Saint Who?
Saints Whose Bodies Resisted Corruption
Saint Paschal Baylón
Religious († 1592) Feast: May 17
Paschal Baylón, the “seraph of the Eucharist,” was born in Spain in 1540. Devout and joyful, Pascal helped other children resolve their disputes and spoke to them about Christian life. His employer proposed to adopt him as his heir, but at twenty-four Paschal became a lay brother at a Franciscan monastery. Kind, self-disciplined, and an ardent lover of the Eucharist, he would spend hours in adoration. “Make frequent, even countless acts of praise and thanksgiving,” he wrote.
Paschal died in 1592. Witnesses stated that his corpse venerated the Eucharist during his funeral Mass. Afterwards, in an effort to spare the many visitors foul odors, the body was covered in lime to speed up the process of decomposition.
A witness describes the moment the casket was opened: “The lid was raised and we all approached the shrine and attested the presence of the crust of lime which concealed the saint from sight…. O heavenly joy!… The features of our blessed brother were disclosed, full of life and animation. It was indeed himself, miraculously preserved in the flesh…. Nothing recalled death, or the presence of a dead body; on the contrary everything breathed life and brought consolation and joy to the soul. Human language is inadequate to portray such a spectacle.” Pascal Baylón is the patron of all Eucharist congresses and societies.
Almighty Father, through the prayers of Saint Paschal, may your Church boldly proclaim the life-giving presence of the Resurrected Lord in the Eucharist.
