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Eucharistic congress

Assembly of the Catholic Church


Assembly of the Catholic Church

In the Catholic Church, a Eucharistic congress is a gathering of clergy, religious, and laity to bear witness to the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, which is an important Catholic doctrine. Congresses bring together people from a wide area, and typically involve large open-air Masses, Eucharistic adoration (Blessed Sacrament), and other devotional ceremonies held over several days. Congresses may both refer to National (varies by country) and International Eucharistic Congresses.

On 28November 1897, Pope Leo XIII proclaimed Saint Paschal Baylón patron of Eucharistic Congresses and Associations.

History

The first International Eucharistic Congress owed its inspiration to Bishop Gaston de Ségur, and was held at Lille, France, on June 21, 1881. The initial inspiration behind the idea came from the laywoman Marie-Marthe-Baptistine Tamisier (1834–1910) who spent a decade lobbying clergy. The sixth congress met in Paris in 1888, and the great memorial Church of the Sacred Heart on Montmartre was the center of the proceedings. Antwerp hosted the next congress in 1890, at which an immense altar of repose was erected in the Place de Meir, and an estimated 150,000 persons gathered around it when Cardinal Goossens, Archbishop of Mechelen, gave the solemn benediction. Bishop Doutreloux of Liège was then president of the Permanent Committee for the Organization of Eucharistic Congresses, the body which has charge of the details of these meetings. Of special importance also was the eighth congress, held in Jerusalem in 1893, as it was the first congress held outside Europe.

In 1907, the congress was held in Metz, Lorraine, and the German government suspended the law of 1870 (which forbade processions) in order that the usual solemn procession of the Blessed Sacrament might be held. Each year the congress had become more and more international in nature, and at the invitation of Archbishop Bourne of Westminster the nineteenth congress was held in London, the first among English-speaking members of the Church. The presidents of the Permanent Committee of the International Eucharistic Congresses, under whose direction all this progress was made, were:

  • Bishop Gaston de Ségur of Lille; Archbishop de La Bouillerie, titular of Perga and coadjutor of Bordeaux;
  • Archbishop Duquesnay of Cambrai;
  • Cardinal Mermillod, Bishop of Lausanne and Geneva, Switzerland;
  • Bishop Doutreloux of Liège, Belgium;
  • Bishop Thomas Louis Heylen of Namur, Belgium. After each congress this committee prepared and published a volume giving a report of all the papers read and the discussions on them in the various sections of the meeting, the sermons preached, the addresses made at the public meetings, and the details of all that transpired.

