives of people.

“While attending funerals of religious throughout Ireland since the recent reports on child abuse it is striking how much the individual religious is loved and cherished and his/her contribution to the local community referred to in loving concrete terms,” Sr Conchita added.

Cardinal Oscar Andés Rodríguez-Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, was the main celebrant at Mass to celebrate the feast day of St Anthony of Padua. In his Homily focusing on ‘Saint Anthony of Padua and His Eucharistic Devotion’, Cardinal Rodríguez-Maradiaga said: “The Liturgy tells us that the saints fulfill a triple function in the Church: the example of their lives, the help of their intercession and the sharing of their destiny.”

Also concelebrating the Mass were Archbishop J Michael Miller; Archbishop of Vancouver, Bishop John Lee; Taiwan, Bishop Fernando Panico; National Delegate, Brazil, Bishop Anthony Banzi; Tanzania, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, IEC2012 President and Archbishop of Dublin, and Cardinal Seán Brady; Primate of All-Ireland.

The musicians and performers included the Derry Cathedral Choir conducted by Sister Perpetual McNulty, James Kilbane, Ennis Gospel Choir, and singer Sarah McCourt.

After Mass, more than 12,500 pilgrims, clergy and parishioners gathered at the RDS Simmonscourt Complex and the main arena for the 50th International Eucharistic Congress Procession.

Pilgrims walked around the RDS complex at 7.30pm turning left down Simmonscourt Road, turning right onto Anglesea Road, right again onto Merrion Road, and the route returned to the grounds of the RDS Simmonscourt, a route of approximately 2.5 kilometres.

Individuals, community and parish groups from across the country gathered to walk the procession with colourful banners. These included: Church of Ireland Boys Brigade, Scouts with Colour Party, Guides with Colour Party, Lourdes Pilgrimage Groups, Civil Defence, Parish groups, and Knights of Malta.

According to the United Nations, persons with disabilities make up an estimated 15 per cent of the world’s population. Almost one-fifth of the estimated global total of persons living with disabilities, or between 110-190 million, encounter significant difficulties. Furthermore, a quarter of the global population is directly affected by disability, as care-givers or family members.

The IEC2012 wants to mark this day by inviting people with disabilities to register to come to the Congress. In the registration form www.iec2012.ie/registration pilgrims are asked to let us know any special need that they may have, to help to plan the events of the Congress in the most inclusive way possible.The IEC2012 will also have translation in sign language in many workshops and wheel chair accessibility in many of its venues and events. We also have the prayer card translated to Braille for those who require it and there will be special need facilities for them in the RDS and Croke Park, the main venues of the Congress.

“A day off school,” “An extraordinary feeling,” “It changed people” are some of the memories from a number of people who attended the Eucharistic Congress in 1932 and who will also be present at the exhibition launch.

The exhibition title is Christo Regi in Honorem which means "In honour of Christ the King". The exhibition features an audio visual material provided by Mr Peter Dunn of the Radharc Trust. The film consists of original footage from 1932 with voiceovers recounting memories of those who attended the event.

There is also a sanctuary scene with a set of vestments used during the Congress in 1932 and embroidered by Lilly and Lottie Yeats, sisters of the artist Jack B Yeats and writer William Butler Yeats.

Other exciting additions include a display of uniforms worn by the Scouts in 1932 and the Scouts' flag, a section on religious ceremonies held in the Phoenix Park and O’Connell Bridge, and the arrival of the Papal Legate, Cardinal Lauri.

This is a rare opportunity to experience what was happening on Dublin’s streets and around the country at a unique time for our emerging nation.

The exhibition in the RDS Library, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 will be open to the public from Tuesday 5th June until Friday 8th June. Admission is free. Opening times are 10am until 5pm.

During the week of the Congress, only Congress pilgrims will have access to the exhibition. The exhibition will be open again to the public on Monday 18th June until Friday 22nd June.

A special commemorative booklet of the 1932 exhibition will be on sale for €5.

The clock is ticking for people who’d like to get involved as the closing date for registration with the Volunteer Programme is only one month away on 17 March 2012.

Around 25,000 pilgrims a day are expected to attend the RDS venue between 10 and 16 June, while 80,000 participants will gather to celebrate the Final Mass, Statio Orbis, in Croke Park on 17 June.

Volunteers will engage in a diverse range of assignments, including: event services, medical services, media relations and logistics. A number of roles are also available in pre-Congress activities that include administration, marketing, IT and many other areas.

Places are still available for people willing to assist in the lead up to this international event or during the Congress week itself (10 - 17 June 2012). Anyone interested should be available to volunteer for a minimum of five days between 6 June and 19 June 2012. Volunteers will be fully trained in advance of the Congress.

IEC2012 offers job seekers the ideal opportunity to enhance their CV and brush up on specific skills in today’s competitive jobs market. Full details of volunteering and the application form can be found at http://www.iec2012.ie/volunteer or contact (01) 234 9919.

The Eucharistic Congress is a truly international experience as many of the registered volunteers were not born in Ireland but have chosen to make it their home. So it is fitting that the 1,000th volunteer to sign up was Slovak national, Maria Farkasova, who has lived in Dublin for the last six years.

Speaking about her decision to get involved, Maria said: “I decided to volunteer for the 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012 because I am passionate about working with people, trying to make a difference in their lives and helping them in any way possible. I feel that the event will have a big impact on the Christian community and I would like to be a part of it.”

Secretary General of IEC2012, Fr Kevin Doran, is emphatic about the importance of volunteers in this year’s Congress: “The input of volunteers will be key to the success of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012. They have a central role to play at the heart of each and every element of this amazing event.”

The basic requirement for volunteering is that you are 18-years-old and legally resident in Ireland. People in receipt of jobseekers allowance are entitled to volunteer without affecting payments. The Department of Social Protection encourages people to do voluntary work.

Full details of the Department of Social Protection’s policy on voluntary work can be found here: http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Pages/JobseekersVoluntaryWorkOption.aspx

Additional functions within the App include a daily guide for pilgrims about Congress events in the RDS; where the main Congress programme, youth programme, prayer space programme, children’s programme and exhibitions take place. Information is also fed through the App about the host churches' programme that will run across 34 Dublin Churches and Statio Orbis in Croke Park.

A unique feature of this App is the ‘My Planner’ section, which allows pilgrims to organise their own personal schedule based around the Congress week programme. ‘My Planner’ creates an individual timetable for the pilgrim based around the workshops, talks, exhibitions and arena events that they are interested in attending.

The App also provides a map and GPS locations for each scheduled event on the Congress programme. Pilgrims will be able to locate where they want to go and how to get there.

Pilgrims using the App will be kept well informed throughout the Congress with the flexible approach that this App adopts, providing the most up to date information at all times.

Additional functions of the App include the news and multimedia sections that inform pilgrims through Youtube videos, photos on Flickr, press releases and TV feeds in the lead up to and during the Congress

A tab with ‘Pastoral Resources’ contains the Congress prayer, an mp3 to play the Congress hymn Though We are Many, details about the IEC2012 logo, the patron saints and Congress Icons, theology and pastoral reflections on the theme of the Congress, and prayers and reflections around the Eucharist.

The pilgrim guide section of the App has details about onsite booking, ticket collection, and maps with GPS guides to the RDS venues, Croke Park, the host Churches, the seven City Churches pilgrimage and optional tourist attractions.

Login to the iTunes store, search for IEC2012 and download the free iPhone and iPad IEC2012 App.

Read more about the IEC2012 App.

Read an interview with Brother Luuk Jansen.

At the upcoming Congress in Dublin’s RDS a diverse programme of events will take place during the fifth day of the programme, 14 June, centering on the theme of the day: ‘Exploring the Challenge of Restoring Communion through Justice and Reconciliation’.

The penitential liturgy will be celebrated at the RDS Arena by Cardinal Peter Turkson, President, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Rome. This celebration will be a timely acknowledgement of the fact that sinful personal actions and attitudes not only impact on our relationship of ‘Communion with Christ and with one another’ but also contribute to the creation of unjust social structures.

Reflecting on this Fr Kevin Doran, who has responsibility for the planning of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012, said: “In so far as we need to seek forgiveness, it is from God and from one another. It includes people close to us and even people whom we have never met. It includes the generations coming after us who will be affected by what has been done in our time. While we cannot re-write history, we can, with God’s help, be reconciled.”

Already, in advance of the Congress, an ‘Inclusive Parishes Programme’ has been developed to help parishioners all over the country to reflect on how parishes can be more welcoming and inviting to people who have experience of being excluded or left on the margins.

On 14 June, the Congress programme will include a wide range of workshops and talks, aimed at promoting reflection and discussion on the key issues regarding equity, reconciliation and social justice in Ireland and throughout our world today.

One of the keynote addresses in the RDS Arena on Thursday afternoon will be given by Richard Moore, founder of ‘Children in Crossfire’, who was blinded by a rubber bullet when he was a child but has since sought out and befriended the soldier who fired the shot. In this way, his personal experience has motivated both reconciliation and action for justice.

Among the workshops, will be one entitled: ‘Globalisation and its impact on Human Society’ facilitated by Prof Vincent McBrierty, Trinity College, Dublin. Also on Thursday, Sr Brigid Reynolds, Social Justice Ireland, will deliver a workshop on ‘Social Justice and Inclusion’ and Justin Kilcullen, Director of Trocaire, will give a presentation on ‘Communion and Solidarity in World Development’.

Fr Gary Donegan, Holy Cross Parish, Ardoyne, Belfast, will lead a workshop on ‘The Eucharist in Peace and Reconciliation’. Later in the evening, Mary Mangan (SHJM), Sheila O’Gorman (RSM) and Catherine Dunne (SSHM), representing Act to Prevent Trafficking (APT) will together deliver a workshop on ‘Broken Lives: the hidden crime…human trafficking’.

The Mass on Thursday afternoon at 4pm, in the RDS Arena, will also have a particular focus on reconciliation and will be celebrated as Gaeilge, (in our native Irish language) by Cardinal Sean Brady, Archbishop of Armagh.

Read more on the programme for the 14th June here.

Find out more about the ecumenical programme of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress.

The generosity of Dublin people means that hundreds of foreign pilgrims, who wouldn’t otherwise be able to attend this summer’s Congress, can make their way to Dublin to share in celebration of the Eucharist.

To participate in the programme, Dublin residents with a spare room and a desire to help out can apply to provide accommodation to people from countries such as Peru, Ecuador, the Philippines and Bangladesh for the duration of the event.

The HAPP programme will run from 9 – 18 June 2012, while the Congress runs from 10-17 of the same month.

All participating pilgrims have been approved from their home country and will be over 18 years old. Most of the countries sending pilgrims as part of this programme are from countries that have a strong missionary connection with Ireland.

There are currently far more requests for accommodation than available rooms so IEC2012 would be delighted to accept further host homes that can provide a clean and secure environment for one or two pilgrims to stay. Ideal candidates are places which have a direct train or bus route to the Congress venue at the RDS in Ballsbridge, but all Dublin areas will be considered.

Congress organisers hope that families will receive pilgrims into their homes between Saturday 9 June and Monday 18 June 2012, providing them with a simple clean bedroom and breakfast each day. Homes with children or vulnerable adults will not be considered for the programme.

Prior to hosting a pilgrim, participants will receive a short home visit from a representative of the International Eucharist Congress 2012 to ensure their home is suitable for the programme.

Fr Kevin Doran, Secretary General of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012, acknowledged that hospitality of this nature is a central part of organising a Congress. “Over the years, a tradition of hospitality has grown up around the Congress, and in the best spirit of Eucharist, there is a real desire to ensure that nobody is excluded because they can’t afford to be there.”

Anyone who would like to offer complimentary pilgrim accommodation and if you live in an area of Dublin with a direct public transport link to the RDS, Dublin 4, please contact 01-2349919 or email volunteeradmin@iec2012.ie. A home visit will be carried out following expressions of interest.

Click here for further information on the host accommodation programme.

IEC2012 welcomed its first Business2012 partner, Tom Clements, Managing Director of RPD Ltd., a printing company that supplies envelopes and other fund-raising & marketing products to churches, schools, sports clubs & charities

RPD is an Irish printing company based in Dublin, which specialises in supplying offering envelopes, stationery and other fund-raising and marketing products to churches, schools, sports clubs and churches.

RPD supplies fund-raising products for customers in Ireland the UK and Europe ranging from entire diocese to small parishes with fewer than 20 contributing members. www.rpd.ie

For more information on our sponsorship opportunities, visit www.iec2012.ie/sponsorship

For more information on how to get ETWN in Ireland, please click here: http://ewtn-ireland.ie/PDFs/HowToReceiveEWTNIreland.pdf

Work on the Healing Stone project began in early 2012. Following consultation with various people, including abuse survivors, it was agreed that the stone would be an appropriate symbol for the Congress.

Father Kevin Doran, Secretary General of IEC2012, said:

“Stone speaks of permanence. To say something is ‘carved in stone’ is to say that it is here to stay rather than just a passing thought. The stone represents the firm determination to work for healing and renewal.

In our Christian tradition, the stone which covered the tomb of Jesus, symbolises both the end of His earthly existence and the fact of His Resurrection. We are conscious of the fact that, for many who have experienced abuse, either themselves or to a member of their family, the pain of abuse can sometimes be like a stone weighing heavily on them. It is a stone that, in some way or other needs to be rolled back so that they can be set free.”

Father Doran added:

“It is planned that after the Congress, the Stone will be given a more permanent home on an accessible site, where people can pause and pray, and so that there will be a permanent public reminder of our need never to take safeguarding for granted.”

