50th International Eucharistic Congress.

Today, On the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Church of Ireland opens its doors to the world as it hosts the 50^th International Eucharistic Congress. As with the first 49 congresses, Popes have called congresses for three main reasons:

• 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
• draw attention to the social dimension of the Eucharist.

I participated in my first Eucharistic Congress in 1979 when the Archdiocese of Philadelphia hosted the congress and I served as an usher at the closing Mass. This year, I have the privilege of going as a speaker but more on that later.

The Archdiocese of Washington will be represented by myself and three other staff people who are at the Congress for different reasons and who have all agreed to blog so that you can follow the highlights through the eyes of our blogging team.

Sr. Revelacion Castaneda, who is traveling with a group of young people from all over the U.S.

Mary O’Meara, Executive Director of the Department for Ministry for the Deaf and those with Disabilities who is coordinating the program for an international delegation of deaf Catholics

Sr. Mary Dolora Keating, Director of the Office for Consecrated Life who is representing her religious community.

While the celebration of the Eucharist is the central event of each day, the place of the Eucharist in our lives is explored in catechetical workshops, personal testimonies and cultural events. We will try to give you a taste of each part of the congress.

We look forward to sharing our week with you.