Bookings for this June’s International Eucharistic Congress have reached 7,000 so far with just 100 days to go to the event according to the Irish Bishops.In a press conference on Wednesday, the last day of the Spring General Meeting of the Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, who is President of the International Eucharistic Congress, told reporters he was “not worried about registrations.”
“There are a number of countries who are renowned for being late comers in registration” and one of them is Ireland.
The “biggest disappointment will be that Croke Park will not be big enough” for the final day of IEC2012 on 17 June, he said.
On St Patrick’s Day, Archbishop Martin will be in Rome with members of the International Eucharistic Congress committee, accompanying the Eucharistic Congress Bell.
Pope Benedict is due to receive the Bell at a General Audience next week.
The Archbishop also confirmed that over 1,000 participants of IEC2012 are booked from Canada and in total 95 countries will be represented.
Asked about the level of interest in Ireland, Archbishop Martin responded, “The level of interest in the Church is increasing. There has been a turnaround in the attitude towards the Eucharistic Congress. There is real interest in the dioceses.”
He told reporters, "It is going to be a part of that turning the corner for the Irish Church," though he added that IEC2012 would not be the end of the journey.
An associated theological symposium, which takes placed just ahead of the opening of the International Eucharistic Congress, is on target to secure an attendance of at least 200 participants he said.
Fr Kevin Doran told the Bishops at their meeting that many dioceses are organising transport to bring pilgrims to the Congress over the course of the week June 10 to 17.
He also expressed the hope that parishes might consider sponsoring young adults to participate in the Congress youth programme.
Of the overall programme of preparation, Archbishop Martin told reporters at the Columba Centre, “We started off from the point of view - this isn’t going to work,” and he explained that IEC2012, “is there” now.
He underlined, though, that it is not “a once off event” and that the Church in Ireland would be “moving into a year of faith afterwards.”