Bryan Dobson and Roisin Ní Thomain presented the gathering part of the opening ceremony to a crowd of more than 12,500 pilgrims from all four corners of the world. Music  was provided by the Maynooth Gospel Choir, Our Lady of Victories Gospel Choir, the Palestrina Choir, the Dublin Deaf Choir, and the Three Tenors.

Papal Legate, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, celebrated the Mass at 3pm with concelebrants Archbishop Diarmuid Martin; President of the Congress; Archbishop Piero Marini; President of the Pontifical Committee for Eucharistic Congresses, Archbishop Robert LeGall; Archbishop of Toulouse, and Cardinal Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto.

Delivering his homily, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, said: “How fitting it is that, in God’s providence, this gathering takes place here in Ireland. This is a country known for its natural beauty, its hospitality and its rich culture, but most especially for its long tradition of fidelity to the Catholic faith”.

He added that “Ireland’s strong history of faithfulness has enriched not only these shores, but has, through her missionary sons and daughters, helped to bring the Gospel to many other, far-distant shores”.

“Now the Church in Ireland is suffering and faces many new and serious challenges to the faith. Well aware of these challenges we turn together to Our Lord, who renews, heals and strengthens the faith of His people. I know from my own experience at the last Eucharistic Congress in Quebec City that an event such as this brings many blessings to the local Church and to all the participants, including those who sustain it through prayer, volunteer work and solidarity. And so we pray with confidence in the Eucharistic Lord that this, the fiftieth occurrence of this great universal Church event, may bring a very special blessing to Ireland at this turbulent time and to all of you.”

“As the preparatory document for this Eucharistic Congress reminds us, everyone is able to live what is called 'a spiritual communion’ in the sense of an act of worship, uniting themselves with the self-giving movement that is being celebrated at Mass (The Eucharist: Communion with Christ and with One Another.”

Speaking during the ceremony, IEC2012 President Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said: “We pray that young Irish people will be led to know the happiness and fulfilment, the joy and the hope, the call to love and commitment that comes from an encounter with Jesus Christ.”

Dr Martin added: “The Church in Ireland is on the path to renewal. The Church is not ours to redesign; it is gift that we receive from the Lord with the guidance throughout history of the Holy Spirit and following the example of Mary and the saints.”

As an acknowledgement of the past, a healing stone was unveiled during the Opening Ceremony in the RDS on 10th June as a means of acknowledging the abuse of children.

The Healing Stone comprises a large, shaped piece of Wicklow granite which is engraved with a prayer composed by a survivor of clerical abuse. The prayer was originally featured in the Liturgy of Lament celebrated in Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral in 2011.

Work on the Healing Stone project began in early 2012. Following consultation with various people, including abuse survivors, it was agreed that the stone would be an appropriate symbol for the Congress.

Father Kevin Doran, Secretary General of IEC2012, said: “Stone speaks of permanence. To say something is ‘carved in stone’ is to say that it is here to stay rather than just a passing thought. The stone represents the firm determination to work for healing and renewal".

This special Mass in nursing homes will give residents and staff the opportunity to mark the Eucharistic Congress by participating in the celebration.

This nationwide initiative in private and voluntary nursing homes is a partnership between IEC2012, Nursing Homes Ireland, and the Federation of Catholic Voluntary Nursing Homes.

Following the homily, the liturgy of Anointing will take place, blessing all sick pilgrims, comforting each one in their suffering and filling them with new hope and strength.

Secretary General of IEC2012, Father Kevin Doran, said that those who are sick or frail due to old age must always have a central place in the ministry of the Church, as they had in the ministry of Jesus. “It is an essential element of the mission of the Church today that we continue to seek ways of keeping people in communion even when they are no longer visible in the community on a daily basis.”

Speaking about this initiative, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said it was an integral part of the outreach of the Congress. “It will ensure that the theme of the Congress: The Eucharist; Communion with Christ and with One Another’, reaches beyond the boundaries of the RDS and Croke Park into the hearts and minds of all to whom the Eucharist gives meaning and life and particularly to our brothers and sisters, resident in the many nursing homes throughout the country.”

Archbishop Martin will celebrate Mass in St Mary’s in Phoenix Park on 5th June.

Tadhg Daly, Nursing Homes Ireland Chief Executive Officer, said: “Nursing Homes Ireland believe this international event affords residents and staff of private and voluntary nursing homes an excellent opportunity to come together to celebrate this unique event in community-care settings nationally.”

Rosemarie Nolan, Chairperson of the Federation of Catholic and Voluntary Nursing Homes said: “This allows residents to celebrate the International Eucharist Congress within their community in union with all participating in the official ceremonies in Dublin.”

Read IEC2012 prayer resources which are suitable for this nursing home initiative.

Tuesday 16 August 2011

 "I'm sitting down enjoying a very cold bottle of water after a very long but wonderful day. And I'm thinking of you all!

We're so grateful for the weekend to acclimatise in Madrid, to get a feel of the city and see how the set up is going for WYD. Colette, Gellért and I have had a really enjoyable time together! We found a fab coffee shop on our street and that has become our local coffee stop.

On Monday we set up our stand which is number 6 of a row of 68 stalls. The little kiosks are great but quite hot. It's almost cooler outside in the sun!

Today, Tuesday, was our first day. We are next to the vocations hub for England and Wales and spent a lot of time talking to some really lovely young English pilgrims, many of whom knew about the Congress. Two in particular were so knowledgeable we could have left them on our stand and gone for a break! Nearly all of them had relations in Ireland and would spread the word to them. Fr Julian Greene is well known to a lot of them and he has them well briefed! I also spoke to a Portuguese priest from Faro who is really looking forward to bringing a group from his diocese (he is ordained 3 years and has done 40 weddings, 25 of whom were Irish couples!). There are many pilgrims from Zimbabwe, Nigeria, USA, Peru, Costa Rica....the list really is endless. Far more Spanish speakers than I thought. Plenty of Canadians too and one girl I met on the Metro was a volunteer in Quebec!

Today Colette and I also joined the Irish groups (about 1,000 of them). It was great to feel the energy they had. Real energy and enthusiasm for their faith. We gave out Congress pins to them and told them to spread the word and register as a volunteer!! Gellért kindly manned the stand for the 3 hours that we were gone. All of us were exhausted by the end of the day! The opening mass of WYD was at 8pm tonight.

We are learning so much and picking up great tips. It really is wonderful to be here anyway and I'm keeping all of you in my prayers.

Kevin, Ger and Michael arrived tonight and are heading off to speak to a group of Austrians tomorrow who are coming next year. Their Bishop was in Dublin in June.

Looking forward to seeing what Wednesday has to offer! I'll send an email again tomorrow night. Buenos noches!"

Sheena, Colette & Gellért

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday 17 August 2011

 " Well what another incredible day here in Madrid. (I'll try not to mention the heat too often!) We spoke to hundreds of people again and all with such enthusiasm for coming to Dublin. Because of where the stand is located, there are a lot of local people popping by and nearly all have kids who have studied in Dublin over the years. It's amazing the connection between our two countries. Plenty of people from exotic locations too - Seychelles, Madagascar, Mauritius as well as India, Algeria, South Africa. Everywhere. I spoke to a girl from France who comes from the parish where the lady who founded the international congresses was from. She hopes to come over. Ger spoke to a priest who was ordained during the Congress in Lourdes 30 years ago. A group of young Swedish people also really enthusiastic and they know the delegate for Scandanavia so will contact him to get a group over. A Brazilian guy living in Dublin, is here with CYC who can't wait to get more involved and will help with translations.

Ger and Kevin went to speak with a few groups and Kevin ended up on German radio! They are speaking to more Germans on Friday. Ger spoke at a pro life conference that was very well attended by Irish. Cardinal Pell from Australia  was the main speaker. Ger introduced Elation Ministries at that event and spoke about IEC2012. Elation came to our stand tonight and did some amazing promotion. They will be back on Friday for a music session at the stand! Bishop McKeown called by too with his group from Down and Connor. A crowd from Catholic Youth Care too. I got chatting to a lovely group from Jersey who intend to bring a parish group to Dublin. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. So many Americans (north and south!) and Australians. And that was just my experience, Gellért, Colette, Kevin and Ger have loads of stories too.

I took a break in the afternoon and spent a holy hour with Youth2000 and the church was jammers. I would love you all to see the unbelievable faith expressed by so many youth from all over the world. So many cultures and languages, yet all with that one common bond - our Catholic faith. It's so refreshing. One memory from today for me is when on the Metro (packed!) we were stopped at a station for a long time. There was no complaining, just singing and smiling and chatting amongst the pilgrims. Everyone is so polite and helpful and happy! it's kinda funny to see the locals’ reaction, they don't understand why this massive group of young people are happy and not causing mayhem!

Anyway! Ger, Colette, Kevin and I finally ate at about 10pm and we had a great chat and laugh about everything. More action tomorrow, visiting various Catechesis venues, talking to people on the metro and of course at our stand.

 I hope you're able to follow some of what's happening here in Madrid online. Salt and Light TV (online too) have good coverage of events. EWTN too. The Pope arrives tomorrow and there is small Metro strike, yay! But who cares? we'll just sing songs with strangers and have a ball!

Will be in touch tomorrow.

Buenos noches."

Sheena, Colette & Gellért

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday 18 August 2011

" Well the Pope is here! There was great excitement around Madrid today. The locals have done a wonderful job decorating their own windows with Spanish and Papal flags. We were so delighted when at 5pm we were told that the police wanted to close all the stalls at 5.30pm! It was a great relief to know we could leave the stand, guilt free! While it started off in the morning at a very cool 25 degrees and some beautiful refreshing rain, it soon shot up to 38 degrees again and we were roasting for the day! This morning I had a lie in and went to Starbucks for breakfast (Gellért wouldn't allow me to go during the week so I enjoyed my coffee in peace and quiet!).

Then I headed to Catechesis with Archbishop Dolan from New York....and it was so packed I couldn't get into the church, not an inch of room on the floor. I stood outside in a crowded courtyard and tried to listen but couldn't so made my way back to Retiro to the stand. I was so tired from yesterday that I was wandering around in a daze for a while so decided to go for a wander to see how the confessions and adoration areas were set up in the park. Three Spanish women stopped me thinking I was a volunteer and when they realised I was from Ireland, one of them got very excited and told me she was an O'Donnell! I gave her a Congress pin and she and her friends said they would love to come to Dublin next year. It's amazing how many people have Irish relations over here! Anyway, I strolled down the never ending line of confession boxes and noticed the volunteers kindly giving bottles of water and bananas to the priests to keep them going. An important note!! When I finally got to the Adoration tent, there was a queue to get in so I didn't stay, the heat was too much. On my way back (slightly uphill!), I met some friends from home so we sat down in the shade for a while. Back at the stand and I was really just fit for sleep so Colette and I went for food in a fab Italian restaurant nearby. Suddenly I was human again!! Gellért was delighted because that meant I had the energy to relieve him so he could go for lunch. He's very particular about his food - he needs to eat often!!

 Ger went to the Catecheis with Archbishop Diarmuid Martin this morning and spoke about the Congress. He said there is great interest in volunteering amongst the Irish, thankfully! I spoke to many Australians, Spaniards, of course, and lots of English pilgrims too. Oh and not to mention our daily visit from Bishop Donal McKeown! He arrived at the right time, just when Kevin got back with ice cream! A young lad from Newry, who will volunteer, told me that his grandad is very excited about next year because he turns 80 on 17 June 2012....he was born in 1932! And he will celebrate in Croke Park!

We also had a visit from our number 2 volunteer, Sean Jones (Ger G being volunteer number 1 of course!) who is over with a group from Sligo. Gellért is meeting so many Hungarians too and I think word is spreading that he is at our stand. The girls love him ;-) He did say though that he found it hard to translate the Congress into Hungarian (or Magyar as the language is known) but that he was getting the hang of it.

Everyone loves the Congress pins and we give a leaflet with every pin. It is great to have the Spanish translation on the leaflets.

 We stayed away from the centre tonight and went for dinner near the hotel instead and watched the Pope's welcoming ceremony on TV in the restaurant/bar. On the way in we met two Spanish guys who spoke fluent English and whose daughters were heading off to Ireland in September to study...one guy’s daughter is going to King’s Hospital in Dublin and the other guy’s daughter is going to....wait for it Laura...Our Lady's Bower in Athlone!!! Both will study in Ireland for 3 years and do their leaving cert. And yes, they all got Congress pins!

Tomorrow is our last full day at the stand and my last day with Gellért and Colette :-( I will miss them both so much. They want me to go to Rimini with them! I asked Kevin but.....

 I know tomorrow is going to be another busy but enjoyable and productive day! I’ll need a foot massage when I get home too and knee replacements, my legs are in bits!!

 Buenos noches"

 Sheena

International trio The Priests, Fuaimlaoi, award winning soprano Celine Byrne, and world renowned composer Father Liam Lawton are among the acts that will feature alongside the RTÉ Concert Orchestra at the closing ceremony taking place at Croke Park on Sunday 17th June.

Speaking ahead of their performance at Statio Orbis the closing ceremony, Father Eugene O’Hagan of The Priests said: “Singing at the closing Mass will be a thrilling but daunting experience. The IEC comes at a critical time in people's lives in Ireland. The IEC will strengthen our faith, our vision and our commitment to make real what we believe is at the heart of the Eucharist. We will be with so many pilgrims and it will be a unique experience for us and we'll be that little bit more nervous and anxious to give of our very best.”

Celine Byrne who has performed with the world’s best orchestras and conductors in venues as prestigious as Covent Garden and Carnegie Hall said: “My faith means a lot to me and to be invited to participate in the International Eucharist Congress is both an honour and a blessing for which I am grateful.”

