51st
International Eucharistic Congress next January in Cebu
(Vatican
Radio) The 51st International Eucharistic Congress is taking place 24-31
January in the Archdiocese of Cebu in the Philippines.
The
event was presented on Tuesday at the Holy See Press Office. Among the speakers
was the Archbishop of Cebu, Jose Palma.
He
spoke about the Philippines, which has been a victim of many natural disasters,
and said he sees the Congress as an event of hope.
The
full presentation is below
Presentation
for the International Eucharistic Congress
1.
Historical context.
On June 17, 2012, at the Statio Orbis or the Closing Mass of the International
Eucharistic Congress (I.E.C.) in Dublin, then Pope Benedict XVI announced via
satellite that the next International Eucharistic Congress will be held in the
Archdiocese of Cebu, Philippines. It is not the first time that the
International Eucharistic Congress is coming to the Philippines. The 30th
I.E.C. was held in the Archdiocese of Manila in February 1937. That was an
extraordinary event for the entire Far East. For that Pope Pius XI chose the
theme on the relationship between the Eucharist and the missionary activity of
the Church. In the Apostolic Letter sent to Cardinal Dougherty (Archbishop of
Philadelphia), appointed as Papal Legate to the Congress, the Pope stated that:
”For the propagation of the faith, there is no other means that is more
efficacious than the Sacrament of the Eucharistic and the sacrifice that has
rightly been called “mystery of faith”.» Moreover, the Christian Faithful in
the Philippines is also aware that in the history of our country, shortly upon
arrival in our islands, the Spanish expedition celebrated the Eucharist on
March 31, 1521. Hence, to us hosting the I.E.C. is a privilege and blessing
considering that Cebu is known as the “cradle of Christian civilization” in our
country.
2.
Congress in Cebu.
This year the 51st International Eucharistic Congress will be celebrated in the
Philippines, particularly in the Archdiocese of Cebu. It will be held at the
end of a week-long celebration for the Holy Child and as a very meaningful
occasion of the preparations for the 500th anniversary of the Evangelization of
the Philippines (1521 A.D.). This is an important ecclesial event which in
relation to the International Eucharistic Congress in the Archdiocese of
Manila, Philippines, 79 years ago, we can surely observe so many changes. In
recent years, Asia is the continent that has become one of the great engines of
world growth in the economic and social point of view. From the religious point
of view, however, it is still a continent that has to be evangelized; it is
still a continent where the Catholic Church is a small minority; in spite of
being the continent where Jesus was born, lived, died and rose again. The 51st
Eucharistic Congress, therefore, could become the mirror of Asian Church in the
sense that it will see how the Catholic Church carries out its task of
evangelization. As with the previous Congresses, representatives of the
different Churches and myriad of pilgrims from all over the world will be
attending. All of us will celebrate the Eucharist together and share our faith
and other gifts with one another.
3.
Theme of the Congress.
With the guidance of the Pontifical Committee on International Eucharistic
Congress we started our preparations both in the national level through the
Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines and in the local level in the
Archdiocese of Cebu. Various Committees were formed and documents related
to the I.E.C. were prepared. In a few months our Theological Committee
has proposed relevant themes. During our meeting in Rome, the Letter of
St. Paul to the Colossians 1:27 “Christ in you, our hope of glory” was chosen
as most appropriate. The visit and ocular inspection of the Most Rev.
Piero Marini, President of I.E.C., Fr. Vittorio Boccardi and Anne Griffin to
Cebu that September of 2012 proved most helpful in their practical assessment
and orientation.
4.
In the midst of our preparations for I.E.C. two natural disasters happened in
our country in 2013. The earthquake that occurred on October 15 and the
super typhoon on November 8 confirmed that indeed as Bishop Claver, S.J.
pointed out Philippines has the unenviable title of being the “natural disaster
capital” of the world. The whole world has seen that death by thousands
and destruction of infrastructures and crops by the billions (others say, in
fact they are unquantifiable) descended particularly in the Visayas islands.
As expected the entire country focused our efforts for immediate relief and
rehabilitation. Cebu played a major role as the center of communication,
transportation, relief operations and rehabilitation efforts.
Understandably, preparations for I.E.C. slackened if not really halted.
At this point may I, in the name of my brother Bishops and the entire country,
sincerely thank you for the prayers and for the various support or aid given to
our country. The visit of the Holy Father last January 15 to 19 proved most
consoling for our people
5.
