A «Mass for Europe» will be celebrated on Tuesday, June 18, 2013, at 6:30 p.m., in the Cathedral of Our Lady in Strasbourg. The celebration is in honour of Sts.Cyril and Methodius, patrons of Europe, on the occasion of the 1150th anniversary of the arrival of these protagonists of European history and culture to Great Moravia.
The Mass will be presided over by His Excellency Archbishop Jean-Pierre Grallet of Strasbourg, in the presence of His Eminence, Cardinal Dominik Duka, Archbishop of Prague, and Msgr. Aldo Giordano, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the Council of Europe.
This initiative is jointly organized by the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the Council of Europe, and the Diocese of Strasbourg, and it relies on the collaboration of several permanent representations of Countries of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.
«Being impressed by the deep work of Saints Cyril and Methodius, fathers of the culture of many nations of Europe, we want to celebrate the anniversary of one of the most important dates in the history of our continent in a spirit of brotherhood and sharing. The anniversary of the arrival of Cyril and Methodius to Great Moravia is an anniversary of arts, education and culture, as it marked the creation of the first Slavic alphabet and early Slavic literature. The translations of liturgical texts in Old Church Slavonic allowed these nations to participate more directly in the creation and development of European civilization at the time,» the organizers said.
«The message of Cyril and Methodius is more relevant than ever, because it is based on the encounter, dialogue and discovery of the Other, and contributes to a modern Europe capable of expressing simultaneously all the riches of the Eastern and Western traditions,» the persons responsible for the event concluded.