The Opening Ceremony on 10th June will be hosted on the arena stage by RTÉ newscaster Bryan Dobson along with TG4 presenter Roisin Ní Thomain. Events commence at 1pm and continue until 4.45pm. Events will be broadcast live on RTÉ.

The closing ceremony, Statio Orbis, in Croke Park on 17th June will be hosted by Liveline presenter Joe Duffy and newscaster Eileen Dunne. Events commence at 1pm and run until 5.15. This event will also be broadcast live on RTÉ.

During the week a selection of presenters will take to the arena stage, including broadcaster Joe O’Shea, TV3 newscaster Siobhan Bastible, Spirit Radio presenter Rónán Johnston, broadcaster Brenda Power and TV3 presenter Paul Connolly.

Throughout the week music will be heard from Ireland’s top intercultural choral group Discovery Gospel Choir, who have performed for the Rev Dr Jesse Jackson, and the Dalai Lama.

Read more about the Congress programme in the RDS and Statio Orbis in Croke Park.

This three dimensional exhibition titled ‘Through the Eyes of the Apostles: Life Overwhelmed by a Presence’ will transport visitors to Capernaum, the village on the shores of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus lived during His public ministry. The sensory rich reconstructed surroundings will include the smell of the trees and the sound of the lapping of waters. It will allow the visitor to walk in the Apostles footsteps and truly experience what it must have been like at this pivotal moment in history.

Writer, John Waters, a key speaker at the Congress, who saw the exhibition last year in Rimini, described feeling: “impossible not to be moved, impossible not to be transported. For what I felt was that suddenly I had been embraced in something involving a collapsing of time and space. History was foreshortened and the past 2,000 years became irrelevant. I was in Capernaum. I had returned to the centre of history. ‘Is He here?’ I found myself wondering. Is He here?”

This exhibition relives what happened when Jesus arrived in Capernaum and what those people witnessed. It documents several key elements of His ministry; the waterfall at which John the Baptist baptized Jesus; the village, Capernaum, a reconstruction of the house of Peter, where Jesus stayed at an early stage in his public life; the locations in which Jesus spoke; and finally, the location of the Resurrection.

Opening dates and times: 11th - 16th June.

Open from 10:00 – 20:00 Venue: Simmonscourt Complex, RDS.

Check out this and other exhibitions here.

The Vocations Expo 2011 during World Youth Day, brings together over sixty Catholic organisations, including faith, prayer, justice movements, religious congregations and communities. This Vocations Fair gives hundreds of thousands of young people the chance to learn more about vocations within the Catholic Church and discover God’s path for them in their own lives.

The exhibitors at Vocations Expo include: the 50th International Eucharistic Congress, Christian Life Movement,  Net Ministries, Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, Life Teen, Communion and Liberation, Shalom Community and Christians Without Frontiers.
 
Meet Colette, Father Kevin Doran, Sheena and  Gellért from IEC2012 on stand six at Vocations Expo.  They can tell you how Ireland is preparing for the 50th International Eucharistic Congress and invite you to join us in Dublin for this significant event.
 
The Catholic Church in Ireland will host the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin from 10 until 17 June 2012. Registration is now open. 

For more information on our Youth Programme, click here.

In recent years the National Ploughing Championships has provided an opportunity for ecumenical collaboration between the Christian faiths.

At this year’s championships, the Roman Catholic Church, the 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012, the Church of Ireland and the Methodist Church in Ireland are together in a shared space, inviting people to come together to pray. At the Ecumenical Stand, common prayer is said at regular intervals. Visitors can post prayer petitions on a prayer wall.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, and Archbishop Michael Jackson, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, will visit the Ecumenical Stand at the National Ploughing Championships on Thursday, 22 September.

The International Eucharistic Congress Bell is also at the National Ploughing Championships. The bell began its pilgrimage on St Patrick’s Day 2011 and has travelled to dioceses and parishes as a symbol of the call to prayer, to renewal and as an invitation to the International Eucharistic Congress. Recently the Bell was brought to Lourdes with the 2,000 pilgrims who made up the annual Archdiocese of Dublin diocesan pilgrimage to the French Marian shrine.

Fr Kevin Doran, Secretary General of the International Eucharistic Congress 2012, said “The Congress is delighted to be represented at the 80th National Ploughing Championships in Athy, the biggest agricultural event of the year. Another important 80th anniversary occurs next year when the International Eucharistic Congress takes place in Ireland, with 2012 marking the 80 years since the 1932 Congress was last held here. Over the next few days I encourage all to visit us at Stand 300, Block 4 on Row K.”

Find out more about the National Ploughing Championships.  

• the people’s response to the greeting by the priest
• I Confess
• the Gloria
• the Apostles’ Creed
• the acclamations for the Eucharistic Prayer, and
• the invitation to Communion.

There aren't any changes to the Order of the Mass or the structure.

Find out more about the new translation of the Roman Missal and download resources which explain the changes to prayers and responses.

IEC2012 has recently appointed two new members of staff.
Paul Rooney, National Leader of Youth 2000 for the last four years, will join the management team of IEC2012, as Volunteer Services Manager. In addition to the valuable experience he has gained in coordinating a major Catholic youth movement, Paul brings with him to his new role a wealth of professional experience in project management.
Sharon Doyle, a native of Waterford, has just joined IEC2012 as Financial Controller. In these economically  challenging times, she will have a crucial role in plotting the course that will lead to the delivery on budget of a successful international Congress.

Find out more about current job opportunities in IEC2012.
 

Though the final list has not been released while the Congress confirms the availability of all prospective speakers, some names were confirmed: Cardinal Peter Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace; Cardinal Rodriguez Maradiaga, President of Caritas Internationalis, Brother Alois, Prior of Taizé, Archbishop Michael Jackson, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin and Glendalough, and Richard Moore, Executive Director of Children in Crossfire.

More details will follow in the coming month in the Congress Speakers' section of our website: www.iec2012.ie/speakers.

The IEC2012 official carrier, Aer Lingus, is offering an early bird discount off flights booked between 16th and 30th March 2012 for all pilgrims that choose to travel between 1st and 24th June 2012. Pilgrims can avail of 10 per cent discount off the airfare on short haul routes, or $50 off long haul routes.

To avail of the discounted rates simply log onto www.aerlingus.com, enter the following promotional code for the discount on European routes: IECEUR23. For pligrims flying from US and Canadian routes, the promotional code is IECUSA23. For up to 25 persons travelling to the Eucharistic Congress, flights can be made easier with group bookings providing the flexibility to add the individual passenger names online up to ten days prior to departure. In addition, all groups that are booking online between 16th and 30th March 2012 can also avail of the early bird discounts.

Pilgrims from the US and Canada can fly direct to Ireland with Aer Lingus from Boston, Chicago, New York and Orlando. Alternatively, pilgrims may connect at those gateways when travelling from over 50 cities across the US and Canada.

Those travelling to the Eucharistic Congress from the UK can choose from up to 38 daily services operating from ten airports Birmingham, Cardiff, Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester.

The official IEC2012 carrier also offers direct flights from 21 countries across Europe including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Switzerland.

Read more about Aer Lingus discounted flights for pilgrims.

The music will be led by a core choir each day with the participation of many others throughout the RDS and, on the last day, Croke Park. We hope to involve those from the four provinces of Ireland through contact with the relevant Diocesan Directors of Music and Liturgy. Visiting delegates are asked to express an interest in joining in the music programme when they register.

Local and regional rehearsals will take place after 17 April. Details will be announced locally and on this website. It is important that those who wish to participate in singing in the Congress liturgies as part of the massed choirs register for the Congress as soon as possible. We suggest that you register as a group, giving your choir name as the group name. This will allow us to place choirs appropriately in the RDS Arena. For choirs hoping to come to Croke Park only, please note that all available one-day tickets for Croke Park are being distributed via the diocesan network and contact should be made with your diocesan representative as soon as possible to see if some of these can be allocated to your group.

If you have access to Sing the Mass then you can start your community rehearsals now if you know on which day or days you intend to be present. As the core Mass parts are the most important in addition to the Congress Hymn Though We Are Many we suggest that you look at these first and use them in your own parish liturgies over the coming months.

To read more and download the IEC2012 music repertoire, please click here

As well as live streaming in iCatholic, the interviews will be recorded for on-demand viewing later. The interviews take place on the balcony of the Main Exhibition Hall in the RDS.

Father Bill Kemmy, founder of iCatholic.ie said:

“We hope that the interviews will give viewers a more personal introduction to the Congress speakers and allow the speakers to give a summary of what they hope to communicate in their full workshop or talk. Visit iCatholic.ie for all the video recordings of the workshops which will be available for later viewing. It will be great to have the combination of interviews and the full talks.”

“The move into live streaming of the interviews is very exciting. It is great way of including those who cannot attend. I would encourage people to log on to have a look not just because we will have great guests but because this is really a test or showcase of what is possible for church communications. I hope it will open our eyes to the idea of live webcasts in terms of on‐going formation, faith sharing and the new evangelisation. This is a platform that could be used for schools and adults and groups.”

“We would love to get feedback and people’s ideas about how we can continue what we are beginning here at the Congress".

The interviews will be conducted by Ms Brenda Drumm (working in a personal capacity) from the Catholic Communications Office (CCO) of the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference which is based in Maynooth. The camera crew are Irish Dominicans, headed up by Br Luuk Dominiek Jansen OP who designed the Congress app. One of the features of that app is that it takes Congress video content from iCatholic.ie

Watch iCatholic interviews with Congress speakers.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

With great affection in the Lord, I greet all of you who have gathered in Dublin for the Fiftieth International Eucharistic Congress, especially Cardinal Brady, Archbishop Martin, the clergy, religious and faithful of Ireland, and all of you who have come from afar to support the Irish Church with your presence and prayers.

The theme of the Congress "Communion with Christ and with One Another" leads us to reflect upon the Church as a mystery of fellowship with the Lord and with all the members of his body. From the earliest times the notion of koinonia or communio has been at the core of the Church's understanding of herself, her relationship to Christ her founder, and the sacraments she celebrates, above all the Eucharist. Through our Baptism, we are incorporated into Christ's death, reborn into the great family of the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ; through Confirmation we receive the seal of the Holy Spirit; and by our sharing in the Eucharist, we come into communion with Christ and each other visibly here on earth. We also receive the pledge of eternal life to come.

The Congress also occurs at a time when the Church throughout the world is preparing to celebrate the Year of Faith to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the start of the Second Vatican Council, an event which launched the most extensive renewal of the Roman Rite ever known. Based upon a deepening appreciation of the sources of the liturgy, the Council promoted the full and active participation of the faithful in the Eucharistic sacrifice. At our distance today from the Council Fathers' expressed desires regarding liturgical renewal, and in the light of the universal Church's experience in the intervening period, it is clear that a great deal has been achieved; but it is equally clear that there have been many misunderstandings and irregularities. The renewal of external forms, desired by the Council Fathers, was intended to make it easier to enter into the inner depth of the mystery. Its true purpose was to lead people to a personal encounter with the Lord, present in the Eucharist, and thus with the living God, so that through this contact with Christ's love, the love of his brothers and sisters for one another might also grow. Yet not infrequently, the revision of liturgical forms has remained at an external level, and 'active participation' has been confused with external activity. Hence much still remains to be done on the path of real liturgical renewal. In a changed world, increasingly fixated on material things, we must learn to recognize anew the mysterious presence of the Risen Lord, which alone can give breadth and depth to our life. 

The Eucharist is the worship of the whole Church, but it also requires the full engagement of each individual Christian in the Church's mission; it contains a call to be the holy people of God, but also one to individual holiness; it is to be celebrated with great joy and simplicity, but also as worthily and reverently as possible; it invites us to repent of our sins, but also to forgive our brothers and sisters; it binds us together in the Spirit, but it also commands us in the same Spirit to bring the good news of salvation to others.

Moreover, the Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's sacrifice on the Cross, his body and blood given in the new and eternal covenant for the forgiveness of sins and the transformation of the world. Ireland has been shaped by the Mass at the deepest level for centuries, and by its power and grace generations of monks, martyrs and missionaries have heroically lived the faith at home and spread the Good News of God's love and forgiveness well beyond your shores. You are the heirs to a Church that has been a mighty force for good in the world, and which has given a profound and enduring love of Christ and his blessed Mother to many, many others. Your forebears in the Church in Ireland knew how to strive for holiness and constancy in their personal lives, how to preach the joy that comes from the Gospel, how to promote the importance of belonging to the universal Church in communion with the See of Peter, and how to pass on a love of the faith and Christian virtue to other generations. Our Catholic faith, imbued with a radical sense of God's presence, caught up in the beauty of his creation all around us, and purified through personal penance and awareness of God's forgiveness, is a legacy that is surely perfected and nourished when regularly placed on the Lord's altar at the sacrifice of the Mass. Thankfulness and joy at such a great history of faith and love have recently been shaken in an appalling way by the revelation of sins committed by priests and consecrated persons against people entrusted to their care. Instead of showing them the path towards Christ, towards God, instead of bearing witness to his goodness, they abused people and undermined the credibility of the Church's message. How are we to explain the fact that people who regularly received the Lord's body and confessed their sins in the sacrament of Penance have offended in this way? It remains a mystery. Yet evidently, their Christianity was no longer nourished by joyful encounter with Jesus Christ: it had become merely a matter of habit. The work of the Council was really meant to overcome this form of Christianity and to rediscover the faith as a deep personal friendship with the goodness of Jesus Christ. The Eucharistic Congress has a similar aim. Here we wish to encounter the Risen Lord. We ask him to touch us deeply. May he who breathed on the Apostles at Easter, communicating his Spirit to them, likewise bestow upon us his breath, the power of the Holy Spirit, and so help us to become true witnesses to his love, witnesses to the truth. His truth is love. Christ's love is truth.

