Newsroom (06/07/2025, Gaudium Press) In the Shrine of Covadonga, Spain, in the year 722, the Virgin Mary helped the Christians, led by Don Pelayo, the first King of Asturias, to defeat the Arab army, thus beginning the Spanish Reconquest.
The name of this historic sanctuary derives from the Latin expression ‘Cova Dominica’, Cave of the Lady. It has experienced an atmosphere of intense activity these days in preparation for the second Eucharistic Marian Youth Day (JEMJ), which begins this afternoon at 5:00 pm.
More than 1,700 young people, from 19 nationalities, have registered for the meeting. It has exceeded the initial forecasts, exhausting almost the entire accommodation capacity planned for this year.
About 200 volunteers have worked in the last few days to get everything ready on the esplanade of the sanctuary, where hundreds of participants will gather, attracted, according to the organizers, by “the call of Our Heavenly Mother, who wants to offer them an encounter with her Son Jesus Christ, alive in the Eucharist”.
The opening ceremony will feature the solemn entrance of the relic of the heart of Carlo Acutis, the young Italian in the process of canonization, whose life and testimony will be a point of reference for those attending. “You can be fifteen years old and be madly in love with Jesus Christ; you can be fifteen years old and have understood that ‘the Eucharist is my highway to Heaven,’” the organizers recall about the Blessed.
Afterwards, Holy Mass will be celebrated, presided over by Monsignor Juan Carlos Elizalde, Bishop of Vitoria. After dinner, at 9:00 p.m., the JEMJ Festival will begin, hosted by Catholic Stuff. The conference will include the premiere of the show “A Famous Nun: Clare Crockett, A Life Staged”.
The program will run through Sunday, July 6, with numerous events and celebrations. Those who cannot travel to Covadonga will be able to follow the live broadcast through the YouTube channel En marcha JEMJ, which offers a playlist with all the events of the weekend.
Among the activities planned are several live interviews with protagonists of the day:
Today, Friday, at 5:30 p.m., with David Cueto, abbot of the Shrine of Covadonga and former canon in the first edition of the JEMJ.
Tomorrow, July 5, at 1:45 p.m., with Ana Ortiz, Sister Clare’s interpreter in the theatrical show.
That same day, at 6:15 p.m., with Monsignor Juan Carlos Elizalde.
On Sunday, 6, at 9:15 a.m., with Marta Riol, from the Association Friends of Carlo Acutis-Asturias.
Finally, at 2:00 p.m., Monsignor Jesús Sanz, Archbishop of Oviedo, at the closing of the meeting.
The organization invites the community to unite spiritually at the event and to pray for its fruits, especially for the young participants, remembering this year’s motto: “I will give you a new heart” (Ez 36:26).
With information from InfoCatólica.
Compiled by Domiinc Joseph
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