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<\/p>\n At the foot of the shrine in Covadonga located in the Asturias province of Spain \u2014 where the Reconquista began centuries ago.
\n Jul 10, 2025<\/p>\n
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Thousands of young people at the opening Mass for JEMJ 2025 on July 4, 2025, at the shrine in Covadonga located in the Asturias province of Spain. | Credit: Courtesy of Marian Eucharistic Youth Day\/JEMJ<\/p>\n
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By Almudena Mart\u00ednez-Bordi\u00fa<\/strong> The \u201cReconquista\u201d (reconquest) refers to a series of battles over the course of centuries that in 1492 eventually ended the eighth-century Moorish conquest of Spain. The\u00a0<\/strong>Battle of Covadonga\u00a0(about 720) is considered the start of the Reconquista when Christian forces in Asturias defeated the Muslim invaders.\u00a0<\/p>\n On the afternoon of July 4, an atmosphere of joy, singing, hugs, and reunions enveloped the surroundings of the Holy Cave and the majestic basilica, nestled in the imposing mountain landscape of the Picos de Europa. With backpacks, banners, and rosaries in hand, the first pilgrims began to arrive, ready for three days of an intense faith-filled experience.<\/p>\n Under the motto \u201cI will give you a new heart,\u201d young people\u00a0participated\u00a0in Masses, Eucharistic adoration, talks, Eucharistic workshops, catechesis, and even a festival in a deeply spiritual yet festive atmosphere, where the hope of a generation that has not renounced living its faith was felt.<\/p>\n At the heart of this youth gathering \u2014 which is becoming a key event during Catholic summer activities in Spain \u2014 are the Virgin Mary and the Eucharist. Sister Beatriz Lia\u00f1o of the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother religious order and media liaison for JEMJ, shared a revealing anecdote with ACI Prensa, CNA\u2019s Spanish-language news partner.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were so many young people who wanted to spend the evening adoring the Blessed Sacrament at the shrine that the priests decided to also expose the sacrament on the esplanade so everyone could participate.\u201d<\/p>\n The En Marcha (on the move) JEMJ association, promoter of the initiative, made the event possible with the indispensable help of the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother, who quietly serve, and more than 200 volunteers.<\/p>\n For Lia\u00f1o, the JEMJ is not just a youth event: \u201cIt\u2019s something precious, a gift from the Virgin Mary to her son, Jesus. I believe that the heart of the Mother has called all these young people together to offer them, with total respect for their freedom, a personal encounter with the living Christ in the Eucharist, capable of transforming their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n Bishop Juan Carlos Elizalde of Vitoria, Spain, celebrated the opening Mass on Friday evening. More than 30 priests concelebrated.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a promise of happiness in the depths of your heart, and you are on pilgrimage because you refuse to resign yourself to vegetating. You leave your home in search of happiness: a new heart, a full life,\u201d the prelate told the young people during\u00a0his homily.<\/p>\n Elizalde also invited the young people to reflect on what the Lord is \u201cshouting out\u201d to them: \u201cWe are all called; there is no one without a vocation. The Lord calls us all by name. It\u2019s not a question of consecrated life or priesthood, it is a question of happiness, it is a question of a new heart.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Reconquering what is worthwhile\u2019 For the prelate, going to Covadonga is \u201cgoing up to a particularly blessed place, because here a people is born, a Christian people, and here in Mary we find a reason for hope.\u201d He also emphasized that \u201cwe must beat with the heart of Jesus Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n In his homily during the closing Mass on Sunday, July 6, Sanz invited the young people to \u201creconquer what is worthwhile, that which gives glory to God as Father and allows us to recognize ourselves as brothers and sisters in Jesus, his son, to proclaim the Christian good news with the power of the Holy Spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n He also warned about pornography, a \u201cdeception\u201d that \u201ckills the soul and perverts the gaze, stealing the outlook of purity and hope.\u201d<\/p>\n Presence of relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis Minutes before the start of JEMJ, a\u00a0video message\u00a0from Antonia Salzano, Carlo Acutis\u2019 mother, was shown to the young participants. In the video, she confided to them what her son\u2019s secret to attain holiness was: \u201cCarlo\u2019s secret to being a saint was: Carlo went to Mass every day, did Eucharistic adoration every day, read sacred Scripture every day, and, above all, he prayed the rosary every day, which Carlo said are exorcisms we perform for ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Carlos Leret, international delegate of the Friends of Carlo Acutis Association, explained to ACI Prensa outside the basilica that Acutis \u201cis an ordinary saint who challenges [people] to holiness\u201d and emphasized that young people \u201clove to be challenged.\u201d<\/p>\n Also present at the opening of the event was Friar Marco Gaballo, rector of the Shrine of the Dispossession in Assisi, Italy, and custodian of the relic of Carlo Acutis\u2019 heart. Speaking to ACI Prensa, he described Covadonga as \u201ca place of faith\u201d and expressed his gratitude for the warm reception of the relic: \u201cIt has been received with such enthusiasm and such affection\u2026 it\u2019s been very beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n For the Franciscan, testimonies like those of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati \u2014 who will both be canonized Sept. 7 in Rome \u2014 \u201care sources of inspiration\u201d for today\u2019s youth.<\/p>\n In addition, the \u201cprotector saints\u201d of JEMJ 2025 were the 11 \u201cMartyrs of Damascus,\u201d eight Franciscan friars and three lay brothers murdered on the night of July 9-10, 1860. These martyrs sought the strength to go through their martyrdom in the Eucharist.