My dear brothers and sisters, I pray that the Congress will be for each of you a spiritually fruitful experience of communion with Christ and his Church. At the same time, I would like to invite you to join me in praying for God's blessing upon the next International Eucharistic Congress, which will take place in 2016 in the city of Cebu! To the people of the Philippines I send warm greetings and an assurance of my closeness in prayer during the period of preparation for this great ecclesial gathering. I am confident that it will bring lasting spiritual renewal not only to them but to all the participants from across the globe. In the meantime, I commend everyone taking part in the present Congress to the loving protection of Mary, Mother

of God, and to Saint Patrick, the great patron of Ireland; and, as a token of joy and peace in the Lord, I willingly impart my Apostolic Blessing.

Watch a video of the Pope's address here. 

All roads lead to Knock this weekend for the National Eucharistic Congress at Knock Shrine. The Catholic Church in Ireland is marking the one-year count down to next year’s International Congress by hosting a National Eucharistic Congress in Knock on 25 June next.  Thousands of people from parishes all over the country will travel to Knock to take part in special events, workshops, celebrations and prayer.  The Knock Youth Festival is also running at the same time as the National Eucharistic Congress.

The celebration in Knock is a chance to focus on the local community and the pastoral preparation in Ireland for the International Eucharistic Congress next year.  The International Congress is not just a once-off week of events in 2012, but a journey of renewal.  This is an opportunity to remind ourselves that we are part of something bigger than ourselves and to do something together – in communion – as one body.

Click here for more information.

The volunteer team for the 50th International Eucharistic Congress, which will take place in Dublin from 10– 17 June 2012, is using National Volunteer Day to promote volunteering for the Congress.

The Congress needs between two and three thousand volunteers.
Find out more information on volunteering for the 50th International Eucharistic Congress.

Visit IEC2012 Facebook page to see photographs of IEC2012 volunteer Ger Brennan who went to Croke Park this week for a team talk with fellow IEC2012 vounteers.

Special Events ‘Dual Tickets’ for the Opening Ceremony on 10th June and Statio Orbis on 17th June, are now available for €40. 

A limited number of tickets are also available for Statio Orbis, Closing Ceremony at Croke Park on 17th June in the Upper Cusack stand and Upper Hogan stand. Each ticket is for €10 and available from:

(a) Tickets.ie

(b) Selected Centra and SuperValu stores

Read more about booking for the Congress.

In addition the following options remain available until 4 June.

Full 7 day programme in RDS from 10th-16th June: €105
Any 3 consecutive day programme in RDS from 10th-16th June: €70 Admission to Statio Orbis in Croke Park can be purchased with the above options for an additional: €10
Single day ticket for any day at RDS (excluding Final Mass): €35

Book now for the 50th International Eucharistic Congress.

Congress organisers anticipate up to 25,000 people will gather at the RDS each day from 10th–16th June for an extensive programme of events that includes 223 keynote speakers and 160 workshops comprising talks, addresses, group reflections, meetings, concerts and plays.

Up to 80,000 pilgrims will gather in Croke Park for Statio Orbis, the closing ceremony that will be celebrated by Papal Legate, Cardinal Marc Ouellet.

Read more about the Congress Programme.

1st Option: Pilgrims have the choice to register for 7 days, 10 - 16 June, at the RDS for €95 with the option to gain admission to the final Mass Statio Orbis in Croke Park on 17 June, for an additional €10. Registration for the Congress does not include accommodation costs.

2nd Option: The second option is to register to attend the Congress for 3 consecutive days in the RDS for €60, again with the offer of admission to the final Mass for an additional €10.

3rd Option: The third booking option is to purchase a single day ticket for €30 to attend one day of the Congress programme in the RDS. However, this does not include the option to gain admission for the final Mass.

Croke Park

To gain admission to Croke Park you can book for 7 or 3 days (plus €10) or obtain a ticket through your diocesan network.

More than 80,000 people are expected to attend the final Mass in Croke Park, therefore a limited number of tickets for the Statio Orbis are being distributed by each Irish diocese and through local parishes in the coming weeks. Information on who you need to contact in each specific diocese is available on www.iec2012.ie/statioorbis

Online bookings are available until 9 May 2012. Until this date, pilgrims can register either as an individual, as a family or as a group at www.iec2012.ie/registration. Clergy and Media will also need to register. Alternatively, for those who cannot register online, you can do so by calling 00353 (1) 298 1122. Online registration closes on 9 May 2012, after this date bookings will be on-site only at the RDS.

The 50th International Eucharistic Congress (IEC 2012) will be a momentous occasion for all pilgrims travelling from all over the world, who will join an expected 25,000 people, including 12,000 international pilgrims, during each day of the Congress at the RDS. Pilgrims attending IEC 2012 can look forward to an exciting programme of cultural events, workshops, keynote addresses and themed liturgies.

More information on the Programme of the Congress can be found on www.iec2012.ie/programme.

The Eucharistic Congress is an international gathering of people, held every four years somewhere in the world, which aims to promote an awareness of the central place of the Eucharist in the life and mission of the Catholic Church and to help improve our understanding and celebration of the liturgy and draw attention to the social dimension of the Eucharist. The theme of the Congress is ‘The Eucharist: Communion with Christ and with one another’.

The programme of cultural events, workshops, exhibitions, catechesis and testimonies throughout the week of the Congress will help deepen and renew the commitment to the lifestyle of justice and service inspired by the Eucharist.

In addition, a dedicated Youth Space for more than 2,500 young people will be held each day at the RDS with a programme of interactive catechesis, workshops, dramas, celebrations, concerts and fun. Young adults between 17 and 25 years of age can register online to participate in the Youth Space programme.

More than 2,000 volunteers are also required to make this great international event happen. Anyone over 18 years of age can now register online to volunteer either before, during or after the Congress at www.iec.ie/volunteer.

The two stamps were designed in vibrant shades of red and yellow by Martin Barlow, soon be ordained as Deacon. Speaking about the stamps he said: “As a professional designer any design which we create is for a reason and a season. With both hands firmly placed on my heart, I am now proud to say that both my design of the Congress brand and the An Post stamps are my everlasting mark, a physical representation of my faith for future generations to come.”

“To be commissioned by An Post was a dream come true. Stamp design is something every professional designer can only dream of and in my case my dream had come true. Here was my chance to show in a pictorial form what the Eucharist and Church meant to me,” he added.

A collector’s First Day Cover envelope may be viewed and purchased from 7th June together with the stamps, at the GPO Stamp Shop, and by telephone at (01) 705 7400.

A postbox will be available at the Main Congress Stand at the RDS (Main Hall – Hall 1), where a special souvenir Congress Postcard will be on sale for posting by pilgrims to their loved ones around the world using the special Congress postage stamps.

These will allow commercial organisations and Church to represent themselves and offer religious goods, Irish craft products and services to thousands of pilgrims.

The exhibition layout is now available and bookings are being taken by email: exhibition@iec2012.ie

Today, the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Papal Legate Cardinal Marc Ouellet prayed with pilgrims at the Apparition Chapel at Ireland’s Marian Shrine of Knock, Co Mayo in the Archdiocese of Tuam. After prayers, Cardinal Ouellet was chief celebrant at Mass in the adjacent Basilica. Concelebrants included the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Charles Brown; Archbishop of Tuam and custodian of the Marian Shrine, Archbishop Michael Neary; Bishop Christopher Jones, Bishop of Elphin; Bishop John Kirby, Bishop of Clonfert; Bishop John Fleming, Bishop of Killala; Bishop Michael Drennan, Bishop of Galway; Bishop Brendan Kelly, Bishop of Achonry; Father Richard Gibbons, Parish Priest of Knock; and over seventy priests from the Archdiocese of Tuam and surrounding dioceses. The congregation of between five and six thousand people included women, men, young people, religious as well as pilgrims attending the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin. During the Mass the Sacrament of the Sick was offered and Mass was followed by a Eucharistic procession in the Basilica in which the Papal Legate carried the monstrance. Please see below:

- Words of welcome by Father Richard Gibbons, Parish Priest of Knock

- Words of welcome by Archbishop Michael Neary, Archbishop of Tuam

- Homily of the Papal Legate Cardinal Marc Ouellet

Words of welcome by Father Richard Gibbons, Parish Priest of Knock

Your Eminence Cardinal Ouellet, on behalf of the people of Knock, pilgrims and all who are here today, I warmly welcome you to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Knock, Queen of Ireland. I would ask you to convey our esteem and warm greetings to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. We are delighted that you can afford us this time in your schedule to visit us.

Your Excellency Archbishop Brown, while you have visited Knock before, and you will be back with us again next weekend, this is your first official engagement at the Shrine and again on behalf of all of us I wish you every success and blessing in your role as Apostolic Nuncio – an onerous task - and one which you are carrying out with generosity and friendship.

I welcome our own Archbishop Michael Neary who is always so supportive of Knock and I wish to thank him for his generous support to me and to the Shrine. I welcome also Bishop Kirby of Clonfert, Bishop Jones of Elphin, Bishop Fleming of Killala, Bishop Drennan of Galway and Bishop Kelly of Achonry and Bishop Martin from Nigeria along with all the visiting priests, religious and lay people who have joined us today for this special celebration. Finally I welcome Monsignor Sangalli from the Congregation for Bishops in Rome, Monsignor Ciarán O’Carroll, Rector, Pontifical Irish College, Rome, and Father Gearóid Dullea, Executive Secretary of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

Words of welcome by Archbishop Michael Neary, Archbishop of Tuam

I welcome all pilgrims to Knock Shrine today. Joining with my brother bishops of the Metropolitan Province of Tuam, Bishop Kirby of Clonfert, Bishop Jones of Elphin, Bishop Fleming of Killala, Bishop Drennan of Galway and Bishop Kelly of Achonry, with the Parish Priest, Father Richard Gibbons, with priests at the Shrine and the concelebrants, with the Religious and all the pilgrims to Knock Shrine, I extend a ‘Ceád Míle Fáilte’ which, in our native Irish language, means a hundred thousand welcomes, to His Eminence, Cardinal Marc Ouellet to Knock Shrine. He comes as a legate of Pope Benedict to the Eucharistic Congress and your visit to Knock, Your Eminence, is an extension of the Eucharistic Congress to the National Shrine of Our Lady here at Knock. This is a wonderful privilege for all of us and we are extremely grateful to Your Eminence.

In addition to visiting Knock Shrine, His Eminence spent Tuesday night on penitential pilgrimage at Lough Derg.

During his visit to Ireland he has met with survivors of abuse.

The generosity of the service which Your Eminence provides for the Church was evidenced by your coming to deliver the opening lecture at the Symposium on the Eucharist at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth on the 6th June. You had to return to Rome early in the morning of the 7th and you returned then to Ireland as Papal Legate to the Eucharistic Congress on Saturday, the 9th June.

When Blessed John Paul II came to Ireland in 1979, on arriving at Knock he said "I have reached the goal of my journey to Ireland". We are delighted that Your Eminence is tracing those footsteps on this historic occasion.

The theme of the Eucharistic Congress today is ‘The Word through Mary’. It is so appropriate that this gathering takes place at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Knock. The apparition here in 1879 has a very striking Eucharistic dimension. The apparition took place during a very difficult and demanding time in the aftermath of the great famine in Ireland when people were dying of starvation while others were emigrating. In the apparition Our Lady was identifying with a broken and beaten people, suffering and starving, and pointing them towards her Son, Jesus Christ, the bread of life in the Eucharist.

Today, there is a hunger, perhaps of a different kind, as people search for meaning and hope, for consolation and comfort. We pray that the International Eucharistic Congress will bring healing and hope to those who have been hurt, to the disillusioned and to all who are searching for God in our culture today.

This is my first opportunity to extend a public welcome to the Apostolic Nuncio, His Excellency Archbishop Charles Brown to our Archdiocese and to Knock Shrine. Your Excellency we are particularly privileged to welcome you as the continuing presence of Pope Benedict the XVI here in Ireland. This is your first public visit to Knock Shrine and we look forward to your presence with us here on many occasions to lead us in prayer and celebration of the Eucharist. Pilgrims are drawn here from all over the country and indeed from across the world as they entrust themselves to the Mother of God who was given to all of us by her Son on the cross. Pilgrims come here carrying their particular crosses of ill health, loneliness and hurt and through making contact with our Lord and Our Lady they are enabled to take up their crosses and go forward, comforted and consoled, with hope in their hearts, enabled and encouraged to resume their responsibilities in life.

Your Eminence, we express our deep gratitude to you for coming to lead us in the celebration of the Eucharist today and for the hope and joy which your visit brings to all of us. We would ask you to convey the prayers and good wishes of all who are gathered here at Knock today to our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.

Homily of Cardinal Marc Ouellet

On the occasion of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin, Pope Benedict XVI wanted me, as Papal Legate, to extend his special apostolic blessing for Ireland. He asked me to come here on his behalf to this National Shrine at Knock so that you may know of his special care for you and of his daily prayer that you and all the people of Ireland may know the Lord's peace, consolation and comfort.

Dear brothers and sisters, the Holy Father knows that the Church here is suffering at this time and is in need of hope and renewal. He entrusts all your hurts, your sufferings and your struggles to Our Lady of Knock, the Queen of Ireland. Let us be confident that there is light beyond this present darkness and that our faith is stronger than the evil of this world and our own failures.

