May 17: Saint Paschal Baylón, Franciscan layman

The doorman and beggar in love with the Eucharist 

He was almost illiterate, teaching himself to read and write, humble, poor, a simple lay friar following in the footsteps of Saint Francis of Assisi, a great devotee of the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar to the point of being called the "theologian and Seraphim of the Eucharist". He is Paschal Baylón, born in Torrehermosa, then Kingdom of Aragon, to Martín and Isabel Jubera, on May 16, 1540. They were a large family but very poor. For this reason, the boy was sent at an early age by his father to graze the flocks. He took advantage of his time in nature to praise God and sing hymns to the Virgin Mary. 

At the age of 18, in Monforte del Cid, he met the Franciscan Alcantarine friars of the convent of Santa Maria of Loreto for the first time. Paschal asked to join them but, due to his young age, was not accepted. So he began working as a shepherd for a landowner named Martino Garcia, who allowed him to frequent the friars and the Marian shrine. On February 2, 1564, he was accepted into the convent thereby fulfilling his dream of becoming a Franciscan. The following year, he made his religious profession among the Alcantarine Friars Minor of Orito, where he remained until 1573. He was entrusted with the most humble tasks, such as that of doorman.

From 1573 to 1589, he spent his life among the various convents of the Alicante province, then moved to the convent of Villa Real in Castellón. Esteemed for his austere life and wisdom, many people sought him to seek advice. As an apostle of the Eucharist he invited people to visit the Tabernacle regularly.

In 1576, the provincial minister sent him to the general minister of the Order who was in France. At that time, the country was being torn apart by religious wars. During the trip, the Calvinists beat him, insulted him and, in Orléans, almost stoned him after a discussion on the Eucharist in which he had refuted their theses.

Upon returning to Spain, he wrote a booklet on the Eucharist and the authority of the Pope. He spent the last three years of his life in the convent of Villa Real, near Valencia, as a doorman and beggar. He fell ill while begging for alms around the city and died on May 17, 1592. He was canonized by Pope Alexander VIII on October 16, 1690, and Pope Leo XIII in 1897 proclaimed him the Patron Saint of international Eucharistic works and congresses.