Eucharistic Congress - Renaissance for religion

DURING the closing session of the Eucharistic Congress in Quebec City yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI announced that the next Eucharistic Congress — the 50th — will be held in Dublin in 2012.

The Pope’s announcement was part of his homily broadcast during the closing Mass concelebrated by Cardinal Marc Oulett, the Archbishop of Quebec, and Cardinal Seán Brady, the Archbishop of Armagh.

The announcement was made on the anniversary of the start of the 31st Eucharistic Congress in Dublin on June 22, 1932. That was the 1,500th anniversary of St Patrick’s arrival in Ireland.

The Irish free state was still in its first decade, so the international recognition afforded by the Eucharistic Congress was of tremendous importance. The events of the congress would long be remembered, especially as public broadcasting was still in its infancy.

John McCormick singing Panis Angelicus at the Phoenix Park became one of those moments that those who witnessed it, or heard it on radio, never forgot.

The next Eucharistic Congress could be even more important in promoting a renaissance in our sense of religion, especially if the Pope graces the occasion with his presence.