Today we celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which falls by design the day after the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. These two hearts are inseparable, they belong to each other and to God's unfathomable mercy; they belong to us, the children of God.

Let us rejoice and be glad! God, in His mercy, forgives us of our sins and failures and, in His grace, makes all things new. Let us praise Him and be grateful for His immense goodness and mercy. The prophet Isaiah, in the first reading today, lifts us up with his message of hope, announcing days of renewal and of rejoicing.

The Gospel reminds us of a dramatic moment in the life of the Holy Family. While returning from their pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Mary and Joseph could not find the young Jesus for three days. What anguish for them! Mary's question to Jesus reveals her anxiety and the reality that their family life was not without the difficulties of daily life faced by every human family. Jesus asks, "Did you not know that I must be busy with my father's affairs?" (Lk. 2:49). But the Gospel tells us, "They did not understand what he meant" (Lk. 2:50). But the Holy Family always placed everything in God's hands.

We often face similar difficult situations in family life, which is often tested and strained by tensions, separations and misunderstandings. The Church, as God's family, is also challenged and criticised, sometimes for legitimate reasons and at other times not. We need hope and renewal at all levels. However, whenever we attempt to renew ourselves on our own without placing everything in God's hands, we fall again into the same patterns of division and discouragement.

The French poet Charles Peguy reveals his own life story through the story of a peasant who was going through a very difficult family situation. His wife was a non-believer, and one of his three children was gravely ill. He was on the edge of despair and did not know what to do. He suffered terribly until he was inspired one morning to take to the road and make a pilgrimage in honour of Our Lady, walking from Notre Dame de Paris to Notre Dame de Chartres.

"She is a mother," he said. "She will take care of my children as she has taken care of so many for two thousand years. She can certainly handle three more. She is a mother, the Mother of God, our Mother".

And so it happened. The peasant entrusted his children to Our Lady with total confidence and abandonment, certain that she would answer his prayers.

Upon returning home, the man was surprised how much relief his bold gesture had brought him. Yes, a bold gesture of faith, which came naturally to our ancestors, but is all-too-often forgotten nowadays.

Dear brothers and sisters, I am happy to pray with you here today and to entrust the Church in Ireland to our Immaculate Mother. Mary's Immaculate Heart is a heart full of love that knows no boundaries, made in the image of Her Son's Sacred Heart: a Heart formed in her womb, all-encompassing and seeking always to aid, console, encourage and strengthen everyone.

A sign of His special grace for the sick and the needy will be today that some of you receive the sacrament of anointing. May they experience peace and consolation as they unite their suffering to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

Here at this beautiful shrine for the second time, I am once again struck by the unique image of the apparition. The centre of the apparition is the Lamb on the Altar, symbolizing the glorious sacrifice of Jesus Christ, Our Saviour. Around Him we see the Church represented by the prominent figures of Mary, St. Joseph, and the Beloved Disciple. As we see them worshipping the Lamb, we are drawn into the mystery of God's presence and His merciful love.

Let us be grateful for the gift of the Most Holy Eucharist, celebrated in a special way during this 50th International Eucharistic Congress here in Ireland; let us also be grateful for the many blessings God has bestowed upon the Universal Church through many Irish saints, missionaries, monks and pilgrims.

I would like to end this homily praying to Mary, our beloved Mother, with the same words that the Blessed Pope John Paul II said here on Sunday, 30 September 1979: ‘May our ears constantly hear with the proper clarity your motherly voice: "Do whatever my Son tells you". Enable us to persevere with Christ. Enable us, Mother of the Church, to build up his Mystical Body by living with the life that he alone can grant us from his fullness, which is both divine and human’, Amen.

After the meeting the Papal Legate celebrated Mass in St Patrick’s Basilica on the island with approximately one hundred Irish and international pilgrims, some of whom had travelled to the island as part of their attendance at the Eucharistic Congress.

During his homily, Cardinal Ouellet said:

“Pope Benedict XVI asked me, as his Legate to the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin, that I would come to Lough Derg and ask God’s forgiveness for the times clerics have sexually abused children not only in Ireland but anywhere in the Church.

“I come here with the specific intention of seeking forgiveness, from God and from the Victims, for the grave sin of sexual abuse of children by clerics. We have learned over the last decades how much harm and despair such abuse caused to thousands of victims. We learned too that the response of some Church authorities to these crimes was often inadequate and inefficient in stopping the crimes, in spite of clear indications in the code of canon law…

“In the name of the Church, I apologise once again to the victims, some of which I have met here in Lough Derg.

“I repeat here what the Holy Father told to the victims in His Letter to the Catholics of Ireland: ‘It is understandable that you find it hard to forgive or to be reconciled with the Church. In her name I openly express the shame and remorse that we feel. At the same time, I ask you not lose hope. It is in the communion of the Church that we encounter the person of Jesus Christ, who was himself a victim of injustice and sin.’

“The tragedy of the sexual abuse of minors perpetrated by Christians, especially when done so by members of the clergy, is a source of great shame and enormous scandal. It is a sin against which Jesus himself lashed out: ‘It would be better for him if a millstone was put around his neck and he is thrown in to the sea than for him to cause one of the little ones to stumble’ (Lk. 17:2).

“From the context of this International Eucharistic Congress, I reaffirm the commitment of the Catholic Church to create a safe environment for children and we pray that a new culture of respect, integrity and Christ like love would prevail in our midst and permeate the whole society.”

Speaking afterwards, the Papal Legate said he was deeply moved by his meeting with the survivors of abuse and that he would be reporting on the meeting to Pope Benedict XVI on his return to Rome.

The Papal Legate and his delegation, including the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Charles Brown, along with the Bishop of Clogher, Bishop Liam MacDaid, stayed overnight on Lough Derg during which time they fasted and participated in other penitential exercises with the pilgrims.

The Irish delegation presented the preliminary arrangements for the Eucharistic Congress to seventy delegates nominated by Bishops’ Conferences from all five continents.

The delegation was composed of Archbishop Martin (President IEC2012), Gerard Gallagher (Chair of Committee for Pastoral &Liturgical Planning and Programming), Barbara Gilroy (Chair of Special Events committee), Anne Griffin (General Manager), and Fr Kevin Doran (Secretary General IEC2012).

Press Release from the Archdiocese of Dublin

This morning in the Sala Clementina of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Benedict XVI received in audience the participants in the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses. Addressing the delegation, His Holiness expressed the hope that the preparations in Ireland for the International Eucharistic Congress would help with the renewal of the Irish Church.

Pope Benedict said “your Assembly has paid great attention to this event, which is also part of the modernisation programme of the Church in Ireland. The theme, recalls the centrality of the Eucharistic Mystery for the growth of the life of faith and every authentic process of Church renewal”.

Pope Benedict also remarked that this week’s meeting falls on the 50th anniversary of the Eucharistic Congress in Munich, Bavaria, which marked a turning point in understanding these ecclesial events, and which the Pope said “I had the pleasure of attending that assembly in person, as a young professor of theology”. In addition, he said the 2012 Congress in Ireland will have a jubilee character, as it will be the 50th Congress and it will also be 50 years since the opening of the Second Vatican Council.

The Eucharistic Congress will be hosted by the Archdiocese of Dublin on behalf of the whole Irish Church. The theme of the 2012 Congress is “The Eucharist: Communion with Christ and one another” and pastoral planning and preparations are well under way throughout Ireland.

The programme of the 2012 Congress was presented to the assembled delgates by the Irish organisers on the second day of the conference. The Congress theological document "Pastoral and Theological reflections for the 50th International Eucharistic Congress" was presented by Archbishop Martin in plenary session. Alongside this, Fr. Kevin Doran (Secretary General) outlined the four-stage programme of pastoral preparation which has been introduced in most Irish dioceses, and invited delegates to make this a truly international Congress by making use of these pastoral resources in their own countries also.

The delegates were also introduced to the new Congress hymn "Though we are Many" by contemporary Irish composer Bernard Sexton. The Congress prayer (in 7 languages) and the promotional DVD were also presented.

The Holy Father received the Bell, which was presented by a delegation headed by the President of IEC2012, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, accompanied by Secretary General of IEC2012, Fr Kevin Doran, and members of IEC2012 staff during a papal audience.

The Pope received the delegation during a papal audience in St Peter’s Square at 10.30am on Wednesday, 14 March. The Holy Father rang the Bell which is calling people from across the world to Dublin for the Congress, which takes place from 10-17 June.

"Pope Benedict XVI blessed the bell, rang it vigorously, and paused to admire the icons as Archbishop Martin explained their significance", explained Fr. Kevin Doran.

Colette Furlong, Pastoral Services Manager in IEC2012, presented Pope Benedict XVI with the first commemorative medal struck to mark this year's 50th International Eucharistic Congress. Sheena Darcy, IEC2012 Office Manager presented shamrock to the Holy Father.

Later today the Bell will move to St Peter’s Basilica where it will remain for Mass at 5pm celebrated by Archbishop Piero Marini, President of the Pontifical Committee for the International Eucharistic Congresses. The Bell will be rung at Masses throughout Wednesday as an invitation to the Congress.

Later in the week the Bell will travel to St Isidore's Irish Franciscan College, where this year’s St Patrick’s Day Mass will be celebrated on Saturday 17 March. Also attending this Mass will be Deputy Pat Rabbitte, Irish Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources, as part of his visit to Italy for St Patrick’s Day celebrations. On Sunday 18 March, the Bell will be present at Mass in the Pontifical Irish College at 10am.

Speaking during the Bell Pilgrimage in Rome, Fr Kevin Doran, Secretary General of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012, said: “It seems somehow appropriate that the Bell, on its way to visit Pope Benedict, was delivered on Tuesday afternoon [13 March] to the very office beside St Peter’s Square where Pope Benedict himself worked for over 20 years.”

Fr Doran added: “We are truly delighted that with this visit the Bell has brought parishes, schools and hospitals all over Ireland into a closer Communion with the Pope as we enter the final phase of preparation for the Eucharistic Congress.”

Journeying with the Bell are the four Eucharistic Congress Icons which represent the four parts of the Mass, and correspond to each of the four stages of the pastoral preparation programme for the Congress. The Bell calls people to prayer and the Icons offer rich themes for reflection.

Ring for Renewal invites people to pause on the journey of life and reflect on how we can renew as people and as members of the Church as we prepare for IEC2012. Read more about Ring for Renewal.

Facts about the Bell

Tradition has it that St Patrick left a bell in each Church he consecrated as a way to call people to the Eucharist.

In parishes all over Ireland, the Eucharistic Congress Bell Pilgrimage is building on the tradition of St Patrick and the ringing of Bells.

Since commencing phase one of its pilgrimage on St Patrick’s Day (17 March) in 2011, the Bell has visited the 26 Dioceses of Ireland, over one thousand parishes, more than 100 schools, and a dozen hospitals and nursing homes, calling people to ‘Come to the Congress’.

In September 2011, the Bell travelled to Lourdes, France with the Dublin Diocesan group. The Bell has now entered phase two of its pilgrimage and is travelling abroad for the second time. This week the Bell has travelled to Rome for the first time.

 Eucharistic Congress Medal

Pope Benedict XVI will be presented with a commemorative medal celebrating the 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012.

In 1932 Ireland hosted the 31st International Eucharistic Congress which coincided with the 1500th anniversary of St. Patrick’s arrival in Ireland. Commemorative medals and badges were issued to mark the event and many are still treasured to this day. 

To mark the 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012, organisers have produced a commemorative medal designed by Martin Barlow, who also designed the IEC2012 logo. The medal is gold plated and enamelled. It is 50mm in diameter and carries the Congress logo in colour on the front and on the reverse a Celtic cross motif surrounded by the Congress theme: The Eucharist: Communion with Christ and with One Another. Each medal comes in a presentation case complete with an explanatory card available in the seven official languages of the Congress.

The company producing the medals for IEC2012 is Dublin based Lee Brothers, founded by John Lee. In an interesting connection with the 1932 medal, John Lee’s uncle, Kevin Lee, worked for the Jewellery and Metal Manufacturing Company of Ireland which produced the 1932 medals.

There are two versions of the commemorative medal available: A medal for general issue and a limited edition Irish language version, of which only 1,000 will be produced.

The medal will be available online at www.thecollector.ie/iec2012medal. The medal is priced €29.95 + p&p.

Details of the team accompanying the Eucharistic Bell Pilgrimage in Rome:

Most Rev. Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin and President of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012: A Dublin native, Archbishop Martin was ordained a priest in May 1969 and a bishop by Pope John Paul II in 1999. In 2001 he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to the UN Institutions in Geneva before returning to Dublin as co-adjutor Archbishop in 2003 and succeeded Cardinal Desmond Connell as Archbishop of Dublin in April 2004. Archbishop Martin is currently Vice-President of the Irish Episcopal Conference, Chairman of the Department of Social Issues and International Affairs and Chairman of the Bishops’ Commission on Europe.

Fr Kevin Doran, Secretary General 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012: A priest of the Archdiocese of Dublin, Fr Doran has been working on the preparation of the Eucharistic Congress for almost four years. He worked for five years as Spiritual Director at the Pontifical Irish College in Rome. Ordained in 1977, Fr Doran has a particular interest in Catholic social teaching and in the ethics of healthcare. He is currently a Consultor of the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education, in the section dealing with Vocations. He assists in St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Marino.

Colette Furlong, IEC2012 Pastoral Services Manager: Colette has a spent a number of years working in the area of faith development. Colette regularly lectures at St Patrick’s College, Carlow and All Hallows College, Dublin and she is also a guest lecturer at the National Centre for Liturgy, Maynooth. She joined the 50th International Eucharistic Congress team in 2010 with responsibility for developing and supporting a four stage pastoral preparation programme. Colette lives in Dunboyne, Co Meath.

