Canadians prepare for International Eucharistic Congress

Wednesday, April 28 2004

(CCCB – Ottawa)… Every four years, Catholics throughout the world are invited to get together to celebrate and deepen their faith in the Eucharist. The Catholic Church in Canada hopes to send a fairly large delegation to the next such celebration, the 48th International Eucharistic Congress, to be held 10 – 17 October 2004 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Based on the theme “The Eucharist, Light and Life of the New Millennium”, the 15,000 or so participants that are expected will be involved in seven days of prayer, catechesis, adoration, public manifestations of their faith and group discussions according to language. The second largest diocese in Mexico, the Archdiocese of Guadalajara has more than five million Catholics. Founded in 1548, it is one of the oldest dioceses in all of North and Latin America and many saints are part of its history.

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has mandated two official national delegates to assist in coordinating this event: Most Reverend Albert LeGatt, Bishop of Saskatoon, and Father Jean Picher, Episcopal Vicar of Quebec City. Those interested in being part of the Canadian delegation may obtain further details on the CCCB web site at http://69.27.108.23/site/content/view/1454/34/, where there are also documents on the Eucharistic theme for further reflection. As well, the two official delegates helping to coordinate the Canadian delegation can be contacted directly by email at: