THE EUCHARIST

Hokitika Guardian, 22 June 1932, Page 3

THE EUCHARIST

OPENING TO-DAY

A MILLION PARTICIPANTS.

Preparations extending over two years have been made quietly and unostentatiously in Dublin for the thirtyfirst Eucharistic Congress which opens there to-day, continuing until Sunday. A million people, representative of every nation and race, were expected to take part in this great Catholic festival, which was allotted to Ireland in commemoration of the 1500th. anniversary of the arrival of St. Patrick and his missionaries.

To the “Ould Country” especially, this year’s Congress will be an unusually momentous event, not only from a religious, but from a social, patriotic, and sentimental point of view. In addition to the religious ceremonies, a vast reunion of Irish people from a'll parts of the world is expected to be the outcome of the Congress being held in Dublin. Priests and laymen and women, many of whom left Ireland in their youth, will be revisiting her beautiful shores for, in many Cases, the first time.

ACCOMMODATION FOR PILGRIMS

For their accommodation, and for that of the hundreds of thousands of other pilgrims, an enormous amount of organisation has been necessary. For ! months the Congress Committee has been mobilising every inch of space and house-room within reach of the Congress celebrations, even to the distance of It} hours’ rail journey from Dublin. The hotels and principal board-ing-houses in the capital have been booked up completely. Hotels and boarding-houses are charging from 6s to 22s for bed and breakfast, and from 9s to 30s a day for complete board and .Accommodation. Among the famous establishments available in Maynooth College. Even so, the entire demand for accommodation has not been met. Many liners bringing visitors will berth in Dublin Bay, and their passengers will live aboard them. Hostels have been arranged in -schools, halls, and places of entertainment' at os a night. The Minister of Defence has organised six "camps for men and hoys, at each of which 6000 will he given tent space, four to a bell tent. Private camps have been established in connexion with various visiting groups.

POMP AND RITUAL

The Congress is preceded by special retreats for men and women throughout the Dublin Diocese, accompanied by genei’al Communions. The actual celebrations will open with the arrival of the Papal Legate (Cardinal Lauri) at Dun Loghaire, where he will be met by the Archbishop of Dublin and members of the Free State Government, and escorted in state to the Pro-Cathedral, where his religious reception, accompanied by all the impressive pomp and ritual of Catholic ceremonial, will take place. A great garden party is fixed for the next afternoon at Blackrock College, preceding the actual commencinent of the religious ceremonies to-day with a general adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in all the churches of Dublin. This will provide the most spectacular scene of the whole event, for in connexion with the exposition of the Host of the whole of Dublin will be illuminated that night with a candle in every window. Business firms and offices, of course, are expected to make far more elaborate preparations, and the illuminations will continue from dusk to dawn. At midnight High Mass will lie filing in ail the churches of Dublin and its suburbs, and even throughout the archdiocese. .Such vast congregations are expected that provision is being made for the services to be broadcast outside the churches, and for Communion to be given to hundreds of thousands, those who have been inside the church for the Mass leaving after receiving the Sacrament, in order to make room for those outside.

MASSED TORCHLIGHT MEETINGS

On Thursday evening there will lie a great mass meeting for men in Phoenix Park, Dublin, when Benediction will be given in the dusk. With everyone carrying a lighted candle the scone amid the beauties of that famous open area should be very impressive a* the myriad points of flame surround the great nil tar, which itself will shine with its own cluster of lights, the rich vestments of the celebrants, and the scarlet and purple of the cardinals and bishops who are expected to be present to the number of about a hundred. The gigantic congregation will then pa*s the Papal Legate in procession, saluting him. A similar meeting for women will he held on Thursday evening. From the same altar on Saturday the most notable event of “Children’s Day” will he celebrated in Pontifical High Mate. A pageant reminiscent of the wonders of the Sydney Congress will then be seen, with thousands of girls in white dresses and veils, and hoys wearing white shoulder-sallies with rosettes, taking part. The Papal Legate, who will he the celebrant, will move among the children after the service.

PROCESSION OF THE MILLION.

For the concluding day, Sunday, Pontifical High Mass will again he sung by the Papal Legate, and upon that occasion the whole of the million pilgrim* will bp united Tor the first time. For this service there is to lie a soeeial choir of 500 men and hoys which will sing a Max* by Palestrina Then the million pilgrims will walk in

procession to O’Connell Bridge, where Benediction will be given. As it would be impossible for this enormous assembly, even marching eight abreast, to reach O’Connell Bridge .within a reasonable time, the procession will tiake four .different routes through the city, all of them richly (decorated. Even then its time of ■passage is estimated to take four hours and 1500 stewards, in addition to the police and Civic Guard will atI tend to the marshalling. One of the {•central processions will escort the ' Blessed Sacrament, which will be carried under a canopy by the Papal Legate. Cavalry will ride behind, and a platoon of infantry will march on either .side of canopy bearers, archbishops, bishops, and other prelates, and will follow the Host. After them will walk the Ministers of the Free State Cabinet, members of the Dail and the Senate, representatives from Ulster bearers of Papal titles, delegations from various Irish municipalities and local bodies, and a considerable number of distinguished and representative women, who will be accompanied by a special women’s choir. These four processions, assisted by the local broadcasting system, will all be singing the same hymns and saying the same prayers simultaneously—a wonderful feat of organisation.

ST. PATRICK’S BEifclL TO BFJ RUNG.

The former Minister for Education (Professor O’Sullivan) notified the Eucharistic Congress that lie agreed to the proposal that St. Patrick’« Bell, at present in the National Museum,

should be used at the Papal Legate’s

—ass on Sunday. In a letter from the Department of Education it was stated that the Minister was in communication , with the Royal Irish Academy and with the Keeper of Irish Antiquities. It had been pointed out that the bell, though still capable of being rung, was to some extent weakened by age and rust and would require careful handling. During its transport to and from Phoenix Park it was essential that it should be in the care of some responsible person whose attention would not be diverted from it by higher duties.

PAPAL LEGATE ARRIVES.

RECEIVES GREAT WELCOME.

'United Press Association- By Elertrr Telegraph.—Copyrip l ' 4 -.)

DUBLIN, June 21

Vast crowds of people turned out to welcome to. the Eucharistic Congress, the Papal Legate, Cardinal Lauri, on his arriving at Kingstown, where he was received by the Archbishop of Dublin, and by President de Valera.

This was the first time that a Papal Legate bad landed in Ireland for a period of 290 years. Dun Laoghaire Harbour, where the Papal Legate landed, was ablaze with flags, every ship in pdrt befog fully dressed.

The Free State- Cavalry, in their Hussar uniforms of gold and blue, with yellow plumes topping their busbies, wheeled to a fanfare of trumpets to escort the Legate’s car. Not a single British flag was visible. Thousands of people knelt at the roadside, in emotional fervour, as the Papal Legate passed slowly over the seven mile route from Dun Laoghaire to Dublin, blessing the multitude. Tt- is expected that three millioi sterling will be spent in Dublin city in connection with the Eucharistic Congress. There are one hundred thousand visitors from overseas alone in Dublin, and there are also one million people from the Trisli provinces who are spending at least a week in Dublin.