Tommy Burns, Bell Pilgrimage Coordinator: A native of Drogheda, Tommy has been working with the International Eucharistic Congress for the past two years as the IEC2012 Diocesan Delegate for the Archdiocese of Armagh. As Bell Pilgrimage Coordinator he has also been involved with the pilgrimage of the Congress Bell since it began its journey on St. Patrick’s Day 2011. Tommy is Chairman of the St. Oliver Plunkett national campaign for Peace and Reconciliation. He has written extensively on the life and times of St. Oliver and recently created the St. Oliver Plunkett website.

Sheena Darcy, IEC2012 Office Manager: Hailing from Dublin, Sheena joined the IEC2012 team in June 2010 as Office Manager. Prior to this, Sheena spent a year studying in Rome and previously managed the National Office of Youth 2000 Ireland for four years. Sheena holds a diploma in Human Resources Management. At IEC2012, Sheena’s role is to ensure the smooth running of the office for the 40 staff preparing and planning this international event. Her role for the week of the Congress will be to oversee the running of the Main Operations Centre in the RDS.

The congress, the Holy Father said, "is an important opportunity to reaffirm the central place of the Eucharist in the life of the Church. Jesus, Who is truly present in the Sacrament of the altar, with the supreme Sacrifice of love on the cross gives Himself to us, He becomes our food in order to assimilate us to Him, to bring us into communion with Him. Through this communion we are also united among ourselves, we become a single object in Him, members of one another.

"I invite you to remain spiritually united to Christians in Ireland and the world, praying for the work of the congress, that the Eucharist may always be the pulsating heart of all Church life", he concluded.

“By a noteworthy coincidence”, the archbishop went on, “the fiftieth International Eucharistic Congress of Dublin coincides with the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of Vatican Council II; and it is to the Council that the Congress will refer because the theme chosen – ‘The Eucharist: Communion with Christ and with one another’ – has been taken from paragraph 7 of the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium. That theme reminds the baptised that it is by participating in the Eucharist that we construct communion with Christ and, at the same time, with one another; in other words, the most authentic face of the Church. … Progressive emphasis on the ecclesiology of communion ‘according to which the Eucharist has a causal influence at the very origins of the Church’, is replete with pastoral, ecclesial and ecumenical consequences, which will be studied in Dublin at a theological symposium to be held before the Congress.”

Archbishop Marini explained that the event will be attended by thousands of faithful from all over the world who, apart from celebrating the Eucharist together, will pray and participate in a number of processions, eighteen general conferences and 150 workshops and discussion groups, examining important religious themes and experiencing “authentic ecclesial solidarity”.

For his part Archbishop Martin recalled that Dublin had also hosted the thirty-first International Eucharistic Congress in 1932. “The Church in Ireland in 1932 was very different to the Church in Ireland today”, he said. “The Eucharistic Congress must address its participants in the context of the culture in which they live.” In 2012 it must “reflect and present the Church in Ireland, a Church which has faced and continues to face enormous challenges, but a Church which is alive, energetic and anxious to start a journey of renewal.

“There are divisions within the Irish Church”, he added, “sometimes unhealthy divisions. I believe it is helpful to look back to 1932 and to Irish society of the time, which less than a decade previously had been lacerated by a harsh civil war lasting two years. It is a fact of great honour to my predecessor Archbishop Edward Byrne that he celebrated the Congress as a moment of reconciliation and rediscovered unity. For the first time in the newly independent Ireland, men and woman on both sides of a bitter divide met to work together on a shared project. The Eucharist has the power to reconcile. Communion with Christ nourishes communion and reconciliation with others.”

Archbishop Martin went on: “The fiftieth International Eucharistic Congress of Dublin will again be a moment of renewal and reconciliation; an event reawakening awareness among all Catholics of the central place of the Eucharist in the life of the Church, the true summit to which all Church activities strive, the source whence all Church life pours forth.”

The Congress will remind the Church in Ireland “of the centrality of spiritual renewal and of the significance of the Church as the Body of Christ”, he said.

The archbishop of Dublin also announced that the Congress will have an ecumenical aspect, with the participation of other Christian Churches in Ireland. The event will conclude in Croke Park on 17th June with a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Marc Ouellet P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and pontifical delegate to the Congress. During the Mass a televised message from the Pope will be broadcast.

As part of the promotion of IEC2012, Fr Doran recorded five programmes with Salt and Light Television and broadcast live on Radio Galilée (Quebec).

Presentations were made to diocesan groups in Toronto, London, Quebec and Montreal as well as to Canadians and Irish people who have lived in Canada for most of their lives. Fr Doran held meetings with Archbishop Thomas Collins of Toronto and Archbishop Gerald Lacroix of Quebec City, both of whom are leading pilgrim groups to the Congress.

He also had the very useful opportunity to compare notes with many of those who were directly involved in the preparation of the last Congress in Quebec City in 2008.

With 12 months to go, there are strong indications that there will be a truly global presence at the Congress in Dublin in June 2012.

 Already there has been confirmation that groups will travel from the United Kingdom and Canada as well as many other countries, including Taiwan, the Ivory Coast and Paraguay.

Additional is also be available to assist pilgrims with registration, accreditation, accommodation, tours and transport for individual and group attendance to the Congress.

For more information and registrations visit: www.iec2012.ie/registration

Find out more about speakers and events at the theology symposium.

Find out more about the call for papers to present at the theology symposium.  

The bell is a symbol of the invitation to gather for the Eucharist and to join in the journey of preparation for the 50th International Eucharistic Congress. Thousands of people in cities and villages all over the North and West of Ireland have received the bell to their parishes in recent months. Some of them came to ring it once again at the Horse Show.

Over the next month the Congress Bell will be visiting parishes in the dioceses of Dublin and Meath, before joining the Dublin Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes from 7th-12th September. Between September 2011 and January 2012, the Bell will make its way through the southern part of the island, visiting parishes, schools and places of pilgrimage.

Registrations to attend the Congress are open and pilgrims can register through our website: www.iec2012.ie/registration.

Registration to become a volunteer for the Congress is also open through our website: www.iec2012.ie/volunteer.

Background Information on the Eucharistic Congress Bell:

The Eucharistic Congress Bell is a key symbol of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress. From its origins in the Dominican Convent of Portstewart, Co. Antrim the Bell was more recently used to ring in the Jubilee Year 2000 in Glendalough, Co. Wicklow. The Bell will reflect the invitation to faith, to prayer, to reconciliation and to mission which has always been important in our Christian tradition and is no less so today. The pilgrimage of the Bell throughout the Dioceses of Ireland, and beyond, will be a vehicle to:

• Invite people to deepen their communion with Christ and with one another

• Promote the pastoral aims of the Congress

• Invite all Christians to join in giving a common witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in an increasingly secular society

• Animate the people of your Diocese to become involved with the Eucharistic Congress both locally and nationally

• Invite people to come to the Congress from June 10th to 17th 2012

There is a strong emphasis on the inclusion of young people in the Eucharistic Congress Bell Pilgrimage however it is not exclusively a youth project. The pilgrimage has included the infirm, senior members of the community, and an outreach to the families and of the children preparing for sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation, and Communion).

The pilgrimage began with the blessing of the Congress Bell by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin at the St. Patrick’s Day Mass in the Pro-Cathedral on the 17th March 2011, and will end in a final pilgrimage ceremony at the opening of the International Eucharistic Congress (back in the RDS) on June 10th 2012.

Wherever the Bell stops on its journey, it is placed on a specially designed plinth, with four icons, written by Irish iconographers) which reflect the four elements of the Eucharist which are being emphasised in the pastoral preparation for the Congress (Assembly; the Word, the Breaking of Bread and Mission / Service).

For further information visit www.iec2012.ie/bell  

Aer Lingus is offering an early bird discount to pilgrims who book flights before 30 November 2011 of 10% discount off airfare on short haul routes or $50 off their return long haul routes.

Aer Lingus operates flights direct to Dublin from 22 countries:

- From North America and Canada – flights direct to Ireland from Boston, Chicago, New York and Orlando in addition to connections from over 50 cities across the US and Canada.

- From the UK - up to 38 daily services operating from ten airports across the UK.

- From Europe – direct flights from 20 countries including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey.

- Read more on Aer Lingus Special Offer and book flights availing of this offer.

- More information on Parish or group flight ticket bookings

IEC2012 staff members and volunteers will gather in RTE for the Mass to be broadcast live on RTÉ1 at noon on Sunday 6th May. Music will be provided by the Palestrina Choir, under the directorship of Blánaid Murphy, and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.

Speaking in advance of the televised Mass, Fr Kevin Doran, Secretary General of IEC2012 said:

“Those who are sick or frail due to old age have an important place in the life of the Church and we are delighted that, through this celebration of Mass, they can be drawn into the final stage of preparations for the Congress.”

Meanwhile this weekend, the final National Collection to raise funds for this year’s 50th International Eucharistic Congress (IEC2012) will be held in parishes across Ireland on 5th & 6th May 2012.

This annual collection is the final in a series of four which form a key part of fundraising for the Congress. Parishioners responded very generously to collections in 2009, 2010 and 2011 on the Feast of Corpus Christi raising a total of €3 million to date.

Due to the difficult economic climate and a desire not to compete with funding for education or healthcare, IEC2012 has specifically not sought any of the kind of public funding that would normally be made available to a large international event such as the Congress, which will be attended by around 20,000 people daily in the RDS from 10-16 June and will have an audience of up to 80,000 people in Croke Park on 17th June.

Funds generated from the National Collections will form part of the overall budget of €11.5 million for the 50th International Eucharistic Congress.

Events such as the Congress must adhere to stringent health and safety requirements involving careful preparation and infrastructure. The money raised will go towards logistical expenses including: hiring and fitting out of the two venues; RDS and Croke Park, provision of essential requirements for the liturgy, the communication of the Congress on website and broadcast media, the preparation of signage for venues all around Dublin and all the other preparatory work that will enable us to welcome pilgrims in comfort and safety.

The funds will also support the volunteer programme which is helping to make the Congress run smoothly by providing it with meals and uniforms for almost two thousand volunteers working as part of the organisation team.

Previous Congresses have been funded by a variety of measures including private contributions, sponsorship, fundraising and delegate fees. This Congress is following a similar approach. The Congress, though hosted in Dublin, is a pastoral initiative of the whole Irish Church.

Speaking about the fourth National Collection and its significance to the Congress, Fr Kevin Doran, Secretary General of IEC2012 said:

“We are conscious that in the circumstances of the times that the Congress should not be ostentatious. We are committed to making it a worthy celebration of faith. The celebration of the Eucharist will be at the heart of IEC2012, but the Congress will also include a comprehensive programme of educational and cultural activities.

The Bishops asked parishes to continue to promote the Congress using the materials available from the Congress headquarters in the RDS, Dublin. Parishioners are encouraged to book for their attendance at the Congress by completing a booking form. The various booking options for the number of days people wish to attend are available on www.iec2012.ie/registration. A special booking office for those who do not have access to a computer is now available from the Congress offices in the RDS.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, President of the International Eucharistic Congress 2012 said: “We look forward to welcoming pilgrims from both Ireland and overseas next June. Our Congress will focus on the theme of ‘The Eucharist: Communion with Christ and with one another’.  It will be different in many ways from the 1932 Congress because we are a changed Ireland, a changed people and a Church that is going through an important period of renewal. All of this change brings challenges. We are renewed by the constant centrality of the Eucharist in our lives as Church.”

Next year’s 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Ireland involves two main venues in the RDS and Croke Park, Dublin. The week long programme in the RDS consists of prayer, Eucharist, workshops, discussion groups, catechesis and testimonies, cultural events, tours, exhibitions, and a Eucharistic Procession. It is expected to involve 25,000 pilgrims participating in over 150 workshops; including 12,000 pilgrims from the five continents; and 80,000 participants at the Statio Orbis - the official title for the final Mass of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress, which will take place on 17 June 2012 in Croke Park, Dublin.

"Many people will be familiar with the story of how St. Francis of Assisi had the experience of a voice speaking to him from a crucifix in the ruined of San Damiano, saying “Rebuild my Church.” Francis responded by undertaking a refurbishment of the building, which is now a Poor Clare Monastery, situated on the slopes just below the town of Assisi. But what God had in mind for Francis was not just about restoring an old building. He went on to initiate a spiritual renewal which had a profound impact on the life of the Church both in Italy and much further afield, even in the life-time of Francis. The renewal of the Church, now as then, is about faith in Jesus Christ, and a renewed commitment to discipleship. Church buildings and administrative structures have only one purpose, and that is to serve the building of Christian community and the spread of the Gospel.

Catholics all over Ireland speak of the need for renewal in the Church. This need has been flagged for many people by the pattern of clerical abuse which has surfaced over the past fifteen years, and particularly by the failure of the Church, in many cases, to deal honestly and effectively with it. This in its turn has led us to question attitudes to power, to partnership and to the management of information in the Church. Renewal, in the final analysis, as about conversion of heart, so that sinful structures are replaced by vibrant Christian communities.

The Church in Western Europe has, for many years, been showing signs of tiredness and lack of energy for evangelisation. There are many outstanding examples of generous service and effective ministry on the part of clergy, religious and members of the lay faithful. Parallel with this, however, the liturgy is often poorly prepared and celebrated. Catechesis and preparation for the sacraments is often haphazard, and poorly received. The spirit of individualism, which is so much a feature of our age, has also taken its toll on the Church. We don’t easily recognise ourselves as “one body in Christ”; all too often, indeed, we see the Church as a service provider, on a par with the bus company and the electricity network.

