We Are Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish

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

Madrid, Spain, Jul 9, 2025 / 15:45 pm (CNA).

At the foot of the shrine in Covadonga located in the Asturias province of Spain — where the Reconquista began centuries ago — 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 “reconquest”: that of hearts.

The “Reconquista” (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 Battle of Covadonga (about 720) is considered the start of the Reconquista when Christian forces in Asturias defeated the Muslim invaders. 

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.

Under the motto “I will give you a new heart,” young people participated in 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.

At the heart of this youth gathering — which is becoming a key event during Catholic summer activities in Spain — are the Virgin Mary and the Eucharist. Sister Beatriz Liaño 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’s Spanish-language news partner.

“There 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.”

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.

For Liaño, the JEMJ is not just a youth event: “It’s 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.”

Bishop Juan Carlos Elizalde of Vitoria, Spain, celebrated the opening Mass on Friday evening. More than 30 priests concelebrated.

“There 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,” the prelate told the young people during his homily.

Elizalde also invited the young people to reflect on what the Lord is “shouting out” to them: “We are all called; there is no one without a vocation. The Lord calls us all by name. It’s not a question of consecrated life or priesthood, it is a question of happiness, it is a question of a new heart.”

‘Reconquering what is worthwhile’

Archbishop Jesús 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: “Looking at these youths so healthy, so hopeful, the Church is alive and the Church is young.”

For the prelate, going to Covadonga is “going 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.” He also emphasized that “we must beat with the heart of Jesus Christ.”

In his homily during the closing Mass on Sunday, July 6, Sanz invited the young people to “reconquer 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.”

He also warned about pornography, a “deception” that “kills the soul and perverts the gaze, stealing the outlook of purity and hope.”

Presence of relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis

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 “millennial saint” who continues to guide the new generation of young people and show them that holiness is a goal that is possible.

Minutes before the start of JEMJ, a video message from Antonia Salzano, Carlo Acutis’ mother, was shown to the young participants. In the video, she confided to them what her son’s secret to attain holiness was: “Carlo’s 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.”

Carlos Leret, international delegate of the Friends of Carlo Acutis Association, explained to ACI Prensa outside the basilica that Acutis “is an ordinary saint who challenges [people] to holiness” and emphasized that young people “love to be challenged.”

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’ heart. Speaking to ACI Prensa, he described Covadonga as “a place of faith” and expressed his gratitude for the warm reception of the relic: “It has been received with such enthusiasm and such affection… it’s been very beautiful.”

For the Franciscan, testimonies like those of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati — who will both be canonized Sept. 7 in Rome — “are sources of inspiration” for today’s youth.

In addition, the “protector saints” of JEMJ 2025 were the 11 “Martyrs of Damascus,” 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.

‘Make the most of your youth’

Nuria Leal, a young woman from Valencia, Spain, was in charge of presenting the JEMJ events with her brother, Nacho. “It’s a very great responsibility, but also a very great grace,” she shared with ACI Prensa.

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: “It’s a weekend in which everything is designed so that the Lord constantly touches your heart. Every talk, every prayer, every workshop… the Lord uses it to enter your heart.”

“For me, it’s a rekindling of my faith, it’s a waking up and making good use of the youth that the Lord has given us, which is such a wonderful gift,” she added. “It’s 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.”

The musical ‘A Famous Nun’

On the evening of July 4, the musical “A Famous Nun” premiered on the shrine’s esplanade, based on the life of Sister Clare Crockett, a nun who died in an earthquake in Ecuador in 2016.

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’s call for her life, despite having dreamed of being recognized for her acting talent since childhood: “My God, I have a vocation! But I want to be famous... So I told myself: I’ll be a famous nun.”

The play was presented by Catholic Stuff, a YouTube project for youth evangelization, “characterized by a mix of humor, profound ideas, and sound doctrine.”

A few hours before the performance began, the star of the performance, Ana, excitedly shared the details of the show. “It will be successful thanks to the Lord’s help,” she assured.

For this young Spanish woman, Crockett taught that “you 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.”

Regarding last year’s 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 “seeing the faith of so many young people and so many changed lives.”

