March 29, 2011

www.eucharisticcongress.org

Braintree, MA – On April 1st & 2nd, Cardinal Seán O’Malley will lead the 4th annual Boston Eucharistic Congress for College Students and Young Adults. All events will be held in the historic North End of Boston. The Congress is being hosted by the Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults (ONE), College Campus Ministry and the Vocations Office for the Archdiocese of Boston. The theme of this year’s Congress is “Be Not Afraid”-Pope John Paul II, His Life, His Witness, His Challenge.

Cardinal Seán said, “I look forward to this event each year as hundreds of our young people join together in celebration of their love for Christ. The Eucharistic Congress inspires us to accept the call to evangelize and to bear witness to our faith. We are blessed by the leadership and efforts of ONE, College Campus Ministry and the Vocations Office for coordinating this exciting and joyous event in our Archdiocese.”

Rev. Daniel Hennessey, Director of Vocations for the Archdiocese of Boston, said, “This is an opportunity for the next generation of Catholics to be truly engaged in their faith in heart, mind and soul. God has blessed us in unimaginable ways and we want to use this opportunity to express our gratitude and to welcome those who want to learn more about themselves and their faith to come and be part of an extraordinary event. Each year the event grows and each year we discover something new about our relationship with God and His Church.”

Rev. Matt Williams, Director, Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults, said, “We are thrilled to invite all to come and join in this annual celebration. This is an opportunity to come and meet new people, listen to dynamic speakers, pray in new ways, get involved in Christian service, celebrate Mass with Cardinal Seán, enjoy delicious food catered by the Italian restaurants of the North End, and participate in an evening Eucharistic procession through the streets of Boston’s Historic North End.”

Rev. Richard Clancy, Director of College Campus Ministry for the Archdiocese, said, "The Eucharistic Congress is one of the greatest events of the year for us in campus ministry. It gives our young people a chance to come together to worship the Lord in the Eucharist, give service to the local community out of love for Jesus, and to publicly witness to their faith through processing with our Eucharistic Lord through the streets of the North End. It is also a time when the students can meet and network with students on other campuses and young adults groups throughout the archdiocese. Several people in the past have attended by themselves and soon formed friendships and relationships that extended far beyond the days of the Congress. I would urge all the young people of the diocese to make every effort to participate in this grace filled event."

Most of the events will take place at Sacred Heart Church (12 N. Square, Boston), St. John School (9 Moon Street, Boston) and St. Leonard of Port Maurice Church (Saint Leonard, Prince and Hanover Streets, Boston).
Featured speakers will include:

Cardinal Seán O’Malley (Archbishop of Boston)
Rev. Roger Landry (executive editor of The Anchor, the weekly newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River, and pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in New Bedford, MA)
Andreas Widmer (former Swiss Guard, businessman, entrepreneur, and committed to finding solutions to poverty and to promote virtuous business solutions)
Sr. Mary Karen Toomey (a member of the Sisters of Life)

For more information on the Eucharistic Congress and to view schedules or to register, please visit www.eucharisticcongress.org.

Also, George Martell of The Catholic Foundation will be photoblogging live as events occur on www.flickr.com/BostonCatholic. Please also on http://www.facebook.com/BostonCatholic.