Against that background, some wonder whether renewal in the Church is even possible. History tells us that it is, and faith shows us how, even when the very resources we need for renewal seem to be in short supply. It is the Spirit of Jesus who makes all things new and the Spirit has not gone away. It is in Communion with Christ, who in his Mercy reaches down to us and lifts us up, that fresh beginnings are possible.

Like the new growth in springtime, renewal in the Church will be made up of many elements. Most, if not all of these elements, will surface among the daily themes for the 50th International Eucharistic Congress, which will be celebrated in Dublin, Ireland from June 10th to 17th this year. To that extent, it can honestly be said that the agenda of the Congress is an agenda for renewal.

The period between the 15th and 18th centuries was, in many ways, a dark period in the history of the Irish Church. It was a time when the Mass was forbidden and people were deprived of the sacraments for long periods. Indeed, one of the patrons of the Congress, Blessed Margaret Ball, died in prison because she provided facilities for mass in her own home. Still, the faith was handed on and nurtured from one generation to the next in the family and in the local community, with the support of small numbers of priests who were constantly on the move. In the twentieth century, paradoxically, although the Church had already been free for over a hundred years and now had unprecedented numbers of clergy and religious, we seem to have lost the capacity to hand on the faith to the next generation. Could this be because, with all those clergy, we lost sight of the responsibility and dignity of those who, in Baptism, are anointed for mission? The vocation of Baptism will be among the themes on which the Congress will focus.

The sacrament of marriage is, in many ways, very closely related to the Eucharist. Marriage, like the Eucharist, is a covenant based on the gift of the whole self. St. Paul talks about how the love of husband and wife is the visible sign (or sacrament) of the love of Christ for the Church. That love is sacrificial and the element of sacrifice is just as central to marriage and to parenthood, as it is to Eucharist. In order to be renewed, the Church must help couples to understand and to live their marriage as their Christian vocation. One day of the Congress will be devoted to this theme.

I was ordained more than ten years after the second Vatican Council. The priesthood is still essentially what it was forty years ago, but we exercise our ministry in a very different world. Much that was permanent is now temporary and many of the structures of community have broken down. Modern technology has provided us with many helpful ways of exchanging information, but it sometimes seems that real inter-personal communication is a dying art. In this “brave new world” we priests are called to give “the bread that lasts forever” and to find effective ways to witness to eternal truths. We are to be, as Pope Benedict says, “men of communion”, whose identity is rooted in our relationship with Christ and with the people we are called to serve, and not just in the functions we perform, or the areas of activity we control. Sadly, through a misunderstanding of the meaning of celibacy, priesthood is more frequently defined in terms of the absence of relationship. One day of the Congress will focus on the ministry and life of priests.

A renewed Church will be one in which those who suffer, whether in body, mind or spirit are cared for. One element of that care, which is to be found in the ministry of Jesus himself, is to ensure that in their suffering, people are not isolated. As many religious congregations review the nature and extent of their involvement in healthcare, the Church must always be looking for new ways of responding to the needs of the sick and of those who are vulnerable in our society. This too will be a focus of the Eucharistic Congress.

Finally, there are many hurts which need to be healed and reconciled in our society. We are called to acknowledge the wrong we have done and to seek forgiveness, from God and from one another. We are also called to be merciful as our heavenly Father is merciful. But what is the meaning of forgiveness, when we still remember? How can we be forgiven, even while we are still far from perfect? What is a just society and how can we build it? These are some of the questions which will be explored in the workshops and celebrated in the liturgies of the Congress as we look to the Lord to walk with us on the journey of renewal."

Mater Dei Spring Lecture Series 2012
REFORM OF THE CHURCH IN IRELAND: FACING THE FUTURE WITH HOPE
Speaking Notes of Most Rev. Diarmuid Martin Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland
------------------

Mater Dei Institute, 23rd February 2012

Clonliffe Road came on to the radar screen of my personal life fifty years ago. Coming towards the Leaving Cert in 1962 I began thinking of my future. As I have said on many occasions, my first interest was in becoming a broadcaster and in particular a newsreader or announcer. But that was a very limited market in Ireland at the time and with the opening of RTE television just some months earlier the available posts had all been filled. The likelihood of getting a position with the BBC, which would have been my real ambition, was even less. BBC announcers in those days did not speak with Dublin accents.

Not that priesthood was a reluctant second choice. My reflections on priesthood were there all the time and were maturing and it was at this time that I began to notice the existence of Clonliffe College, the place where the priests of Dublin were trained.

In my final years at school Pope John called the Second Vatican Council. It opened, as you know, on the 11th October 2012, seven days after I entered Clonliffe. Preparations for the Council were underway. Change seemed to be in the air. It was an exciting time. In 1962, however, Clonliffe College was not an exciting place. Clonliffe was a place where there had been little change for decades. The daily routine had been the same almost since the College opened one hundred years earlier. One professor made no secret of the fact that he had been giving the same lectures for at least twenty years - and to be true his were not the worst lectures.

One could easily have gotten the impression that the Irish Church that we encountered then was the Irish Church “as it was in the beginning”, and that the established order “now” would, “ever shall be”. Indeed the established order of Clonliffe was on a major expansion course, building a new wing to cater for an increase in students and revamping the main building. Things seemed to be on the up. There was very little understanding of the historical ups and downs of Irish Catholicism over the centuries.

In 1962 Clonliffe College was not an exciting place but in the years that followed it became an exciting pace. There was great interest and ferment in theology. The Vatican Council broke down walls of an over institutionalised Church and the new air generated new vitality. Today there are those who feel that the Irish Church has failed the vitality and hope that the Vatican Council had engendered; there are others who would say that opening the windows of the Church so widely and indiscriminately without noticing the contamination of the outside air, let in viruses that we would have been better off without. I imagine that future historians with the light of hindsight will probably say that there are elements of truth on either side.

There have always at the same time been reasons of hope and reasons of concern in the Irish Church. To imagine otherwise would be do be totally a-historical. As always at times of change, the hope of one side can quickly become the anxiety of the other. In times of change each side sticks to its side and we Irish when we get stuck into a position are not always that good on the subtlety thing. In time of change – like today - we always need the light of historians who remind us of the ups and downs of Irish Catholicism over the centuries and who recall that the winds of reform and renewal often come not from those debating on the different sides but from unexpected quarters and take unexpected paths.

When we look back in history, there is no doubt that the achievement of Cardinal Cullen in reforming the Irish Church in the aftermath of Catholic Emancipation was phenomenal. Participation in Church life flourished after the extremely low Mass attendance rates of an earlier time. Existing religious orders found new life; new Irish religious foundations were founded and religious came from abroad. Institutions which showed the care of the Church for the marginalized sprung up across the nation. The commitment to care was there, but often it was conceived and clothed in the dominant Victorian philanthropic and social culture. As often happens, the Church in its desire to care for the marginalised espoused the contemporary climate of institutional care and built even bigger and more institutional institutions that Victorian Britain.

We understand that today and regret that dimension of our past and we are quick to point the finger of blame and not without right. What is harder to do is discern how much our current visions of the Church are actually underpinned by aspects of contemporary culture which in their way distort the Christian vision and the realisation of the Christian message. We can never have a vision of the Church which is totally de-culturized, but that does not mean that inculturation may not distort.

In Cardinal Cullen’s time the physical and religious geography of Dublin was changed within a few decades. And Cullen did not just reform structures and build new ones. He restored the discipline of a Church which had become lax and recalled all, bishops, clergy and laity to integrity in their calling challenging a culture of litigiousness and self-affirmation. He invited Newman to establish the Catholic University - and even though the personal chemistry between the two was not a good one - the invitation was a clear indication of the need for theological renewal and the establishment of a mature lay Catholicism able to take its place in Irish society. All in all, this was not a bad reform package.

Others today, however, would be highly critical of aspects of the vision of Cullen’s reform. Cullen’s was a reform from above, but perhaps only an outsider could have done it. His was a Roman reform, but at that time the elements for a more Irish reform were not easily at hand. Newman himself was dismayed at the lack of an Irish Catholic elite, due to the fact that Irish Catholics on the whole were excluded from university education.

Cullen’s predecessor, Archbishop Daniel Murray had a different vision. He would have been in favour of a greater participation Catholics in the public life of the day. He was almost the only Irish Bishop to be favourable to the participation of Catholics in the Queens Colleges and in the national school system as originally proposed. One can really ask “what if” Archbishop Murray’s idea had prevailed and the Catholic Church had become a different style of partner in the Irish educational system. But the “what if” analysis can easily be superficial because it tends to look at the question of the past in the light of the culture of today. One would have to remember that Archbishop Murray was universally regarded by his Episcopal colleagues as being a very holy man, but they thought of him as a little politically naïve, underestimating the intentions of Dublin Castle and of the not entirely unfounded suspicion of proselytising that was current.

It is interesting that a good deal of the reflection on the history of the Catholic Church in Ireland focuses above all on Church-State and Church-Society relations. This is even more true of current commentary of the life of the Church in Ireland. This is not a criticism of historians or the social commentators of our day. It is a real and at times unique dimension of the history of Irish Catholicism that as the history of a demographically dominant religious confession, there would inevitably be an intense interaction of interests on the part of both the Church and the State, especially at moments of great change.

Interestingly, at the moment of Catholic emancipation there was no Irish Government. Through the Act of Union Irish Catholicism had become a minority confession in the larger United Kingdom, which had its own established Church. This was to have its repercussions as the subsequent struggle for Home Rule was not just political but touched the aspirations of Irish Catholics. It was to have repercussions further anon with the establishment of the Irish independent State where Catholics who had been excluded from participation in the public administration inevitably took up their new political and administrative roles in a climate of a certain re-vindication also for Catholicism.

It is useful to look at the past to remember that in the history of Ireland Church and State in Ireland have been intertwined for the good and for the lesser good, in good times and in difficult times, and that the same is true today. Church and State are separate but not necessarily hostile realities. The challenge is to find a mature interaction which is neither that of being in bed together nor that of living as survivors of a hostile divorce, unable to converse. The structured dialogue between Church and State which was launched some years ago offers a useful model for mature dialogue, but it has not yet taken off effectively. Greater attention needs to be given to identifying the best ways of putting into practice this important structure.

Church and State will inevitably be intertwined in Irish society for many years to come. We see this is the current debate about no longer accrediting a resident Irish Ambassador at the Holy See which has evoked a widespread reaction which many had not anticipated. I fear however that the controversy has taken on a life of its own and one not always related to the best interests of the Church or of the Government of Ireland or of our common interests around the world. While I believe that the change in status of the Embassy was a mistake and that it will in time be changed, the current polemic is distracting us from the real challenges of Church State relations and from the real crisis questions facing the Irish Church. But the debate has laid down markers.

The change that is taking place in the Irish Church today is much more significant than many imagine. The change that will take place between now and the year 2020 – just eight years away – will be enormous. I am more and more convinced that these years will be the most challenging years that the Irish Church has had to face since Catholic Emancipation. The goal posts have changed and changed definitively.

These are difficult times in the Church; day after day there are those within the Church and outside it who prophecy the end of the Church as a significant factor in Irish society. There are others who feel that the Catholic Church in Ireland is on a suicide path created by its own internal culture. We must realistically recognise the critical situation of the Church, but we should never give in to pessimism and negativism.

I thought it would be good to quote from the homily of Pope John XXIII on 11th October 1962 at the opening of the Second Vatican II.

Pope John’s first words to the Vatican Council at the beginning of his homily were Gaudet Mater Ecclesia: Our Mother the Church rejoices. Polarisation in the Church can and has led to a loss of the sense of joy which should be a mark of the community of believers. Reformers and traditionalist alike can all too often be men and women with a mission, but also men and women with gloomy and stern faces. The Church at all times has reason to rejoice. Jesus loves his Church and will be with his Church. The Church’s agenda is driven by Jesus and it is from his fidelity to the Church that we can draw hope.

That reminds me of the story of the current Archbishop of New York when he was Rector the North American College in Rome and welcomed a group of new students who were a little on the gloomy side about the fate of the Church and felt that they had a special mission to save the Church according to their plan. The Rector welcomed their aspiration to save the Church but added: “However, I have got bad news for you; we already have a Saviour”. The Church’s agenda is driven by Jesus and it is from his fidelity to the Church alone that we can draw hope.

But let me come back to Pope John’s Homily. He was not one to sponsor gloom and he pulled no punches in what he said.

“In the daily exercise of our pastoral office, we sometimes have to listen, much to our regret, to voices of persons who, though burning with zeal, are not endowed with too much sense of discretion or measure. In these modern times they can see nothing but prevarication and ruin. They say that our era, in comparison with past eras, is getting worse, and they behave as though they had learned nothing from history… They behave as though at the time of former Councils everything was a full triumph for the Christian idea and life…

We feel – Pope John said - we must disagree with those prophets of gloom, who are always forecasting disaster”

There have always at the same time been reasons of hope and reasons of concern in the Irish Church. It will always be so. We have to prove wrong the doomsayers both inside and outside the Church, both conservatives and traditionalists. Gaudet Mater Ecclesia: gloom about the Church and its future – from whatever side - can very often be a sign of a faith that is weak.

Gaudet, rejoice: but be realistic. Our rejoicing about the Irish Church must be kept within the limits of realism and realistic analysis. The Church needs more than the analysis of spin doctors and public relations gurus. It is no use rejoicing at every fleeting sign of change or statistic. Our analysis must go straight to the point. The real roots of the religious crisis in Ireland are deep and of a different character than many would wish to admit. They are linked with a crisis of faith, among individuals and within Irish society.

