In an atmosphere of celebration, joy, and devotion, some 25,000 people, including 1,600 children in white robes and traditional costumes who received their first Communion, participated September 8 in the opening Mass of the 2024 International Eucharistic Congress in Quito, Ecuador.
From the early hours of the morning, a multitude of faithful began to congregate on the esplanade of Bicentennial Park in Quito accompanied by archbishops, priests, men and women religious, seminarians, deacons, and altar servers, among others. In total, 54 delegations from different countries participated.
The Mass began on a huge stage featuring an image of the Virgin of El Quinche adorned with dozens of red and yellow flowers. The Mass was celebrated by the archbishop of Quito and primate of Ecuador, Alfredo José Espinoza Mateus, who during his homily told the children that this was “a day of celebration, a great day in their lives.”
“This memory will remain engraved in your hearts for life and you will be able to say with certainty that you are the ‘Eucharistic missionaries’ of our Church in Quito and grow knowing that you are called to build fraternity, starting in your own families,” said the prelate, alluding to the theme of the congress: “Fraternity to Heal the World.”
Archbishop Espinoza told the children that “today we celebrate that Jesus, your best friend and that of all, is present in the Bread of Life.”
“Open your hearts, dear children, to receive him with joy, so that the encounter with him in the Eucharist that you are going to receive for the first time will lead you to know how to share, to dream, to be grateful, to trust and honor others,” he continued.
He also shared a message sent by Pope Francis to the children: “Making your first Communion means wanting to be closer to Jesus every day, to grow in friendship with him and that others can also enjoy the joy that he wants to give us. The Lord needs you to be able to work the miracle, that your joy may reach many of your family members and friends.”
Finally, referring to the passage from the Gospel according to St. Mark (7:31-37), he invited the community to ask the Lord “to do in our lives the same miracle that he did with the deaf man who could barely speak.”
“May our hearts always be open, but above all, our ears, to hear the cry of pain of the whole world, the cry of those who suffer and the cry of the poor, and may we, from the Eucharist, be authentic ‘missionaries of fraternity’ to heal and to work the miracle of all being one,” he concluded.
A day that changed many hearts
Speaking with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Diocese of Crookston, Minnesota, former president of the board of the National Eucharistic Congress in the United States, said the open-air Mass deeply moved him, since he also found the love of Jesus in his first Communion.
“The way the archbishop explained the importance of first Communion was very beautiful, because it is fundamental for all of us. It’s important that we remember the importance of our first Communion and the privilege of being in union with Jesus,” he said.
Bishop Cozzens clearly remembers when he first received Christ, recalling how the priest at his school taught him to kneel, to genuflect, and explained to him how to revere the presence of Jesus. “I felt in my heart the desire to receive him.”
When he received Jesus in his first Communion, he felt a very strong peace, despite being so young. “That presence can deepen throughout our lives,” he said.
After Mass, Emilio Osorio, a child who received his first Communion, shared with ACI Prensa that he felt very happy to have Jesus in his heart: “This way I can unite myself more with him and speak with him in prayer.”
Emilio’s mother, Gabriela, said that as a family, they were very “happy to share this moment.”
“Jesus is very important to us, because he is at the heart of the family. We always welcome him into our home and into our hearts with respect and humility, and we are attentive to the lessons he has left us,” she said.
Anahí Gutiérrez, a girl who was also present to receive Christ for the first time, shared her happiness and said that from that day on, “God will be my guide.”
“Jesus will love me, he will have compassion for me. Knowing Jesus has made me a better daughter and to always respect my parents,” she said.
Ecuadorian priest Father Milton Paredes Arroba shared with ACI Prensa the “blessing” that came with attending a Mass of this magnitude for the first time in his life.
“God has poured himself out on all those who have been present in this place … This means a renewal from above, because it is the Eucharist itself that blesses us, strengthens us, and unites us,” he commented.
Finally, the priest, who is a member of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary, pointed out that the 53rd International Eucharistic Congress is truly “a time of healing, reconciliation, and fraternity to heal the world.”
“We bless the Holy Spirit for inspiring this in the Church and in Pope Francis,” he added.
