Scottish Catholic Observer

International singing stars, The Priests, are among a number of well-known musical acts preparing to perform at the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin.

The hugely popular Three Tenors will perform at the congress’ opening ceremony on June 10 and will feature alongside the Palestrina Choir, Our Lady of Victories Choir, the Maynooth Gospel Choir and many more acts.

The Priests (above) will be among the acts performing at the congress’ closing Mass, Statio Orbis, which will take place at Dublin’s Croke Park on June 17.

Fr Eugene O’Hagan, part of the singing trio, said that performing at the event’s closing Mass—which is expected to be attended by 80,000 people—will be a ‘thrilling but daunting experience.’

“The International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) comes at a critical time in peoples’ lives in Ireland,” Fr O’Hagan said. “The IEC will strengthen our Faith, our vision and our commitment to make real what we believe is at the heart of the Eucharist. We will be with so many pilgrims and it will be a unique experience for us and we will be that little bit more nervous and anxious to give of our very best.”

Award winning soprano Celine Byrne said it is an ‘honour’ to be performing at the Eucharistic Congress’ closing Mass.

“My faith means a lot to me and to be invited to participate in the International Eucharist Congress is both an honour and a blessing for which I am grateful,” she said.

Representatives of the Scottish Bishops’ Conference, including Cardinal Keith O’Brien and Archbishop Mario Conti, will be present at the week-long Dublin congress, which begins on Sunday.

Up to 25,000 pilgrims are expected to be present in Dublin each day for events that Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and Papal Legate to the Eucharistic Congress, described as being part of ‘an extraordinary moment for the Irish Church.’

“My hope is that the Church in Ireland be really strengthened in its identity as communion of God among people and through this testimony of others who are coming to visit and to share the same faith together with the people in Ireland,” Cardinal Ouellet said. “I think this is the first hope of a Eucharistic Congress to strengthen the bond of love in the Church, faith and love.

“Since the last decade has been so difficult in terms of the tragedies, of sexual abuse, of this crisis at the level of society of the economy, there is a real need of reconciliation of forgiveness and new dialogue among all people of Ireland, among the bishops and the laity, among the priests and the religious. There is a need of a new dialogue. We must turn the page on these difficult times—not to forget them, rather to keep them in mind so as not to repeat them—and to ask God, in His loving mercy to renew us.”

Cardinal Ouellet will be presiding at the congress’ opening Mass in Dublin’s RDS Arena this Sunday.