That crisis of faith then manifests itself in a crisis about the Church as an institution within a broader context of a change in the cultural infrastructure which had traditionally sustained the faith of people but which has become much more fragile over the years. Ireland is a highly secularised society and secularisation should not leave us unmoved.

I am not talking about crusading, but we must admit that unfortunately the Church in Ireland was slow and is slow in recognising the fragility of the infrastructure of faith and in many ways continues to think that the challenges of tomorrow can be addressed with the pastoral methods of yesterday. For their part many well-intentioned outsiders fail to understand the particular characteristics – both historical and contemporary - of the Irish Church and they fail to understand the depths of the current crisis.

The challenge of faith in Ireland can only be addressed by radical efforts of new evangelization. That new evangelization must however have its own Irish characteristics. The renewal of the Irish Church must be led from within the Irish Church. It must begin immediately. There is little time to waste.

Many people are disillusioned by the Church. It is very hard to underestimate how much the scandals regarding the sexual abuse of children and the manner in which it was dealt with by Church authorities has wounded the Church in Ireland. I am struck by the effect that these scandals had on young people who find it hard to reconcile what happened within the Church with the Christian message. The fact that thousands of children were abused within the Church of Jesus Christ in Ireland is a scar that the Church will bear within it for generations to come. There is no way in which what happened to be consigned out of the way into the archives. The lessons of what happened and how it happened are a vital key to our looking forward to and building the future with hope.

Inevitably the effect of these scandals on some has been an anger on the part of many and by some a complete rejection of the Church and even in some places it has resulted in appeals to remove the Catholic Church presence in society.

In other cases there are appeals for a sort of de-institutionalisation of the Church. There are those who would wish an Irish Church separate from Rome. There are those who would speak rightly of a strengthening of the role of lay people in the Irish Church, but really want a Church in which Office and Order would be radically emptied of their theological meaning. There are others who want reform, by reform by going back to the past. Renewal is required, but that renewal first of all requires conversion on the part of all and not just outward changes in structures.

Church authorities must learn to listen; but that listening is not to be equiperated simply with sounding-out public opinion. It requires above all listening intently and in common to the word of God and proclaiming that word and living it.

There is a certain ambiguity in the attitude of Irish society to the presence of the Church in the area of education. There is a strong move to reduce the number of schools under Church control, yet at the same time on local level most parents still want their children to attend schools with at least generic religious inspiration. The Irish system of Catholic schools is quite different to that in most other countries. Almost 90% of all State-funded schools are Catholic schools. It is not a parallel system for the Catholic community. There are very few alternatives available and Catholic schools welcome children of all faiths and none. This shows that the Catholic Church is open and welcoming to children of different cultural backgrounds but it has inevitably contributed to an erosion of the concept of what a Catholic school truly is.

Those parents who do not wish their children to be educated within a religious framework have their rights which the State is obligated to protect. Ireland needs plurality of provision of schools. But the rights of those Irish citizens who wish their children to receive Catholic education can only respected by fostering Catholic schools that are truly Catholic and there is an obligation of the State to foster that possibility also.

The family in Ireland is still healthy compared to other parts of the Western world. There is a high birth-rate and rates of divorce are low. Like other parts of the world, however, more and more young people opt to live together before marriage or not marry at all. Moves to change the Constitution will inevitably mean that attempts will be made to change its definition of marriage, but for the Christian tradition marriage remains a natural institution rather than just a social construction. The mutuality of the two sexes belongs, according to the biblical tradition, to the very essence of the human person since creation.

The Catholic Church has long been in the forefront in the area of providing education for marriage, courses of marriage preparation and counselling and services to families in difficulty. Priests tell me that in the evaluation reports completed by couples at pre-marriage courses there is a growing appreciation of the specifically religious context on these courses.

The concept of life-long commitment and fidelity are hard to understand in today’s culture, but most young people who come for marriage in Church have a genuine hope that their marriage will be successful and will last and develop and mature with the passage of years.

For too long the Church appeared in a role of moralisation and people failed to transmit the real depth of the Christian message which is about Jesus as a person who in his life and teaching reveals to us who God is. God is a God of love with whom we can in Jesus enter into a personal relationship, which then brings richness to the way we live of our lives.

On a deeper level, however, there is a certain ambiguity as to what “being Catholic” means in contemporary Irish society. There are multiple expressions of the claim: “I am still a Catholic, but…” Many people who no longer regularly practice will still come to Church on special occasions and on the great feasts and maintain some personal contact with the Church. In some cases people live out a sort of cultural Catholicism; in other cases what is called Catholicism is really a type of civil religion, a social spirituality without dogma, with blurred reference to a Jesus of one’s own creation.

Again, without becoming elitist, the Catholic Church in Ireland must be concerned about the lack of knowledge of basic elements of the Christian faith and of the nature of the Church among Catholics. This is a situation which should be a cause of concern as it can only increase from one generation to the next.

The Irish Church invests too little in the on-going education of the faith of adults. The New National Directory of Catechesis Sharing the Good News is truly a forward-looking document and work in underway in every diocese to address its implementation. The Irish Church is extraordinarily weak in its knowledge and use of the scriptures.

In other cases there remain among those who have drifted from Church life vestiges of faith and of affection for the Church. The importance of these signs should not be underestimated. But such vestiges will never flourish again without a genuine programme of new evangelization.

I can see that priests in Dublin have gone through a troubling period and at times they felt lack of support but they have never abandoned hope. There is a genuine enthusiasm for renewal and among priests, diocesan and religious. The results are already being seen. Attendance at Sunday Mass may be falling but enthusiasm is not missing.

The Church in Dublin is opening new horizons in evangelisation. We have a full-time Episcopal Vicar and Office for Evangelization. We have a priest dedicated full time to the animation of pastoral programmes based on the Scriptures. Priests are working on the implementation of a new National Directory of Catechesis “Sharing the Good News”. The occasion of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress, which will be held here in Dublin in June of this year, is being seen as a unique opportunity for renewal of the Christian life. To the surprise of its critics the Eucharistic Congress is taking shape as a genuine moment of renewal in the Church.

Fifty years ago Clonliffe Road appeared for the first time on the radar screen of my personal life. Who are my successors in taking up today the challenge which I undertook as a future priest? Where will we find the leaders of the future Catholic Church in Ireland? There will be fewer priests and the place of the priest in society will be different. Those priests will have to be men of a strong and outreaching faith. They must understand their priestly role founded on their bond with the Eucharist around which the Church is constructed. They will have to be able to listen to but also talk to and with the community of believers which they serve. They must be able to break the bread of the Word of God.

The future of the Catholic Church needs such priests but leadership will not be the prerogative solely of the priest. The presence of the Church in the society of tomorrow will be lay lead, but lay lead by men and women who have a profound understanding of what faith in Jesus Christ entails. The future of the Church will not be about social commentary on political issues but about witness, witness to the impact that the message of Jesus Christ can make on lives and on the interaction of people. The “Communion with one another” which must be the mark of Christians must be one which reflects the meaning of communion with Christ and the communion within his Church.

The Church of tomorrow will not be created tomorrow or next week or next year. The Christian life is a life long task. Ecclesia semper reformanda est: the Church must constantly reform itself. Each Christian must constantly reform himself and herself. Reform and renewal involve humility and holiness; not the empty humility and holiness of performance, but a humility and holiness which can be tested and verified by the lenses of integrity, personal and institutional.

The Church of tomorrow will not be created tomorrow or next week or next year but I believe that slowly the Church in Ireland is turning the corner. I say “is turning the corner, not ”has turned the corner”. History teaches us that hope and challenge will always be present together in the Irish Church. We have to get the balance right. The crisis today is however much greater than in the past and we have only one chance to get it right. Burying our head in the sand or making a mistake of discernment, especially any return to triumphalism or self-satisfaction, could turn renewal back irreversibly.

That said I am with Pope John: the Catholic Church in Ireland “must disagree with those prophets of gloom, who are always forecasting disaster”.

Source: Archdiocese of Dublin

 The Eucharistic Congress will be celebrating the theme of ‘Communion in Suffering and Healing’ on Friday 15 June, with a special celebration of the anointing of the sick as part of the principal liturgy. The Mass will be celebrated by Patriarch Fouad Twal from Jerusalem.

Marking World Day of the Sick, Fr Kevin Doran, Secretary General of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012, commented that the healing ministry of Jesus was not just about curing people physically, but also about drawing them back into full participation in the life of the community, from which their illness often excluded them. “Suffering has a way of isolating people. This is sometimes because of their own physical frailty and sometimes because we who are well are often unsure of how to respond to suffering.”

“It is an essential element of the mission of the Church today that we continue to seek ways of keeping people in communion even when they are no longer visible in the community on a daily basis. This remains a challenge for the Church both on a social and on a pastoral level,” Fr Doran said.

In his Message for the World Day of the Sick on 11 February 2012, the Feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes, Pope Benedict said he wished to renew his spiritual nearness to all sick people who are in places of care or are looked after in their families. The Holy Father placed emphasis upon the Sacraments of Healing particularly upon the anointing of the sick, which have their natural completion in the Eucharistic Communion. That Communion will be the focus of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012.

Throughout the Eucharistic Congress there will be an extensive programme of workshops, talks and keynote addresses. On Friday 15 June 2012, many of the programme events will focus on the theme of healing and the promotion of a richer communion with those who suffer in body, mind or spirit.

Another aspect of this theme of Communion is the important place of people with disability in the community of the Church. Six workshops during the Congress will be signed for the deaf and jointly facilitated by people who themselves are deaf. Br Donatus Forkan will offer a workshop entitled ‘Including People from the Margins’, while Fr Niall Ahern will present on the theme of Disability and Active Participation.

The theme of disability will come to life in a particular way in a sensory garden, which will be prepared and maintained by people with disability in the grounds of the Poor Clare Monastery that is being used as one of the chapels of adoration for the Congress.

Keynote speakers on this day of healing include Rose Busingye, a Ugandan nurse who has devoted her life to the care of people suffering with AIDS. A workshop on Co-dependency, Communion and Healing will be facilitated by Sr Consilio Fitzgerald, from the Cuan Mhuire Centre.

Archbishop Bashar Warda of Iraq and Archbishop Rrock Kola Mirdita of Tirana, Albania will speak about the experience of personal suffering that is so often the result of tyranny and religious intolerance.

For more information, visit our programme section 

For media information, visit our media centre

We need to deepen our understanding of this reality and this is the reason for the important gathering which will soon take place “close to home” we might say – here in the cosmopolitan city of Dublin. I refer, of course, to the upcoming International Eucharistic Congress which will be held from June 10th to the 17th of this year, a very significant event not only for the Catholic Church in Ireland, but for the universal Church. It has been carefully and creatively organized and prepared. What is the point of such a gathering? It is to renew our faith in the reality which is at the absolute center of Catholic life – the real presence of Christ himself in the Eucharist. Ultimately, it is renewed faith and love for the Lord in the Eucharist that will renew our lives and renew the life of the Church. It is his true presence in the Eucharist which can heal our own spiritual paralysis, which fills us with light and joy, which gives meaning to our lives, and which prepares us for the life of the world to come.

It is a great joy for me to be in Ireland, beginning my time here as Pope Benedict’s representative, especially in this year of the International Eucharistic Congress. Something new is indeed happening. I am convinced that the Lord is preparing something beautiful for his Church. May I ask your support and your prayers for my mission, as I thank you from the heart for being here with me today. Let us ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, to intercede for us and for Ireland as we strive to follow her son more closely."

Extract from Homily of Archbishop Charles John Brown, Apostolic Nuncio, in the Pro-Cathedral of Dublin, 19 February 2012

Read complete Homily here

The theology symposium is a meeting of academics who will reflect on the theme of the 50th International Congress, The Eucharist: Communion with Christ and with One Another.

In 1962 the Second Vatican Council opened and strongly underlined the ecclesiology of communion. Fifty years on, the theology symposium in Saint Patrick's College, Maynooth examines the status questionis with the theme The Eucharistic Ecclesiology of Communion Fifty Years after Vatican II.

From 6-9 June 2012, scholars across the disciplines of theology (scripture, systematics, moral theology, liturgy, pastoral studies, missiology and ecumenics) will explore the question: How goes it today with the ecclesiology of communion in aspects?

Speakers include Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, Professor Dr Martin Stuflesser, Father Michael McCabe, Professor Piero Coda, Cardinal Kurt Koch and Cardinal Marc Ouellet.

Each day plenary sessions, liturgy, seminars and workshops will follow a daily theme. There will be round table discussions and dialogue with the halls. Translation facilities will be available. Participants who attend the theology symposium will be graduates (or equivalent) in theology. 

Find out more about speakers and events at the theology symposium in Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth.

They heard from Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin and Eucharistic Congress organisers on how preparations for the International Congress were progressing. There were also detailed discussions and presentations from the International Congress Pontifical Committee and Theological Symposium.

The delegates from 70 different countries represented Albania, Angola, Arab Countries, Australia and New Zealand, Austria, Balkans, Belarus, Belgium, Botswana, South Africa and Swaziland, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina-Faso, Cameroon, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, England and Wales, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Guinea, Hungary, India, Italy, Kenya, Korea, Lesotho, Lithuania, Namibia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, Paraguay, Phillipines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Rep Dem Del Congo, Scotland, Slovakia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Vatican, Vietnam, West Indies, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Log to our Media Centre and read Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin's address to the delegates, as well as that from Archbishop Piero Marini, President Pontifical Council for International Eucharistic Congresses.

Fr. Kevin Doran was interviewed on EWTN on the preparations for the 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012. Watch the interview now on our media centre: http://www.iec2012.ie/thecongressinthemedia