<\/p>\n \u2018Make the most of your youth\u2019 The young laywoman, a member of the Home of the Mother, said with conviction that she is already seeing the spiritual fruits of the gathering in her own life: \u201cIt\u2019s a weekend in which everything is designed so that the Lord constantly touches your heart. Every talk, every prayer, every workshop\u2026 the Lord uses it to enter your heart.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, it\u2019s a rekindling of my faith, it\u2019s a waking up and making good use of the youth that the Lord has given us, which is such a wonderful gift,\u201d she added. \u201cIt\u2019s discovering it in the Eucharist and bringing it to other young people who may never have heard this great message: that Jesus is alive in the Eucharist, that the Virgin Mary awaits us, she is our mother, and we are so fortunate.\u201d<\/p>\n The musical \u2018A Famous Nun\u2019 Crockett, originally from Ireland, died at the age of 34 as a missionary for the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother. Her life changed on Good Friday in 2000, at the age of 17, when she discovered the Lord\u2019s call for her life, despite having dreamed of being recognized for her acting talent since childhood: \u201cMy God, I have a vocation! But I want to be famous… So I told myself: I\u2019ll be a famous nun.\u201d<\/p>\n The play was presented by\u00a0Catholic Stuff, a YouTube project for youth evangelization, \u201ccharacterized by a mix of humor, profound ideas, and sound doctrine.\u201d<\/p>\n A few hours before the performance began, the star of the performance, Ana, excitedly shared the details of the show. \u201cIt will be successful thanks to the Lord\u2019s help,\u201d she assured.<\/p>\n For this young Spanish woman, Crockett taught that \u201cyou have to ask God what he wants from you. The Lord is merciful, and no matter what your past life may be, he will always welcome you in his mercy.\u201d<\/p>\n Regarding last year\u2019s JEMJ, in which she participated as a member of the choir, she highlighted drawing close to the Eucharist and her desire to continue her apostolate, especially \u201cseeing the faith of so many young people and so many changed lives.\u201d<\/p>\n As for herself, Leal said Crockett is very present in her life: \u201cShe has always been an example of dedication, of giving 110%. She had migraines, she was tired, but it never showed, and she never said no. She always said \u2018everything for souls,\u2019 so we can also say that here in Covadonga: everything for souls.\u201d<\/p>\n The Virgin Mary\u2019s care \u201cIt\u2019s true that some people say young people have less faith, or that we\u2019re constantly on social media, and that gets a lot of attention. But here we have thousands of young people who believe in God and the Virgin Mary, who have traveled from all over to come to Covadonga, and that demonstrates that it\u2019s not true,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Finally, he turned his gaze to the Holy Cave to remind people that \u201cthe Virgin is our mother; you feel her presence here; the way she takes care of you is very powerful. There are things that are like direct messages from her, and that\u2019s amazing. For me, that\u2019s what Our Lady of Covadonga is, a mother.\u201d—CNA<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At the foot of the shrine in Covadonga located in the Asturias province of Spain \u2014 where the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":253022,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5312],"tags":[18172,12341,18173,2000,299,41,1055,18170,17768,18176,18174,18175,18177,104,18171],"class_list":{"0":"post-253021","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-spain","8":"tag-allah","9":"tag-catholic-news","10":"tag-dioceses","11":"tag-eu","12":"tag-europe","13":"tag-islam","14":"tag-malaysia","15":"tag-malaysia-church-news","16":"tag-muslims","17":"tag-nuns","18":"tag-parishes","19":"tag-pope","20":"tag-priests","21":"tag-spain","22":"tag-world-christian-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114828049417532494","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=253021"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253021\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/253022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=253021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=253021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=253021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
At the foot of the shrine in Covadonga located in the Asturias province of Spain \u2014 where the Reconquista began centuries ago \u2014 more than 1,700 young Catholics from 28 countries gathered recently for the second consecutive year for the Marian Eucharistic Youth Day (JEMJ, by its Spanish acronym), with the firm resolve to undertake a new \u201creconquest\u201d: that of hearts.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>Archbishop Jes\u00fas Sanz Montes of Oviedo was also present at the event. Speaking with ACI Prensa, he recalled the words of Pope Benedict XVI during the 2005 World Youth Day in Cologne: \u201cLooking at these youths so healthy, so hopeful, the Church is alive and the Church is young.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/strong>During the three days of the event, participants had the opportunity to pray before the relic of the heart of Carlo Acutis, the soon-to-be \u201cmillennial saint\u201d who continues to guide the new generation of young people and show them that holiness is a goal that is possible.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>Nuria Leal, a young woman from Valencia, Spain, was in charge of presenting the JEMJ events with her brother, Nacho. \u201cIt\u2019s a very great responsibility, but also a very great grace,\u201d she shared with ACI Prensa.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>On the evening of July 4, the musical \u201cA Famous Nun\u201d premiered on the shrine\u2019s esplanade, based on the life of Sister Clare Crockett, a nun who died in an earthquake in Ecuador in 2016.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>Mateo Gratac\u00f3s, 18, is one of the more than 200 volunteers who made the event possible for the second consecutive year. \u201cYou spend a weekend here and have a great time, because there\u2019s a great atmosphere. I came back because I wanted to relive last year\u2019s experience. Volunteering is worth it, even when the going gets tough,\u201d he told ACI Prensa.<\/p>\n