ASIA/TAIWAN - Pastoral Letter from Cardinal Paul Shan, Bishop of Kaohsiung: “Prepare with devotion for the Eucharistic Congress”

Kaohsiung (Fides Service) - On the feast day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Cardinal Paul Shan, Bishop of Kaohsiung issued a Pastoral Letter “Preparing with Devotion for the Eucharistic Congress”. In his letter the Cardinal refers to Pope John Paul II’s encyclical published this year on Holy Thursday 2003 Ecclesia de Eucharistia, and the Vatican II constitution Lumen Gentium.
In the Letter the Cardinal writes: “The Sacrament Eucharist is a profound mystery of many different aspects. To harmonise it with the theme of our work of pastoral care and evangelisation this year - ‘Building a Parish of evangelisation on faith, hope and charity’ - I will make three points:
- the Eucharist is the nucleus of our life of faith hope and charity;
- the Eucharist is the source of vitality for evangelisation;
- the Eucharist is the Sacrament of communion and union in the Church”.
Cardinal Shan illustrated his programme calling on Catholics in Kaohsiung diocese to unite in preparation to be spiritually participants at the International Eucharistic Congress which will be held in Mexico in October and the Year of the Eucharist which will open with the Congress.
The Cardinal also mentions the Congress Eucharistic in Taiwan which will be celebrated on 5 December: the Cardinal calls all local Catholics “to take an active part in the celebration of the Eucharist making it the heart of our life of faith, and our hope and charity, and source of evangelisation, the cornerstone of collaboration and communion in the Church”.
(Agenzia Fides 02/09/2004 Lines: 24 Words: 242)