News: We identify May as a Marian month by observing feast, solemnities, and crowning’s dedicated to her. As Mary preceded her son in life as the angel Gabriel announced “you will conceive in your womb“, bear a son, and you will name him Jesus”;.” so too in the calendar as the month of May precedes the month of June of which we focus on Jesus. More specifically devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus which in essence is devotion to the “The Holy Eucharist” according to St. Claude Colombiere S.J., St. Margaret Mary Alacoque’s confessor to whom Jesus revealed His Sacred Heart. It is truly a miracle when we consider the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, but what exactly do we mean by real presence? I thought God is Omnipresent, meaning he is always present everywhere. This is true, He is present everywhere, and he is really present in the Holy Eucharist. What is the difference? The difference is that when we say that Jesus is really present or use the term “Real Presence” in the Eucharist we mean in a substantive way, that substantially He is present in the form of bread and wine. “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink;” Real Presence means that Jesus is uniquely present in substance. In a mysterious way He becomes the physical material substance which maintains its appearances. We call this change transubstantiation, where the substance is changed in contrast to transformation of which the forms are changed. Jesus says; “I am the bread of life.” In the Eucharist we sense his presence as a material reality. He has given Himself to us as true sustenance, under the appearance of bread and wine; “the bread that I will give is flesh for the life of the world.” How should we interpret this, I think it is clear when Jesus says; “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.” This is different from sensing His presence in prayer for example, when we sense His presence spiritually. At the Last Supper before He was to suffer and die, Jesus interrupted the Passover meal, of which there is no mention of a lamb present, and initiated the Eucharistic miracle by taking the bread and saying “this is My Body” which will be given up for you”. This became the Rite of the New Passover establishing a New Covenant in his blood of which we partake of at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the source and summit of our faith. “Do this in memory of Me” sacramentally Let us keep in mind as we approach this month’s celebrations: the great feast of Corpus Christi, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the Holy martyrs. I recommend spending time in front of the Blessed Sacrament, and encountering Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration. On June 11th the USCCB will consecrate the United States of America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, they are requesting everyone to engage in a novena leading up to that date from the 3rd of June to the 11th. Some books recommended for spiritual reading this month: “This is My Body” a call to Eucharistic Revival :by Bishop Robert Barron, or Matthew Kelly’s book on 33 Days to Eucharistic Glory, or Chapter 6 in John’s Gospel or any of the scripture related passages. I would seek out Eucharistic processions on the feast of Carpus Christi. And finally there is “The 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage which carries the theme One Nation Under God. One Nation Under God is not a slogan—it’s an invitation to realign our lives, communities, and country under the sovereignty of Christ. It’s a call to build unity through prayer, and to let Jesus, present in the Eucharist, renew and heal the heart of our country, one soul at a time. As pilgrims on this route, we walk with Christ so that His love might draw our nation back to Him. You’re invited to join us, in person or in spirit, and offer prayers and sacrifices for the renewal of America. The pilgrimage began over Memorial Day weekend in St. Augustine, Florida, near where the first Mass was celebrated. The route will continue up the Eastern Seaboard through most of the 13 original colonies, reaching as far north as New Hampshire and Maine. Stops will be made in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, our country’s very first Catholic diocese, as well as the Archdiocese of Boston to visit significant national historical sites. The pilgrimage concludes over the 4th of July weekend in Philadelphia, in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.”
A saint I would refer you to is Saint Carlo Acutis (1991–2006) an Italian teenager known as the “Patron Saint of the Internet”. He famously dedicated his life to documenting over 140 Church-approved Eucharistic miracles from around the world. He cataloged these into a digital exhibition—often referred to as the “Eucharistic Miracles of the World”—to demonstrate the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, Carlo cataloged various types of miraculous events, ranging from the physical transformation of bread and wine into human flesh and blood to events where the Eucharist survived devastating fires. The Miracle of Lanciano (Italy, 8th Century): The oldest and most famous. During Mass, a Basilian monk struggled with doubts about the Real Presence. Upon his speaking the words of consecration, the bread and wine reportedly transformed into visible flesh and blood. Scientific analyses have concluded the flesh is cardiac tissue and the blood is type AB. A prayer I highly recommend is the novena to the Sacred Heart that Padre Pio said everyday of his life.
The following beautiful quote is attributed to the notable American Catholic bishop and author Fulton J. Sheen. It reflects his belief that true joy comes from both living a virtuous life and maintaining a deep, trusting faith in the inherent goodness of others.
“Cheerfulness is that quality which enables one to make others happy.
It takes origin half in personal goodness,
and half in the belief-of -the personal goodness of others.”
June 5th: First Friday Devotion: Mass at 7 pm followed by all night Eucharistic Adoration until 8:15 am ending with benediction. The Mass will be celebrated by Rev. Mark Shimave, we are always looking for adorers to cover those overnight hours.
June 6th: First Saturday Devotion at the shrine; 9:00a.m Holy Mass, Rosary, Confessions. Followed by coffee and light refreshments. Rev. Ron Tacelli S.J. will celebrate. The Spanish Rosary Community will hold their monthly First Saturday meeting at the shrine with a rosary, music and fellowship at 3:00 pm.
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June 13th: Candlelight procession: We will start with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at 8:00 pm followed by a Rosary procession and end with benediction. This June 13th falls on Saturday the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I hope you can join us. Rev. Paulinus Nweke will preside
June 20th: The Pro-life Mass will be held on Saturday the 2oth at 10:30 am. Following Mass there will be a pro-life rosary. Rev. Emmanuel Unachukwu will celebrate.
