Two momentous events in recent weeks have begun to set a stage of optimism. The visit of Queen Elizabeth in June, however cynical many were beforehand, was an overwhelming success. Said Enda Kenny, the Irish prime minister: “In one bowing to the Irish dead, the English monarch closed one circle of Irish history.” A second circle was closed the same month by the visit of Barak Obama to his ancestral home in the tiny Irish village of Moneygal. At an event with Obama, Kenny spoke of the untouchable wealth of the Irish people — measured not in money or stocks but one alive deep within them, “the transforming currency of the Celtic heart and spirit and soul.”

Obama built on that sentiment by reminding the people of Ireland of their history of pain and deep struggle, and their ability to overcome hurts through the great power of endurance — always rooted in a spirit of hope. He praised them for their achievements in the peace process, as a people who had moved from hatred and mistrust towards peace and reconciliation, inspiring the world because of “the irrepressible nature of the Irish to love — nudging them on to reconciliation.”

That spirit of love and reconciliation will be the focus of the Eucharistic Congress. As the Church gathers to focus on the Eucharist, the realities of the present-day hurts can be addressed, healed and a people brought to wholeness around the sacrament of love, the sacrament where Jesus is among us as a nourishing, forgiving, transforming and reconciling presence.

This is not only an opportunity of optimism for the Irish Church but for the Church throughout the world. Yes, it provides an opportunity to stand in solidarity with the pained people of the local Church in Ireland, but it also provides an opportunity for participants from around the world to reap the benefits of this Congress. Pope Benedict XVI is expected to attend. His presence will evidence a step towards reconciliation and the rebuilding of severed relationships of trust in Church leadership.

For the Canadian Church, the congress has a deep significance. The previous congress, in 2008, was held in Quebec City. In the last four years the Canadian Church has also experienced pain and disappointments. We too have been devastated by our own abuse scandals and angered by coverups and, in some cases, poor leadership in care for the victims. Like the Irish Church, we also are challenged to reform and rebuild, to seek forgiveness and reconciliation.

Our shared experiences have already been of advantage to the Church in Ireland and have bonded us with their reality. Two Canadian prelates, Archbishop Thomas Collins of Toronto and Archbishop Terrence Prendergast of Ottawa, have been working for some time as counsel to the Irish bishops. Canada now has a special relationship with them, based on a shared pain, which can be built upon. To gather around the Eucharist, our central prayer, can only serve to strengthen this bond.

The 50th International Eucharistic Congress could be, like the 1932 Congress in Ireland, a defining moment in the story of our Church, a momentous event to move us forward by drawing on the power of Jesus ever present among us in bread broken and shared. For further information or to register visit www.archtoronto.org/iec.

(McGilly, a Lady of the Holy Sepulchre, operates Faith Journeys, a Toronto company specializing in biblical and sacramental pilgrimages to the Holy Land.)