World Meeting of Families 2018

Closing Mass for 50th Eucharistic Congress, Dublin 2012
 Sunday, 17th June 2012, Croke Park
View from Seating Area Allocated to Our Parishes

This morning we had a special collection to raise funds for the holding in Dublin next year of the 9th World Meeting of Families  In a letter dated 25th March to Cardinal Kevin Farrell and Archbishop Martin, the Pope addresses the Church in Ireland thus: 'My thoughts go in a special way to the archdiocese of Dublin and to all the dear Irish nation for the generous welcome and commitment involved in hosting such an important event. May the Lord recompense you as of now, granting you abundant heavenly favours. May the Holy Family of Nazareth guide, accompany and bless your service, and all the families involved in the preparation of the great World Meeting in Dublin.' (For full text of the letter see J4 for 2.4. Incidentally, Cardinal Farrell is a man from Drimnagh: see his story here.)

The last big event of this kind was the Eucharistic Congress in June 2012. We all have our different and abiding memories of that summer.  Again, a huge amount of organization went into hosting the Congress, as will, no doubt, have to go into hosting the World Meeting of Families. Many of us can remember the Ireland of 1979 when Pope John Paul II came (to the Republic).  Before that, there was the 31st Eucharistic Congress of 1932. The series The Revolution Papers (No.1, 28 December 2015, devoted to the Easter Rising) has reached No.65 this week with an issue devoted to the Eucharistic Congress of 1932. The issue of the Irish Independent for Monday 27th June (reproduced in facsimile) makes for fascinating reading as it recounts in detail all the epic events of the preceding few days culminating in the Mass held in the Phoenix Park, followed by Benediction on O'Connell Bridge. (See the video here for film footage of the time.) The photo below is of Benediction on O'Connell Bridge. Reading the Independent or looking at the film footage of the time will prompt us to compare the Ireland of then to the Ireland of today as venues for major Catholic events. And so our focus turns to the next big such event in 2018, for which a promotional video can be viewed here.

Eucharistic Congress, Dublin 1932 : Benediction, O'Connell Bridge