Saint Peter Julian Eymard

Priest and Founder (1811-1868)

His life

+ Peter Julian Eymard was born near Grenoble, France.

+ Ordained a priest in 1834, he later felt called to religious life and received permission to join the Marist Fathers. He would later serve the community as provincial superior.

+ Following a mystical experience during a Corpus Christi procession, he established a new religious congregation, dedicated to spreading devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. This community has come to be the known as the “Blessed Sacrament Fathers.

+ In 1858, two years after establishing the community for men, he founded the Congregation of the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament for women. He would later organize an archconfraternity of the Blessed Sacrament.

+ Saint Peter Julian Eymard died in 1868 and was canonized in 1962.

For prayer and reflection

“Remain in me as I remain in you, says the Lord.
Whoever remains in me bears much fruit.”—John 15:4a, 5b

Spiritual bonus

On this day, we also remember Blessed Giustino Maria Russolillo, the founder of two religious communities dedicated to supporting those in discernment and praying for priestly and religious vocations: the Society of Divine Vocations (the Vocationist Fathers and Brothers and the Vocationist Sisters). Today members of these communities serve in nearly 20 countries. Blessed Giustino died in 1955 and was beatified in 2011.

Vocations

To learn more about the Blessed Sacrament Fathers, visit: https://blessedsacrament.com/vocation-office/

To learn more about the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament, visit: http://www.blesacrament.org/

Prayer

O God, who adorned Saint Peter Julian Eymard
with a wonderful love for the sacred mysteries
of the Body and Blood of your Son,
graciously grant,
that we, too, may be worthy to receive
the delights he drew from this divine banquet.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(from The Roman Missal)

Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.