What is IEC?

 

A Eucharistic Congress is an international gathering of people aimed at promoting an awareness of the central place of the Eucharist in the life and mission of the Catholic Church. The Roman Ritual De Sacra Communione et de Cultu Mysterii Eucharistici extra Missam defines the Congress as “a pause for commitment and prayer to which a particular Church invites the universal Church”. During this time “the celebration of the Eucharist becomes the center and vortex of all forms of piety, of theological and pastoral reflections, of social commitment”.


Filipinos pray as they prepare to host the International Eucharistic Congress

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.- As the Philippines prepare to host the 51st International Eucharistic Congress in January, the country's Catholics are preparing by praying over the gathering's theme, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

The Eucharistic Congress will be hosted by the Archdiocese of Cebu Jan. 24-30, 2016.

“We feel privileged, and thank the Lord for the opportunity to host the 51st International Eucharistic Congress, because our country had hosted the same congress back in 1937,” said Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu.

“The theme, ‘Christ in you our hope of glory’, is centered on Jesus who is with us, because he is the fulfillment of the Father’s plan,” the archbishop told CNA.

The Eucharistic Congress will be an opportunity for catechesis and fostering a Eucharistic ecclesiology.

Archbishop Palma noted Filipinos' enthusiasm for the faith, coupled with their challenges, including economic poverty.

“We may be poor in many aspects of life, but I believe, as Pope Francis has said, 'We are happy in faith.'”

The archbishop added that Catholics in the Philippines have something to offer those who will visit Cebu for the Eucharistic Congress.

 

“We believe that when the