51st International Eucharistic Congress next January in Cebu

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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