Cebu City – New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who flew in for the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) here despite massive blizzards back home, hailed Filipinos in the United States for their devotion to Church and their loyalty to the Catholic faith.
During his catechesis “The Eucharist and Mary,” Dolan did not fail to say how devoted Filipinos in his archdiocese are.
FIRST COMMUNION — Thousands of clergymen, faithful and devotees herald the First Holy Communion that was administered to 4,500 students and 500 streetchildren at the Cebu City Sports Complex yesterday that highlighted activities in the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) in Cebu City. Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, who celebrated the Holy Mass that marked the important Catholic tradition, had himself received his First Communion during the IEC that was staged in Manila 79 years ago. (Juan Carlo de Vela)
SEA OF BELIEVERS
IEC delegates attending the solemn procession last Friday, meanwhile, were surprised and impressed by the sea of believers who attended the mass and the procession that followed.
Organizers of the mass and procession had expected about 300,000 people to attend the religious rites in front of the Cebu Capitol Building, but were surprised to find out that more than 1.5 million people came and joined the procession from the Capitol to the Plaza Independencia.
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, president of the 51st IEC, said the delegates were impressed by the multitude who attended the mass and the solemn procession that followed. People filled both sides of Osmeña Boulevard, which is usually crowded only during the Sinulog Grand Parade.
“I am optimistic that the procession will be remembered as one of the highlights of the IEC in Cebu,” Palma told reporters.
Dolan and a delegation from the US were supposed to arrive in Cebu in time for the opening of the Congress but the snowstorm cancelled several flights, stranding thousands of passengers in the US, including Dolan.
There were talks about Dolan not pushing through with his IEC trip and just send a copy of his catechesis to be read by other bishops already in Cebu. But the cardinal arrived safely in Cebu.
In fact, Dolan, who was named as one of the most influential American by Time Magazine arrived a day before his scheduled catechesis and even attended last Friday’s mass at the Cebu Provincial Capitol.
FILIPINO HOSPITALITY
“I am happy to be here… New York and the US are sending their love to you all,” Dolan said yesterday morning, adding that he was amazed by the warm hospitality of the Filipinos.
On the lighter side, Dolan showed his familiarity with a Filipino beer brand as he mentioned it during his catechesis.
After singing a few lines of a Eucharist song, the Cardinal paused and told the crowd he sings better after San Miguel.
“Much better after two bottles,” he said.
His catechesis centered on Mary as the mother of Jesus and her role in the Eucharist.
“If you want to get close to Jesus, be close to Mary,” the cardinal said.
MULTITUDE CAME FOR PROCESSION
Meanwhile, police first estimated the crowd that joined the Friday mass at 4 p.m. to be around 32,000. Less than three hours later, the crowd started building up and reached an estimated 300,000 during the procession. Later, the police revised its estimate to 1.5 million believers.
The entire stretch of the road, from Fuente Osmeña to the Provincial Capitol, was filled by people, both delegates and locals, while both Escario Street and Capitol Site were also filled to the brim.
While delegates were impressed by the faith of the Filipinos, as manifested in the opening mass last Sunday and the mass last Friday, Most Rev. Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin, lamented that for some Catholic majorities, the celebration of the Eucharist is slowly becoming taking for granted.
“I hope that this International Eucharistic Congress will offer all of us an opportunity to renew our hunger and thirst for the Eucharist,” he said during his homily, urging those who joined the mass to continue to take part in the Holy Eucharist.
After the mass, Papal Legate and Yangon, Myanmar Archbishop Charles Maung Cardinal Bo led a procession of the Holy Eucharist from the Capitol to Plaza Independencia. Accompanying Bo were Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma and Archbishop Piero Marini, head of the Pontifical Commission on the International Eucharistic Congresses.
MORE BELIEVERS EXPECTED
With the turnout on Friday’s mass exceeding 1.5 million, organizers of the 51st IEC expect the number to further swell during the Statio Orbis, the concluding mass, which will be held at the South Road Properties today.
Yesterday afternoon, Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal officiated another IEC mass at the Cebu City Sports Center, where he also administered the first communion of 5,000 children. Vidal had earlier said administering the first communion of the 5,000 children during the IEC is special for him because it was during the 1937 IEC in Manila that he received his first communion.
This time, Vidal, the most senior cardinal in the country, hopes that some of the 5,000 communicants – 4,500 from the different schools in Cebu and 500 street children from all over the country – would consider priesthood.
“I never thought I will become a priest, bishop, and cardinal. So why couldn’t they be?” he said in an earlier interview.
The 51st IEC, which opened on January 24, will conclude today with a mass that will be celebrated by Cardinal Bo.