Historic Eucharistic pilgrimage
As part of the preparations for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress, held in Indianapolis from July 17 to 21, one of the largest Eucharistic pilgrimages in the history of the United States crossed the country from end to end. Starting from four different routes and tracing the sign of the cross on the map of the American nation, the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage travelled a total of 10,460 kilometres, through 27 states and 65 dioceses, rekindling in everyone the flame of faith in the Real Presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.
The event is part of the triennium for Eucharistic renewal in the country, which began in 2022, by which the Bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States have invited the faithful to a greater commitment to their Faith, in the hope that a grace, like a new Pentecost, will be ignited in the hearts of Catholics in the United States and throughout the world.
From Navy lieutenant colonel to priest
After twenty-five years serving in the Spanish Navy, José de la Pisa, a lieutenant colonel in the naval infantry, decided to continue his mission in the service of the common good on a supernatural level, in the ranks of the priesthood. His ordination took place on May 27 in Rome and was conferred by the Auxiliary Bishop of Osaka-Takamatsu, Most Rev. Paul Toshihiro Sakai.
Fr. José de la Pisa will cherish the memories and valuable lessons from his personal experience commanding numerous special operations teams, which will serve him well in his new state, as he considers military and priestly life to be very similar. The new priest, who wants above all to excel in this sublime mission, is starting this phase with enthusiasm because, as he said, “this is when the adventure really begins.”
Seminary in Tanzania has almost three hundred vocations
Despite the cruel religious persecutions in Africa, the continent’s seminaries are seeing numerous vocations. In Tanzania, for example, St. Paul’s Major Seminary, located in Kipalapala, near Tabora, currently holds two hundred and ninety candidates for the priesthood. The formation centre, which will celebrate its first centenary next year, also welcomes vocations from other countries and members of religious institutes.
Those responsible for the spiritual and academic formation of the young men are committed to ensuring that the future priests receive an excellent preparation, as Cardinal Protase Rugambwa, Archbishop of Tabora, says: “We are not looking for numbers, but quality.”
Rome thanks the Blessed Mother for her help
Celebrating the anniversary of the historic D-Day, June 6, 1944, Romans also gratefully remembered the vow made to the Mother of God, occasioned by the German occupation during the Second World War. Under threat of the total destruction of the city, on June 4 a crowd of faithful gathered before the emblematic icon of Our Lady of Divine Love, Salus Populi Romani, imploring her intercession. The help of the Mother of God did not delay, and that evening Rome was liberated by the American troops of General Mark Wayne Clark.
Eighty years after this event, Italian devotees gathered on June 8 in the Basilica of St. Mary Major where the icon is venerated and paid homage to her with a Holy Mass celebrated by Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko, followed by the recitation of the Rosary.
Eucharistic adoration for children
In order to bring the hearts of children closer to the Eucharistic Jesus, fostering in them a love of prayer and respect for the Blessed Sacrament, several Spanish parishes have adopted an initiative that first arose in Vigo, Galicia: Adorapeques, an hour of Eucharistic Adoration designed especially for children.
Accompanied by their parents, children can spend an hour before the Blessed Sacrament honouring Him in any way they can: from singing and reading prayers, to writing a letter or drawing a picture for Jesus. For the organizers of this unique Adoration hour, the secret of a well-led interior life goes back to the early stages of childhood, hence the importance of cultivating piety in the family.
Ten Commandments posters in US schools
The governor of the US state of Louisiana, Jeffrey Martin Landry, has signed into law a bill that makes it compulsory to display posters with the Ten Commandments in all government-funded educational institutes, starting next school year.
The law, passed by seventy-nine votes to sixteen, seeks to restore moral teaching that has long been banned from schools, and to encourage students’ interest in historical and cultural values that have influenced the founding and consolidation of the United States.
Number of ordinations increases in France
The French Bishops’ Conference announced in June that the number of new priests has increased by 20 per cent in France. In fact, in 2023, eighty-eight clerics were ordained, and this year the figure has already exceeded one hundred. Of those ordained, seventy-three are diocesan clerics; thirty-five are members of religious congregations and seven belong to societies of apostolic life or Ecclesia Dei institutes.
Despite expressing their satisfaction at the improved figures, the ecclesiastical authorities are still concerned about the overall constant decrease in the number of seminarians in the country.
Over 3,000 Spanish martyrs on their way to the altars
With the aim of speeding up the canonization processes of over 3,000 Spanish martyrs, the Catholic Church in this country has presented the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints with a complete dossier containing all the documents relating to the beatification of these heroes of the Faith.
The report, called Jubilee 2025, contains accounts and testimonies linked to the martyrdoms that took place during the Spanish Civil War, when thousands of Catholics were killed out of religious hatred. The Servants of God include two bishops, 2,095 priests, 43 seminarians, 443 religious and 699 lay people who preferred to die rather than renounce their Faith.
How to cure technology addiction?
Humanality is the name of a US organization that seeks to help young people reformulate the way they interact with advanced technologies, smartphones and social networks. The corporation – which has already developed projects such as the Unplugged Scholarship at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, through which students received a grant of five thousand dollars to stop using their mobile phones – has consolidated groups of supporters at five other major universities in the United States, and its organizers have expressed their intention to reach out to schools and perhaps families.
The foundation offers mobile phones without state-of-the-art technology, old GPS devices for vehicles and even analogue alarm clocks, with the aim of encouraging young people to make better use of their time. In addition, Humanality organizes monthly meetings for its members to share experiences and strengthen friendships, fostering a more human relationship among those who do not want technology to entirely control their lives.
