12 March 2018

Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 24 - Paschal Baylon

From youth, Paschal expressed a deep interest in the Eucharist, to the point where he once disappeared from home and was found climbing the altar steps in the local church so he could see the tabernacle. His religious devotion took a back seat to being a shepherd until his 20s ,when he joined a monastery. He developed a reputation for his austerity and piety, and his continued devotion to the Eucharist saw him sent to France to debate a Calvinist, but he was almost killed by a hostile crowd.

After he died, miracles were reported at his tomb pretty much immediately. Once he was canonized he was named a "seraph of the Eucharist" and was named a patron of groups that venerate the Eucharist. He's also often depicted carrying a monstrance, which you might remember is used to display relics or consecrated hosts. Still, for all his devotion to the centerpiece of the Mass, Paschal got dropped off the calendar for (say it with me now) not being of universal importance.

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