Fr. Michael McGourty, primary organizer of the Toronto trip, told The Catholic Register that there are still about 200 spaces left of the 500 established for the June 15-22 pilgrimage.

“A lot of people seem to think the diocesan pilgrimage has filled up,” he said.

However, that’s only because the parish-based effort has come to its close, attracting some 300 pilgrims. Now the trip is being opened to any Catholics in the archdiocese who wish to come along.

The International Eucharistic Congress will feature a week of worship, teaching and celebrations surrounding the Eucharist. It is expected to draw thousands of people from across North America and the world.

Pope Benedict XVI has also been invited to the Congress, but there has been no confirmation yet that he will attend.

The group will leave by bus from Toronto early on June 15 with arrival in Quebec City later that day. From Monday, June 15, through to the end of the Congress on Sunday, June 22, there will be a steady stream of events including the sacrament of Reconciliation, daily Eucharist, group reflections, visits to nearby shrines such as Ste Anne-de-Beaupré and a final massive Eucharist on the Plains of Abraham on the last day.

Toronto pilgrims will be staying at Château Mont-Sainte-Anne, a hotel nestled at the base of Mont-Sainte-Anne, just a few kilometres away from Ste. Anne-de-Beaupré Shrine and the St. Lawrence River. It is only a 30-minute drive from the hotel to the city.

The pilgrims will be bussed into the city daily to attend Congress events. The hotel has been reserved exclusively for archdiocese of Toronto pilgrims for the duration of the Congress.

The cost of the pilgrimage is $1,675 (add another $650 for single occupancy). For more information, go to the web site www.archtoronto.org/congress or contact Kitty McGilly at (416) 201-7375 (e-mail kmcgilly@rogers.com) or Gregory Beath at (416) 934-3400, ext. 509 (e-mail gregorybeath@archtoronto.org).