Program of Activities.
Last October 16 our beloved Archbishop Emeritus of Cebu, Ricardo Cardinal Vidal
presided at the ceremony of the 100 days countdown (by the way, Cardinal Vidal
was a first communicant during the 1937 I.E.C. in Manila). And so with 100 days
to I.E.C., where are we now? Let me point out some blessings that I
consider highlights of the I.E.C.: A). the I.E.C. Pavilion is completed
and when I go home the ceremony of the turnover will take place. Said
pavilion with the adjoining Seminario Menor de San Carlos can sit 14,000.
It is fully air conditioned and is most conducive for conferences and certain
celebrations: B). The invited speakers, liturgical celebrations and those
participating in various activities are already in place: C). We expect
around 20 Cardinals, 50 Bishops from other countries and at least, 100 Filipino
Bishops who gather for the Catholic Bishops Conference Plenary Assembly in
January 2016 will all go to Cebu for our Assembly and for the I.E.C.; D).
As of 21 October 2015, we already have 8, 345 registered pilgrims representing
57 nations. We also have 5,000 volunteers. And, so far, we have so far 600 host
families which will welcome pilgrims; E). From the usually proposed
committees we also put up a Solidarity and Communion Committee to provide a
dignified participation of our poor brothers and sisters.
6.
Having put up and done the best, we can invite people to participate. We are
very grateful for their support. But above all we ask for prayers that
the International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu will bear the fruits we ask of
the Lord, namely: a). to promote an awareness of the central place of the
Eucharist in the life and mission of the Catholic Church; b). to help and
improve our understanding and celebration of the liturgy; c). to draw attention
to the social dimension of the Eucharist.
We ask for prayers that reflecting on our theme: “Christ in you our Hope of
glory; the Eucharist, source and goal of mission,” we may see in fuller light
“the bond among Eucharist, mission and hope. In our world, where there is
a shortage of hope, humankind needs to hear the message of hope in Christ Jesus
(cf. I.E.C. Reflections, p. 7).
Having been gathered in the Eucharist and nourished by the Word and by the body
and blood of the Lord, it is our ardent prayer that we own our calling as a
community in mission. And just as the Father “engaged humanity in a
loving dialogue of salvation with Himself through the Son in the power of the
Holy Spirit” (cf. I.E.C. R, 25) may we likewise engage in “continuous, humble
and loving dialogue with living traditions and cultures, with other religions,
with the poor and with the youth” (I.E.C. R, 26).
The activities for the I.E.C. are divided into two main parts, namely: The
“Theological Symposium” from January 20-22, 2016, and the I.E.C. “Congress
Proper” from January 24-31, 2016. The basic themes for reflections during
the Theological Symposium are: “The Christian Virtue of Hope”; “Eucharist in
the Gospel of St. John”; “Liturgy and Inculturation”; “The History of the Novus
Ordo”; “Evangelizing the Secular World”; and “A Catechism on the Sunday
Eucharist”. During the Congress Proper, themes on “Christ our Hope of
Glory”; “Christian Hope”; “The Eucharist as Celebration of the Paschal
Mystery”; “The Eucharist as Mission”; “Mission as Dialogue”; “The Eucharist and
Dialogue with Cultures”; “The Eucharist and Dialogue with the Poor”; “The
Eucharist and Dialogue with Other Religions”; and “The Eucharist and Mary”.
In 1937 IEC in Manila a phrase in a popular song made us claim that we are a
“pueblo amante de Maria.” 79 years after that, we renew the claim with
fervour that we have become lovers of Mary, because we know she has loved us in
the first place. We entrust this I.E.C. to Mary, mother of the
Eucharist. May she who was there at the foot of the cross when Jesus
offered this supreme sacrifice of love be with us that like her we may be
imbued with the missionary spirit.
Devotion to Señor Sto. Niño de Cebu is the oldest devotion in our
country. The image of the Child Jesus is the gift of the Spanish
explorers to Queen Juana and Rajah Humabon on the occasion of their
baptism. The special feast of the Santo Niño in the Philippines is
celebrated on the third Sunday of January. In Matthew, the wise men from
the East came to adore the Child Jesus and they offered to him their
gifts. It is our prayer that many will come to Cebu, home of the Sto.
Niño. He who would eventually offer His body to eat and blood to drink in the
Eucharist. And like the Magi they will go home returning on different routes of
conversion and mission bringing home the gifts they have received from the Lord
Jesus.
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