EYMARD, PIERRE JULIEN, ST.

Religious founder; b. La Mure d'Isére, near Grenoble, France, Feb. 4, 1811; d. there, Aug. 1, 1868. From his early years Eymard had a strong devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. Weak health and paternal opposition were obstacles to his priestly vocation. Illness forced him to leave the novitiate of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate after three months. Subsequent to his father's death (1831) he entered the major seminary in Grenoble and was ordained in 1834. He served in parish work in the Diocese of Grenoble until 1839 when he joined the marist fathers. During his 17 years in this congregation he acted as provincial superior and as rector of the College of La Seine-sur-Mer and organized the Third Order of Mary. He sought also to form within the Marists a group dedicated to adoration of line Blessed Sacrament but his superiors did not consider this activity within the proper scope of their apostolate. After gaining permission to leave the Marists, Eymard founded (1856) in Paris the blessed sacrament fathers and acted as their superior-general for the rest of his life. In 1863 he obtained from the Holy See official approval of the congregation. By 1868 the institute had seven houses in France and two in Belgium, 16 priests, and 34 other members. In 1858 Eymard founded, together with Marguerite Guillot, the Servants of the blessed sacrament, a cloistered contemplative congregation for women. Eymard intended perpetual exposition and adoration of the blessed sacrament to be the main purpose of both congregations, but he urged members to engage in any other form of apostolate that would attract souls to the Blessed Sacrament. He founded also the Blessed Sacrament Confraternity, which is still widely popular. His writings consist of the constitutions he composed for his congregations and a posthumously published collection of his sermons and conferences. He was beatified July 22, 1925, and canonized Dec. 9, 1962.

Feast: Aug. 1.

Bibliography: Eymard Library, tr. from the French, 9 v. in 10 (New York 1938–48). m. dempsey, Champion of the Blessed Sacrament: Saint Peter Julian Eymard (New York 1963). n. b. pelletier, Tomorrow Will Be Too Late: A Life of Saint Peter Julian Eymard (Cleveland, Ohio 1992).

[j. roy]