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Thomas Aquinas College had the honor of hosting more than 200 pilgrims at the Weekend Eucharistic Congress last weekend on its California campus. 

Catholics from the West Coast and beyond embarked on the Camino de California Pilgrimage, spending two and a half weeks following the Eucharist to all 21 mission churches and 15 official Jubilee pilgrimage sites in the state. About halfway through their journey, pilgrims stopped at the College for the Weekend Eucharistic Congress, a follow-up event to last year’s National Eucharistic Congress.

Photos: Eucharistic Congress
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On Saturday evening, pilgrims gathered in Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel for Mass and Adoration, with music provided by the Thomas Aquinas College California Choir. Afterward, Catholic Answers’ Tim Staples opened the Congress with a reflection on the Virgin Mary as Mother of the Eucharist. “‘Mother of the Eucharist’ incorporates, first of all, the greatest of all titles of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Mother of God, Theotokos,” he said. “But it also brings out Mary’s role in God’s great plan of salvation, in which, as Pope Francis said, everything is rooted in her divine maternity.”

The event also featured four other keynote speakers on Sunday, including National Eucharistic Congress CEO Jason Shanks, Sr. Miriam, O.P., Sr. Regina Marie, O.C.D., and Rev. Nathan Cromly. Following lunch and benediction, the pilgrims left campus, continuing on their journey through California.

“I see TAC’s mission and that of the Camino de California Eucharistic Pilgrimage and Congress as similar in our desire to build a culture of faith grounded in the reality of God’s love, mercy, and truth, with the Eucharist as the source and summit of our faith and ultimately of all healing,” says College Counselor Greg Wood, LMFT, one of the event’s organizers. “We were very happy to provide the venue and coordinate the visit,” adds Jon Daly, California director of admissions. “It was an honor to host all of our guests and pilgrims.”