List of International Congresses

Num.DateLocationThemeNotes
1st1881 JunFRA LilleThe Eucharist Saves the World
2nd1882 SepFRA Avignon
3rd1883 JunBEL Liège
4th1885 SepCHE Fribourg
5th1887 JunFRA Toulouse
6th1888 JulFRA Paris
7th1890 AugBEL Antwerp
8th1893 MayOttoman Empire JerusalemThe Divine Mystery of the EucharistFirst congress held outside Europe. Attended by hundreds of Latin Rite and Eastern Rite Patriarchs, bishops, priests, and faithful.
9th1894 JulFRA Reims
10th1897 SepFRA Paray-le-Monial
11th1898 JulBEL Brussels
12th1899 AugFRA Lourdes
13th1901 SepFRA Angers
14th1902 SepBEL Namur
15th1904 JunFRA Angoulême
16th1905 JunKingdom of Italy Rome
17th1906 AugBEL Tournai
18th1907 AugGerman Empire Metz
19th1908 SepGBR LondonFirst Congress held in the English-speaking world.
20th1909 AugGerman Empire Cologne
21st1910 Sep 7–11CAN MontrealFirst Congress held in North America or the Western Hemisphere.
22nd1911 JulESP Madrid
23rd1912 Sep 12–15Austria-Hungary Vienna
24th1913 Apr 23–27Malta Malta
25th1914 Jul 22–25FRA LourdesThe Eucharist and the Social Reign of Jesus ChristCardinal G. Pignatelli of Belmonte was the papal legate.
26th1922 May 24–29Kingdom of Italy RomeThe Peaceful Reign of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the EucharistPope Pius XI officiated the Mass at the St. Peter's Square; first congress after World War I.
27th1924 Jul 22–27NED AmsterdamThe Eucharist and HollandCardinal Van Rossum was the papal legate.
28th1926 Jun 20–24USA ChicagoFirst congress in the United States. Papal legate: Cardinal Bonzano. Hosted by Cardinal Mundelein, Archbishop of Chicago. Est worshippers: 500,000 at Soldier Field mass, 1 million at St. Mary of the Lake closing mass.
29th1928 Sep 6–9AUS SydneyFirst congress in Australia. The procession of the Eucharist, headed by the papal legate Cardinal Cerretti, was witnessed by 500,000.
30th1930 May 7–11French protectorate of Tunisia CarthageThe Eucharist is Africa's testimonyFirst congress held in Africa.
31st1932 Jun 22–26IRE DublinThe Propagation of the Sainted Eucharist by Irish Missionariesurl=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,753335-1,00.htmlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208202653/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,753335-1,00.htmlurl-status=deadarchive-date=December 8, 2008title=In Dublinmagazine=Timedate=1932-06-20access-date= 2008-06-22}}
32nd1934 Oct 10–14ARG Buenos AiresFirst congress in South America. Papal legate Cardinal Pacelli (later Pope Pius XII). Over one million people around Tres de Febrero Park heard a radio broadcast from the pope in Vatican City. Cardinal Pacelli celebrated High Mass and pronounced apostolic blessing on participants.
33rd1937 Feb 3–7PHI ManilaJesus in the Eucharist, Bread of Angels, Bread of LifeFirst congress in Asia and in the Philippines. Attended by 1.5 million from around the world. Pontifical Masses in Rizal Park, with hundreds of thousands at each.
34th1938 May 25–30HUN BudapestEucharist, the Bond of LovePapal legate Cardinal Pacelli (later Pope Pius XII). Over 100,000 people from all over the world, including 15 cardinals and 330 bishops.
35th1952 -ESP BarcelonaPeaceFirst congress since the end of World War II. Attended by hundreds of bishops and church officials, including Cardinal Spellman of New York, and Cardinal Stritch of Chicago. The Cold War limited attendance from communist eastern European countries.
36th1955 Jul 17–24BRA Rio de JaneiroChrist the Redeemer and His Eucharistic Kingdom
37th1960 –West Germany MunichCity chosen by Pope Pius XII, who had been papal nuncio there. Attended by 430 bishops and 28 cardinals, including Cardinal Spellman of New York, Cardinal Cushing of Boston, and Cardinal Meyer of Chicago. Laid a foundation stone for a "church of atonement" near Dachau concentration camp. Closing Statio Orbis Mass celebrated on Theresienwiese Square.
38th1964 Nov 12–15IND BombayFirst congress in a country without a significant Christian population, aiming to disseminate the doctrine of the "real presence of Christ in the Eucharist." Attended by Pope Paul VI, many cardinals, and 20,000 foreign visitors.
39th1968 Aug 18–25COL BogotáThe Eucharist as the Bond of LoveBogota DC was chosen personally by Pope Paul VI, to host the 39th International Eucharistic Congress, following his visit to the Colombian capital. This was the third Congress ever held in a Spanish speaking country, and the first Congress held in Colombia. The Eucharistic Congress was attended by bishops, archbishops, cardinals, clergy members, and faithful from all over Latin America and the World, including the Archpishop of Bogota Luis Concha Cordoba, the Colombian Cardinal Alfonso López Trujillo, Pope Paul VI, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires Juan Carlos Aramburu, the Archbishop of Paris François Marty, Archbishop Carroll of Miami, and Archbishop Dearden of Detroit (USA). The Congress was focused on the renovation of the Catholic Church worldwide, but particularly that of Colombia, which was a country seeing great economic and social prosperity due to its economic boom in the mid 20th century. Colombia was a country that demonstrated the great social and economic changes to global societies, as Colombia strived industrialized and modern society, and it was with this in mind, that it was chosen to be the seat of the 1968 International Eucharistic Congress.
40th1973 Feb 18–25AUS Melbourne"Love one another as I have loved you!"
41st1976 Aug 1–8USA PhiladelphiaHungers of the Human FamilyAttended by 1,500,000 people, including 44 Cardinals and 417 bishops. Theme: "The Eucharist and the Hungers of the Human Family" (physical and spiritual hungers). Mother Teresa and Dorothy Day were panelists at a conference on Women and the Eucharist. Future Pope John Paul II gave the homily for Freedom and Justice. US President Ford spoke of freedom and the Church's work for peace.
42nd1981 Jul 16–23FRA Lourdes"Jesus Christ, bread broken for a new world"Organization: Henri Donze, Bishop of Lourdes; papal legate Cardinal Bernardin Gantin. Great number of young people, from Third World. Procession with candles successful. This was the third time the congress was held at Lourdes.
43rd1985 Aug 11–18KEN NairobiThe Eucharist and the Christian FamilyAttended by Pope John Paul II.
44th1989 Oct 4–8KOR SeoulChrist is our PeaceAs he did four years prior, Pope John Paul II attended the congress, holding the Solemn Mass entirely in Korean on the final day. The two principal objectives were: promoting a deeper understanding of the Eucharist; and living the eucharistic faith in the reality of our world. Attendance was reported to be around 1 million.
45th1993 Jun 7–13ESP SevilleChrist Light of NationsThe first post-Cold War congress, Pope John Paul II addressed the congress and declared, "I hope the fruit of this congress results in the establishment of perpetual Eucharistic adoration in all parishes and Christian communities throughout the world."
46th1997 –POL WrocławFreedom as Reflected in the EucharistAttended by Pope John Paul II. The congress addressed the distinction between "freedom" and "liberty".
47th2000 Jun 18–25ITA RomeThe third to be celebrated in Rome, the congress was the first of its kind to be celebrated in a Jubilee Year.
48th2004 Oct 10–17MEX GuadalajaraPope John Paul II, being too ill to attend, named Cardinal Josef Tomko as Papal Legate. The Congress ended with a celebration of the Mass in the Jalisco Stadium in Guadalajara, with a live link up to a simultaneous Mass celebrated in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, celebrated in the presence of Pope John Paul II. These simultaneous Masses marked the beginning of the Year of the Eucharist which ran from the International Eucharistic Congress to the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October 2005.
49th2008 Jun 15–22CAN Quebec CityThe Eucharist, Gift of God for the Life of the Worldurl=http://www.cei2008.ca/en/origineducei2008access-date=June 22, 2008url-status=deadarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705174838/http://www.cei2008.ca/en/origineducei2008title= Celebration of the 400th Anniversary of Québec Cityarchive-date=July 5, 2008}} The closing celebration took place on the Plains of Abraham, attended by tens of thousands of pilgrims. Pope Benedict XVI's message was broadcast live, in both French and English, from the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, via giant screens set up on the meadow. The Pope announced the next Congress was to take place in Dublin, Ireland, in 2012.
50th2012 Jun 10–17IRE DublinThe Eucharist: Communion with Christ and with one another (drawn from Lumen gentium)The congress coincided with the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of the Second Vatican Council. In addition to the daily celebration of the Eucharist, there were over thirty workshops and presentations daily on various themes associated with the Eucharist. For many years, the Church has failed to respond appropriately to child abuse by clergy. The blessing of a Healing Stone by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, as well as a personal meeting between the Papal Legate, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, and survivors of clergy sexual abuse, were among the ways in which the issue was addressed. The Pope delivered a pre-recorded address to the closing ceremony on June 17.
51st2016 Jan 24–31PHI Cebu CityChrist in You, Our Hope of Glory (From the Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians)The second time in the Philippines, including Manila in 1937. Pope Francis appointed the first Cardinal of Myanmar Cardinal Charles Maung Bo as the Papal Legate.
52nd2021 Sep 5–12HUN Budapest"In You (=in Eucharistic Jesus) is the source of all our blessings." (Cfr.: Ps 87, 7)Originally scheduled to take place in September 2020, it was postponed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the second time Hungary hosted after 1938. Pope Francis performed a mass at Heroes Square, Budapest.
53rd2024 Sep 8–15ECU QuitoFraternity to Heal the WorldThis was in the first Andean country to host the event. It coincided with the 150th anniversary of the consecration of Ecuador to the Sacred Heart of Jesus made in 1874 by President Gabriel García Moreno and supported by Pope Pius IX.
54th2028AUS SydneyIt’s the first time the event is being held in Australia since Melbourne hosted in 1973, and the second time in Sydney since 1928, that just coincides with the centenary of the first international eucharistic congress held in these city, and the most largest ecumenical event since the World Youth Day 2008.

