Delegations from all continents arrived in Quito to participate in the great \u201cEucharistic Feast\u201d that began today, on the esplanade of Bicentennial Park. From the early hours of this Sunday, hundreds of faithful people were arriving to be protagonists and witnesses of this unforgettable and unrepeatable ecclesial event.<\/p>\n
The solemn Eucharistic celebration, which officially inaugurated the 53rd International Eucharistic Congress, was presided over by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Quito and Primate of Ecuador, Monsignor Alfredo Jos\u00e9 Espinoza Mateus, sdb. The inaugural Mass was concelebrated by the Apostolic Nuncio in Ecuador, Monsignor Andr\u00e9s Carrascosa Coso; the Bishop Delegate of Spain, Monsignor Leonardo Lemos; Monsignor David de la Torre, ss.cc., \u200b\u200bAuxiliary Bishop of Quito, and the Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney, Monsignor Richard Umbers.<\/p>\n
In the celebration, dozens of bishops from abroad and from Ecuador participated with priests, deacons, seminarians and hundreds of religious men and women; along with more than 1,600 boys who received their First Communion and thousands of Catholic faithful who filled the esplanade of the Bicentennial Park, which this morning became a Eucharistic Field.<\/p>\n
For the Archbishop of Quito, \u201cthe Face of God<\/strong>\u201d as we affectionately call the city, is the meeting place for all continents to gather together to reflect on and live the great Mystery of the Eucharist.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that the Eucharist \u201cchallenges us to be true builders of Fraternity to \u201cheal the wounds of the World<\/strong>\u201d and commits us to be authentically brothers<\/strong> in the midst of a world full of violence, death, wars; a world that divides, not a world that unites; a world that turns man into an enemy and not a brother.\u201d<\/p>\n Quoting a verse from the official hymn of the 53rd International Eucharistic Congress, he said that \u201cFrom Ecuador, to the entire world, we announce: Jesus, you are the life.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Quoting a verse from the official hymn of the 53rd International Eucharistic Congress, he said that \u201cFrom Ecuador, to the entire world, we announce: Jesus, you are the life.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cEste recuerdo quedar\u00e1 grabado para toda la vida en sus corazones y podr\u00e1n decir con certeza de que son los \u201cmisioneros eucar\u00edsticos\u201d<\/strong> de nuestra Iglesia de Quito y crecer sabiendo que est\u00e1n llamados a construir la Fraternidad, comenzando en sus propias familias\u201d, agreg\u00f3.<\/p>\n To highlight the importance of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the Archbishop of Quito recalled the words of Pope Francis, who said: \u201cFirst Communion is above all a celebration in which we celebrate that Jesus wanted to always stay by our side and that He will never separate from us<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n In opening this International Eucharistic Congress he said, \u201clet us ask the Lord to work in our lives the same miracle that He did with the deaf man who could barely speak. Yes, Lord, we want to hear Your word telling us \u201cEffet\u00e1\u201d, that is, \u201cOpen up\u201d.<\/strong> May our hearts always be open, but above all, may our ears be open to hear the cries of pain of the whole world, the cries of those who suffer and the cries of the poor. He concluded saying that, \u201cmay we, from the Eucharist, be authentic \u201cmissionaries of Fraternity\u201d, to heal and to work the miracle of all being one\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Delegations from all continents arrived in Quito to participate in the great \u201cEucharistic Feast\u201d that began today, on the esplanade of Bicentennial Park. From the early hours of this Sunday, hundreds of faithful people were arriving to be protagonists and witnesses of this unforgettable and unrepeatable ecclesial event. The solemn Eucharistic celebration, which officially inaugurated […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22381,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n