As for herself, Leal said Crockett is very present in her life: “She 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 ‘everything for souls,’ so we can also say that here in Covadonga: everything for souls.”

The Virgin Mary’s care

Mateo Gratacós, 18, is one of the more than 200 volunteers who made the event possible for the second consecutive year. “You spend a weekend here and have a great time, because there’s a great atmosphere. I came back because I wanted to relive last year’s experience. Volunteering is worth it, even when the going gets tough,” he told ACI Prensa.

“It’s true that some people say young people have less faith, or that we’re 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’s not true,” he said.

Finally, he turned his gaze to the Holy Cave to remind people that “the 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’s amazing. For me, that’s what Our Lady of Covadonga is, a mother.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Pope Leo XIV greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Castel Gandolfo on July 9, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 9, 2025 / 15:07 pm (CNA).

On Wednesday Pope Leo XIV took time out from his summer vacation in Castel Gandolfo to receive the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

It was the second time the two have met after exchanging greetings at the Vatican on May 18 in the context of the Mass inaugurating Pope Leo’s pontificate.

According to an official statement from the Holy See, the two leaders discussed the ongoing conflict and “the urgency of pursuing just and lasting paths of peace.”

During the meeting, held behind closed doors, the importance of dialogue was reiterated “as the best avenue for ending hostilities.”

The pope expressed his profound sorrow for the victims of the Russia-Ukraine war and renewed his spiritual closeness to the Ukrainian people, encouraging all efforts aimed at the release of prisoners and the search for shared solutions.

Leo XIV also reaffirmed the Holy See’s willingness to receive representatives of Russia and Ukraine at the Vatican with a view to possible peace negotiations. The audience lasted approximately 30 minutes.

Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude on X for the meeting and for “a very substantive conversation” with the Holy Father. “We value all the support and every prayer for peace in Ukraine,” he added.

Regarding the proposal for meetings between leaders from both sides of the conflict to be held at the Vatican, he confirmed that “it remains open and entirely possible, with the goal of stopping Russian aggression and achieving a stable, lasting, and genuine peace.”

However, he lamented that, currently, “only Moscow continues to reject this proposal, as it has turned down all other peace initiatives.”

“We will continue to strengthen global solidarity so that diplomacy can still succeed,” he added.

He also noted that he especially thanked Pope Leo for his support for Ukrainian children, “particularly those returned from Russian captivity.”

“Ukrainian children now have the opportunity for rehabilitation and rest in Italy, and such hospitality and sincerity are extremely important. Today, we also discussed the Vatican’s continued efforts to help return Ukrainian children abducted by Russia,” he noted.

He also explained that he spoke with the pontiff about the “the deep respect that Ukrainian society holds for Andrey Sheptytskyy — his actions, including the rescue of Jews during the Second World War and his defense of the Christian faith.”

Archbishop Andrey Sheptysky was a leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church from 1900 to 1944, who, at the risk of his own life, saved hundreds of Jews during the Nazi occupation and worked for Christian unity.

“We hope that Metropolitan Sheptytsky’s contribution and merits will receive the recognition they deserve,” the president said.

International Meeting on the Reconstruction of Ukraine

Zelenskyy’s visit to Rome is part of the Fourth International Meeting on the Reconstruction of Ukraine to be held in the Italian capital July 10–11.

This is a series of international conferences aimed at mobilizing diplomatic, financial, strategic, and political support for the country’s recovery following the Russian invasion that began in February 2022.

The meeting will be opened tomorrow by Zelenskyy and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The event brings together heads of state and government from 77 countries and a total of 1,800 attendees, including representatives of 500 companies.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass for the Care of Creation at Castel Gandolfo on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Jul 9, 2025 / 14:03 pm (CNA).

It was a mix of liturgical old and new in the gardens of Castel Gandolfo on Wednesday as Pope Leo XIV inaugurated a special Mass for the Care of Creation — with key portions in the ancient language of Latin.

Against a backdrop of green foliage and a large sculpture of Mary at the pope’s traditional summer residence, the pontiff prayed July 9 for more people to be converted from “the excesses of the human being, with his style of life,” which he said was a major cause of the many natural disasters taking place around the world.

