Cardinal Antoine Kambanda, the Archbishop of Kigali on Thursday, June 3, launched the Eucharistic Congress at Karoli Lwanga Parish in Nyamirambo, an event that coincided with the celebration of the Saint Charles Lwanga.

One of the Ugandan martyrs celebrated every year on June 3, Lwanga was known to have devotion in the Eucharist.

The celebration is part of 52th International Eucharistic Congress being celebrated worldwide by Catholic Church community. 

The Eucharistic Congress, which is celebrated after every four years, is an international gathering of believers with an aim to promote an awareness of the Eucharist in the life and mission of the Catholic Church.

According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted by Jesus Christ during the Last Supper; giving his disciples bread and wine during a Passover Meal before he was crucified.

The Catholic Church in Rwanda is celebrating this year’s congress under the theme "the Eucharistic is the source of Unity, Reconciliation and love.

Cardinal Kambanda said the two ceremonies coincided and have a common significance in the church.

"The day of celebrating the very first Saint Charles Lwanga in Black Africa is an important day in the Catholic Church. We celebrate this saint and his companions. He is the patron of this parish who inspires the faith and the hope of the Christians in this parish named Karoli Lwanga Parish,” he said.

He said the blood of the martyrs such as Saint Lwanga is the seed of faith among Christians who have to stick to the Eucharist, as Saint Charles Lwanga did.

"The faith we have in this region is the fruit of Saint Charles Lwanga and the other martyrs. It is a great inspiration especially for the youth. Saint Charles Lwanga and his companions were all young men except Matthias Murumba who was an adult man,” he said.

This should inspire young people to remain faithful in Christ and to the Eucharist even if it demands sacrifice like Jesus who offered his life for us.

"This was celebrated together with the opening of Eucharistic Congress at diocesan level and this was very meaningful for many reasons. These martyrs had great devotion in the Eucharist. They passed nights in adoration of the Eucharist. They used to go hiding for months to receive the Eucharist. This strengthened them to face courageously the torture and persecution because they received Jesus Christ in the Eucharist,” he said.

Cardinal Kambanda emphasized that Eucharist means offering oneself for the life of others as Jesus did.

The Eucharistic Congress will be celebrated at the diocesan level between June 3 and June 6 and later at the national level from July 15 to 18.

During the service, Kambanda preached love and urged Rwandans to stick to unity and reconciliation having experienced 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

The congress at the global level will be celebrated in September 2021 in Budapest, Hungary.