List of National Congresses

Num.DateLocationThemeNotes
1st1895 Oct 2–3Washington, DCHeld at St. Patrick's Church, the oldest Catholic church in Washington, DC, and at Catholic University, then only 8 years old. Twenty-five archbishops and bishops attended, most prominently James Cardinal Gibbon, the Archbishop of Baltimore along with some 250 priests, most from Fr. Peter Julian Eymard's Priests' Eucharistic League, and most from the Eastern United States.
2nd1901 Oct 8–10St. Louis, MOHeld at St. Francis Xavier, the college church for St. Louis University, some 15 bishops and 600 priests from the Priests' Eucharistic League attended.
3rd1904 Sep 27–29New York, NYHeld at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Archbishop John M. Farley of New York hosted the event.
4th1907 Oct 15–17Pittsburgh, PAHeld in the Cathedral of St. Paul.
5th1911 Sept 28-Oct 1Cincinnati, OHHeld at St. Peter's Cathedral. Archbishop Henry K. Moeller of Cincinnati hosted the event.
6th1930 Sep 23–25Omaha, NEThe Congress was held at a number of different locations in Omaha, including the cathedral, St. Cecilia's and Creighton University. A number of newsreel companies were on hand to film the event. Bishop Joseph Rummel of Omaha hosted the event.
7th1935 Sep 23–26Cleveland, OHThe Holy Eucharist, The Source and Inspiration of Catholic Action500,000 Catholics from around the nation attended. The final Mass, in Cleveland Municipal Stadium drew 125,000. Speakers included Fulton J. Sheen, and Alfred E. Smith, the first Catholic major party presidential candidate. Pope Pius XI addressed the Congress by radio.
8th1938 Oct 17–20New Orleans, LAHeld in City Park Stadium. Chicago's George Cardinal Mundelein, served as a special Papal legate for the Congress. The Goodyear Blimp broadcast sermons, music and the rosary over special loudspeakers along the route for the final procession. Over radio, Pope Pius XI opened the Congress with a five minute address and closed it with a special blessing from Castel Gandolfo.
9th1941 Jun 22–26St. Paul, MNOur Eucharistic Lord Glorified by SacrificeHeld at the fairgrounds for the Minnesota State Fair. About 150 bishops from across the United States attended.
10th2024 Jul 17–21Indianapolis, INRevival Happens HereHeld in the Indianapolis Colt's Lucas Oil Stadium. About 50,000 people attended, among whom were 1,500 Catholic priests.

References

Bibliography

References

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