Pilgrimage to the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Ireland!

About Ireland & the International Eucharistic Congress:

Ireland is the third-largest island in Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. Long known as the “Isle of Saints and Scholars”, Ireland was the epicenter of Christian learning while the rest of Europe was in the Dark Ages. As the home of Saints Patrick, Bridget, Columba, and many more, Ireland also provides many faith-based attractions- from the Book of Kells, an elaborately scripted 9th-century version of the Four Gospels, to the Knock Shrine, a leading Marian pilgrimage site, to historic abbeys, cathedrals, churches, and high crosses.

 

Pope Benedict XVI announced that the 50th International Eucharistic Congress will be held in Dublin in June 2012. This will mark the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of the Second Vatican Council. The Council marks an important moment of renewal and deepening of the Church’s teaching and of her understanding as the Body of Christ and the People of God.

A Eucharistic Congress is an international gathering of people which aims to:
♣ promote awareness of the central place of the Eucharist in the life and mission of the Catholic Church

♣ help improve understanding and celebration of the Liturgy

♣ draw attention to the social dimension of the Eucharist
The Congress normally takes place every four years. The daily celebration of the Eucharist is at the very heart of the Congress. The wider program includes other liturgical and cultural events, testimonies, and workshops during the week of the Congress.The theme for the Eucharistic Congress is “The Eucharist: Communion with Christ and with one another.”

 

The hope is that the theme will contribute to an enriched understanding of the Eucharist as true personal Communion with Jesus Christ and to a renewed understanding of the Church. In the Eucharist we are invited to a personal act of encounter with the Lord who gives himself for us, in Word and Sacrament. That encounter opens the path for new relationships in which we, as Church and as individual Christians are invited to engage in a social mission, in which we in turn are given for others.

The Eucharist is bread for the life of the world (Jn 6:51)

If you would like to go on this amazing pilgrimage, simply click here for more details!