Prepare for Easter with the Eucharist
If we celebrate the Eucharist at every Holy Mass, we might ask why the Church dedicates one month to the Blessed Sacrament.
The Heart of Holy Thursday
Even though we celebrate the Eucharist at every Mass, Holy Thursday is especially important in the liturgical year. It commemorates the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper. Because Holy Thursday and the Triduum usually fall during April, Pope Saint John Paul II dedicated it to the Holy Eucharist.
Source and Summit of Faith
The Catechism in paragraph 1324, quoting Lumen Gentium, states that the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. Having a month dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament reminds us to place Jesus in the center of our lives, not just for one month but throughout the year. This April is also the final April during the three-year Eucharistic revival, a special period where the Church has called us to refocus our attention on our source and summit.
Eucharistic Easter
As we prepare for the Triduum this month, we remember that Easter is tied to the Eucharist. Jesus chose the day before He was to suffer and die for us to leave us His very Body and Blood as food for our journey while we wait for His second coming. We’re given this month to focus our minds on this great gift and better celebrate Easter in light of the Blessed Sacrament.
The Full of Grace Youth Journal – April 2025
Full of Grace
Full of Grace is a monthly journal for those enrolled in The Youth Guild of Saint José Sánchez del Río. Each journal includes a feature on a young saint or blessed, a daily consecration to Our Lady of Fatima, prayer cards and memory verses, Q&A, and art submitted by members of the guild!
Any youth is welcome to enroll. At their enrollment, youths will receive four special benefits:
- On the Feast Day of Saint José Sánchez del Río, February 10, the Shrine will host a special Mass for the youth guild, at the conclusion of which the celebrant will bless guild members with a first-class relic of Saint José Sánchez del Río.
2. The youths enrolled in the Guild are remembered in the Prayers of the Faithful daily during Holy Mass.
3. As members are commended to the special intercession of Saint José Sánchez del Río, each guild member receives a medal of the young saint.
4. Members receive monthly editions of Full of Grace.
