A number of world class Irish acts and well known hosts are set to perform at the 50th International Eucharistic Congress (IEC2012) which will be hosted in Dublin from 10 – 17 June.
Hugely popular trio The Three Tenors will perform at the opening ceremony and will feature alongside the Palestrina Choir, Our Lady of Victories Choir, and The Maynooth Gospel Choir among many more.
International stars The Priests, Fuaimlaoi, award winning soprano Celine Byrne, and world renowned composer Fr. Liam Lawton are among the acts that will feature alongside the RTE Concert Orchestra performing at the closing ceremony taking place at Croke Park.
Speaking ahead of their performance at ‘Statio Orbis’ the closing ceremony, Father Eugene O’Hagan of The Priests said: “Singing at the closing Mass will be a thrilling but daunting experience. The IEC comes at a critical time in peoples’ lives in Ireland. 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’ll be that little bit more nervous and anxious to give of our very best.”
Celine Byrne who has performed with the world’s best orchestras and conductors in venues as prestigious as Covent Garden and Carnegie Hall said: “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.”
The Opening Ceremony on June 10 will be hosted on the arena stage by RTE newscaster Bryan Dobson along with TG4 presenter Roisin Ni Thomain. Events commence at 1pm and continue until 4.45pm. This will be broadcast live on RTE.
The closing ceremony, Statio Orbis, in Croke Park on 17 June will be hosted by Liveline presenter Joe Duffy and newscaster Eileen Dunne. Events commence at 1pm and run until 5.15. This event will also be broadcast live on RTE.
During the week a selection of presenters will take to the arena stage, including broadcaster Joe O’Shea, TV3 newscaster Siobhan Bastible, Spirit Radio presenter Rónán Johnston, broadcaster Brenda Power and TV3 presenter Paul Connolly.
Throughout the week music will be heard from Ireland’s top intercultural choral group Discovery Gospel Choir, who have performed before for the Rev Dr Jesse Jackson, and the Dalai Lama.
Further information:
- Aisling Harmey, Media Relations Manager, 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012, Tel: 00353 (01) 234 9903 Mob: 00353 (0) 87 137 2447
Email: press@iec2012.ie
- Mark Linehan, Media Officer, 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012,
Tel: 00353 (01) 234 9927
Email: pressofficer1@iec2012.ie
Notes for Editors:
- The 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012 will take place in Dublin from 10 – 17 June 2012 with up to 25,000 pilgrims expected to attend each day at the RDS, including 12,000 international pilgrims representing more than different countries.
- IEC2012 will transform the RDS into a Eucharistic Village for an eight day festival of faith and culture. The Eucharist will be celebrated in the Liturgy and adored in the Prayer Space.
- The Congress is an international gathering of people, held every four years somewhere in the world, which aims to promote an awareness of the central place of the Eucharist in the life and mission of the Catholic Church; to help improve our understanding and celebration of the liturgy and to draw attention to the social dimension of the Eucharist. These aims are achieved through a programme of pastoral preparation in the years leading up to the Congress and a programme of liturgical and cultural events, lectures and workshops over the course of one week. Previous Congresses took place in Quebec (2008) and Guadalajara (2004)
- The theme of the Congress is ‘The Eucharist: Communion with Christ and with one Another’ (Communion – like Solidarity – means a relationship of mutual love and self-giving).
- On 17 June, more than 80,000 people are expected to gather and celebrate Statio Orbis, the Final Mass, of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012 at Croke Park Stadium.
- There are a total of 223 keynote speakers as part of the IEC2012 programme of events, which includes 38 speakers in the main arena delivering Catechesis (teaching), personal testimonies, homilies and addresses.
- A total of 144 presenters will deliver workshops during Congress week
- There are 41 speakers delivering addresses at the Chiara Luce Youth Space for young people between 17 and 25 years old.
- A total of 160 workshops including talks, addresses, group reflections, meetings, concerts and plays
- The full programme is available at: http://www.iec2012.ie/programme
- For more information: www.iec2012.ie
- Registration for the Congress is now live on http://www.iec2012.ie/registration
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