Saint Peter Julian Eymard

Priest, Apostle of the Eucharist
(1811–1868)

Saint Peter Julian Eymard was born on February 4, 1811, at La Mure in the French Alps, the son of a cutler. From his earliest years he was drawn to prayer, and in particular to the Blessed Sacrament, before which he would spend long hours even as a small boy. He was ordained a priest for the diocese of Grenoble in 1834 and later entered the Society of Mary, the Marists, in whose service he worked as a preacher and spiritual director for several years.

The decisive moment of his vocation came during a procession of the Blessed Sacrament at Fourvière in Lyons in 1845, when he was suddenly overwhelmed with the conviction that the Eucharist was not sufficiently honoured by Christians and that a religious congregation entirely dedicated to perpetual adoration was needed. After years of discernment and resistance from his superiors, he obtained permission to leave the Marists and founded the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament in Paris in 1856, with the aim of offering continuous adoration before the exposed Sacrament and of promoting frequent Communion among the faithful.

He also founded the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament, a congregation of women with the same mission. His apostolate of promoting frequent Communion was ahead of its time in an era when monthly Communion was considered generous, and he prepared and encouraged many souls to approach the Eucharistic table regularly. He established workers' circles to bring his Eucharistic apostolate to the urban poor and labourers of Paris.

He died on August 1, 1868, exhausted by his labours and by severe illness borne with great peace. He was beatified in 1925 and canonised by Pope Paul VI in 1962. He is called the Apostle of the Eucharist, and his feast is observed on August 2nd.