“We should pray for the conversion of many people, in and outside of the Church, who still do not recognize the urgency of caring for creation, for our common home,” he said, adding that the world is burning both because of global warming and armed conflicts.

The pope also emphasized “the indestructible alliance between Creator and creatures,” which he said “mobilizes our intelligence and our efforts, so that evil may be turned into good, injustice into justice, greed into communion.”

The open-air celebration was likely the first use of the prayers and scriptural readings specified for the new Mass formulary. Inspired by Pope Francis’ environmental encyclical Laudato Si’, the “Mass for the Care of Creation” was presented at the Vatican on July 3.

The Mass, attended by around 50 people involved in the Castel Gandolfo-based environmental center Borgo Laudato Si’, was celebrated in Italian but with Leo reciting certain prayers, including the collect and prayer over the offerings, in Latin.

The Borgo Laudato Si’ is an initiative to put into practice the principles for integral development outlined in Pope Francis’ environmental encyclical Laudato Si’.

Archbishop Vittorio Francesco Viola, secretary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, told CNA by phone after the Mass that Pope Leo recited the prayers in Latin because that is how they appear in the “typical edition,” meaning the approved original, while official translations have not yet been created.

“Pope Leo is absolutely familiar with Latin; it’s certainly not a problem,” the No. 2 at the Vatican’s liturgy office added.

Pope Leo gave some insight into his personal experience with the Latin language during a meeting with hundreds of children on July 3, when he explained that he was exposed to the universal language of the Church as an altar server from around age 6, when he would serve at 6:30 a.m. Mass every day before school.

“Then it was in Latin; we still had to learn Latin for Mass, and then it changed to English,” he said. “But it wasn’t so much the language [the Mass] was celebrated in, but rather having that experience of meeting other young people who served Mass together, the friendship always, and then this closeness to Jesus in the Church.”

The pope celebrated the Mass of Care for Creation July 9 during a planned two-week stay at the pontifical estate, located in the lakeside town of Castel Gandolfo, 18 miles southeast of Rome. The period of limited private and public engagements, which comes just two months into his pontificate, will end July 20.

Pope Leo has revived the 400-year tradition of papal vacationing at Castel Gandolfo, a practice eschewed by Pope Francis.

Starting his homily for the July 9 Mass on the estate’s gardens with a few improvised comments, the pontiff invited “everyone, beginning with myself, to experience that which we are celebrating in the beauty of what you could say is a ‘natural’ cathedral, with the plants and many elements of creation which they have brought here for us to celebrate the Eucharist, which means, render thanks to the Lord.”

He pointed to a reflection pool in front of the altar and recalled a practice in the first centuries of Christianity of having the faithful enter a church by passing through a baptismal font.

Leo joked that he would not want to be baptized in that specific water, which featured waterlilies and appeared to be green with algae, but he said the “symbol of passing through the water to all be washed of our sins, of our weaknesses, and so be able to enter into the great mystery of the Church is something that we experience even today.”

Viola, who was present at Leo’s Mass, noted the significance of the location, immersed in the beautiful gardens at a site of prayer for some of Leo’s predecessors.

“The place where [the Mass] was celebrated was not chosen by chance, because it is the place where several pontiffs stopped to pray during their periods of rest in Castel Gandolfo, before that image of the Virgin Mary,” he explained.

Viola called it “a place that has always preserved a dimension of prayer and the prayer of the popes. And so gathering in that place was significant, as if to preserve the heart of [Borgo Laudato Si’] that is being built on the indications of Laudato Si’, which is a heart of spirituality.”

Pope Leo, reflecting on the Gospel passage read at Mass — Jesus’ calming of the storm at sea — said the Lord’s disciples, “at the mercy of the storm, gripped by fear,” could not yet profess knowledge of Jesus as heard in the first reading, from St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, that “he is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth.”

“We today,” the pontiff added, “in the faith that has been passed on to us, can instead continue: ‘He is also the head of the body, the Church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that in all things he might have preeminence.’”

“These are words that commit us throughout history, that make us a living body, the body of which Christ is the head. Our mission to protect creation, to bring it peace and reconciliation, is his own mission: the mission that the Lord has entrusted to us,” he said.