by

SERAPH OF THE EUCHARIST

SAINTS FOR ALL SEASONS
PASCHAL BAYLON

By Brother Patrick

During the Season of Easter, as we anticipate the coming of the Holy Spirit, it is fitting that we should pray and reflect on the life of Saint Paschal Baylon. His first name honors the Resurrection of the Poor Christ. He enters this life on Pentecost Sunday, 1540. He leaves it on Pentecost Sunday, 1592.

In his youth, Paschal Baylon labors as a shepherd near his family home in the small village of Torrehermosa in the Kingdom of Aragon, Spain. Each day, Paschal pauses his work when he hears the church bell announce the call to prayer. He brings a book into the fields. He prays that someone who can read will pass by and help him learn. And someone does.

In 1564, Paschal Baylon joins the Order of Friars Minor. He later explains his reason for longing to be a follower of Saint Francis of Assisi. He says: “I was born poor, and I am resolved to die in penance and poverty.” Brother Paschal goes on to live a modest life. He is not ordained a priest. His only ambitions are to be simple and prayerful. He serves his community in ways that affirm his vocation. He acts as beggar or alms gatherer. He is a cook and dishwasher. He is a gardener and gatekeeper. He feeds every poor person who comes to the convent door.

Brother Paschal is best remembered as a person devoted to prayer. He prays as he works. He prays while he rests. He prays by day and he prays by night. He spends long hours on his knees in prayer. He is a mystic and contemplative. He experiences ecstatic visions during extended periods of prayer before the Holy Eucharist. It is the joy of his life to pray in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

In 1576, Brother Paschal is sent to France. His mission is to confess among the people the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. After a public discussion with a protestant minister, Brother Paschal is beaten by an angry mob. He never fully recovers. He suffers but he never stops praying.

Brother Paschal Baylon now sleeps but his heart is awake. His tomb becomes a popular place of pilgrimage. Countless people come to pray. Many miracles are reported. In order to minimize the crowds and hasten his body’s decomposition, the friars cover it with lime. But in 1618, as the convent prepares for Brother Paschal’s beatification, his remains are exhumed. After removing the lime, the body is found intact and incorrupt. His face radiates life and light. His body smells of flowers. It is odour of sanctity.

In 1690, Brother Paschal is canonized. In 1897, he is proclaimed a Seraph of the Eucharist by Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903). A seraph is an angelic being of the highest order of the heavenly host. A seraph is associated with purity of mind, body, and spirit. A seraph is one who breathes the air of purest faith, hope, and love.

Saint Paschal Baylon’s feast is celebrated on May 17th. He is venerated as patron of sons, cooks, and devotions to the Blessed Sacrament. He prays for us and for our suffering world among the choir of angels and the communion of saints. As we pray on the Resurrection of the Lord and prepare to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, we look to this Seraph of the Eucharist for prayer and good counsel.

From the Writings of Saint Paschal Baylon

Seek God above all things.
It is right for you to seek God, before and above all else,
because God wants you to have what you ask of him.
This will make you more ready to serve God,
and it will help you to love him more perfectly.
Let your prayers be motivated by this intention.
When you pray, do so out of love, in season and out of season.
Detach your heart from the things of this world.
Consider that there is nothing in this world except for you and God.
Never, not even for a brief moment, turn your heart away from God.
Let your thoughts be lowly and simple.
Without weariness, focus your attention on what is above.
Let the love of God be like oil poured upon all things.
Whenever you receive some gift from the Lord,
offer yourself back to him with joy and gladness.
Humble and despise yourself. Renounce your own will.
Devote yourself, body and soul, to the Lord’s service.
Offer frequent, even countless, acts of praise and thanksgiving.
Rejoice in God’s power and goodness.
God gives you favors and blessings for which you owe him thanks.
Rejoice! Exult! You are enriched by God’s blessings!
Place no value on your own good.
Place no value on your own advantage,
so that you may serve the Lord more and more faithfully. Amen.

Glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Saint Paschal Baylon, pray for us! Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us! Saint Clare of Assisi, pray for us! Our Lady of the Angels, pray for us! Pope Francis, pray for us!

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THE ASSISI PROJECT
A FELLOWSHIP OF FRANCISCANS IN SPIRIT
INTERCESSORY PRAYER MINISTRY

Members of the Assisi Project, ranging in age from 18 to 102, pray each and every day for all who ask for our prayers. If you would like our fellowship to pray for you or your special intention, please contact Brother Patrick at brpatrick@assisiproject.com. In communion with Pope Leo XIV and in solidarity with people of faith and goodwill everywhere, we also pray for peace, truth, and justice. In addition, we pray for all migrants and refugees; for the courage to speak truth to power; and for the poor, the persecuted, and the unjustly imprisoned. Please join us in prayer by clicking the link below! Thank you for your prayers! May God bless you! May the Risen Lord give you peace!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brother Patrick Garvey is co-founder and spiritual director of the Assisi Project. He is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine, Saint John Seminary, and the Catholic University of America. He is a writer, spiritual director, retreat leader, and university lecturer. He also serves as an Associate Minister in the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport in Massachusetts. On October 3, 2023, the Feast of the Transitus of Saint Francis of Assisi, Brother Patrick was consecrated as a diocesan hermit by Bishop Mark O’Connell, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Boston. For more information about the Assisi Project and our ministries with adults of all ages and backgrounds, please contact Brother Patrick at brpatrick@assisiproject.com.

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ABOUT US

Founded in 2007, the Assisi Project is a Fellowship of Franciscans in Spirit with friends and followers throughout the world. We are dedicated to helping Christian believers of all ages more faithfully live the Gospel of Christ in the spirit of Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi. We are also dedicated to promoting a devotion to Pope Francis (1936-2025) as a patron of peace, mercy, and fraternity in our sick and suffering world.

The Assisi Project is a non-profit, tax exempt charitable organization. Please support our ministry via Pay Pal (see link below) or mail a tax-deductible donation to the Assisi Project, Post Office Box 3158, Gloucester, Massachusetts 01931-3158. The Assisi Project Podcast is produced by the Assisi Project, Inc. Copyright 2025. All rights reserved. May the Lord give you peace!

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In Memory of Betty Mitchell