by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI
This Sunday, June 10, let’s all join His Grace in the Grand Stand, Queen’s Park Savannah, to share our Catholic Culture and Identity with the wider community as we “bring down the house” on the series: Make a Joyful Noise which has been our Church’s gift to the nation as we observe TT’s 50th Anniversary of Independence.
It is fitting that this Family Fun Day will begin with Holy Mass at 10:00, since the Eucharist is the “source and summit of the life and mission of the Church”. The 2004 Lineamenta tells us that The Eucharist “spurs us on our journey through history and plants a seed of living hope in our daily commitment to the work before us” in the family, at work and in society. From this social character of the Eucharist, each person’s mission in the Church receives its power and trust. The Eucharist is referred to as “the spiritual food of the soul.” Indeed, it is what nourishes us for the journey of life.
And as we celebrate the Eucharist here in TT, let us lift up our voices in prayer to support the thousands who have gathered in Dublin, Ireland for the 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012 which commences today (June 10) and which will end on June 17. The theme for the Congress is: “The Eucharist: Communion with Christ and with one another. Communion is a relationship of mutual love and self-giving, rooted in our relationship with Jesus Christ who gave himself for us.”
The Congress is “an international gathering of people that takes place every four years, which aims to promote an awareness of the central place of the Eucharist in the life and mission of the Catholic Church; help improve our understanding and celebration of the liturgy and draw attention to the social dimension of the Eucharist.” The Holy Father has nominated His Eminence Cardinal Marc Ouellet, PSS., Papal Legate to personally represent him at the Congress. While the Legate will be present throughout the Congress, his principal public role will include presiding at the opening and concluding Masses.
You can visit the website at: http://www.iec2012.ie/ which tells us that the objective of a Eucharist Congress is “to increase understanding and participation in the Eucharistic Mystery in all its aspects; to support a deeper understanding of and a richer celebration of the Mass; to extend the worship of the Blessed Sacrament beyond the Mass itself; to help people to reflect on the social implications of the Eucharist so that the influence of our celebration and our adoration permeates the whole of personal and social living.”
The last two Eucharistic Congresses were held in Quebec in 2008 and Guadalajara, Mexico in 2004. I so wanted to be present with my friends who will be in Dublin for the entire duration of the week. However, I had committed to be the feature speaker at the AGM of The Inter-Religious Organisation of TT on June 16. The theme of the IRO’s event will be: The role of the Family in nation-building. I shall also be a speaker at the ICOPA Conference at UWI. The Conference will run from Tuesday June 12 – Friday June 15. The theme of my paper will be: Social exclusion and punishing assumptions. You will be able to access both my presentations in the “Speeches and Presentations” section of CCSJ’s website.
The main venue of the Eucharistic Congress in Ireland is the Royal Dublin Society where the organisers are expecting 20,000 people to participate each day – reflecting on themes associated with the Eucharist and with Christian living. On June 17 the Congress will end with “over 80,000 people at the Statio Orbis, or final Mass, that will take place in Ireland’s largest stadium, Croke Park.”
There have been four stages in the Pastoral Preparation to the Congress since 2010. Each stage corresponds to one of the rites of the celebration of Eucharist 1) Christ gathers us a Eucharistic Community 2) Christ gathers us to listen, to hear, to be nourished and to be formed into community by God’s Word 3) Christ gathers us to be nourished by the Bread of Life 4) Christ gathers and strengthens us for Mission by the Word and the Bread of Life.
Youths from around the world will also participate in the Congress. The theme for Youths is: Go, Be Church with Christ and one another. We can follow the proceedings on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/IEC2012
Let us open our hearts to the power of the Eucharist to transform and strengthen us in virtuous living.
