St. Peter Julian Eymard was born on February 4, 1811 in La Mure, France. During this time, France was undergoing great turmoil and the Church in France was under attack. Yet, Eymard was able to rise above the influences of his time.
Early Years
Eymard grew up in a poor family. While he worked long hours, he studied in his free time. His family did not encourage his desire to become a priest, due to financial issues and the political and spiritual atmosphere of the time. Despite these setbacks, he was ordained a priest on July 20, 1834, even though he had to stop studies when he became ill. Another problem of the time was Jansenism. This heresy stated that humans were not worthy of being in the presence of God due to sinfulness. What this heresy lacked was the forgiveness and love of God. After a few years of being a diocesan priest, he joined the Marists, in order to help with his spiritual struggles.
Marists and New Orders
While living with the Marists, he worked for the Society of Mary. In his ministry, he traveled around France and saw how eucharistic devotion was being lived out. He was also able to lead eucharistic services. He also was a great preacher. While he was leading the Third Order of Mary, he wanted to write a new rule, focusing on eucharistic devotion. Fr. Colin, his Superior, did not approve. In 1856, after much strife, he was finally able to start the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, an order for priests. This new order was focused not only on worshiping the Eucharist but bringing the Eucharist to those who had fallen away from the Church. In 1858, he founded the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament for women.
Later Life
The last few years of his life he was able to spend in retreat in Rome. Here, he wrote nine volumes on the Eucharist. These volumes speak of a new development in his spiritual life. He was able to move away from the influences of Jansenism and focus on a Christ centered love, a concept that was not understood too well at the time. However, this set the stage for Vatican I and II. The idea of the total gift of self runs through the nine volumes. He had moved from a struggle with unworthiness to being loved and giving that love. He passed away on August 1, 1868 from exhaustion. The Church celebrates his memorial on August 2. On December 9, 1962, Bl. John XXIII declared Eymard a saint. For more information on the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, visit their website.
