Organizers of the International Eucharistic Congress have given the media a few numbers about the 12,000 or so registered delegates to chew on. Among them:
- 7,869 are Canadian;
- Quebec City has registered 2,449;
- Montreal sent 789;
- Toronto sent 538. But we're expecting another 800 from Toronto's Chinese Catholic parishes to arrive today and be present en masse at the closing liturgy on Sunday;
- There are 704 Americans.
There are more than 80 countries represented. The three official languages are English, French and Spanish. There's more Spanish being spoken here than expected, reflecting the rising influence of Hispanic Catholics in North America.
Another significant figure: $14 million. That's the overall budget, which the organizers stayed below (a point they are proud of raising).
Of that, $3 million came from various levels of government.
But who's counting, eh?
For more coverage by the Catholic Register on the 49th International Eucharistic Congress see:
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Your TV eye on the Eucharistic Congress
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Spending a little quiet time with Jesus