St. Peter Julian Eymard: Apostle of the Eucharist and Prayer

St. Peter Julian Eymard (1811–1868) was a French priest, first a Marist and then the founder of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, whose whole life was devoted to making Jesus in the Eucharist known and loved: through perpetual adoration, through preparing poor adults for their First Communion, and through his preaching and writing. He is called the Apostle of the Eucharist. St. John Vianney, his friend, called him a saint while he was still alive. Pope St. John XXIII canonized him in 1962, during the Second Vatican Council. His feast day is August 2. Below are his story, his own words on reverence for Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, and prayers to St. Peter Julian Eymard.

A short prayer to St. Peter Julian Eymard, written for this page:

St. Peter Julian, you spent your life adoring Jesus in the Eucharist and leading others to Him.
Pray that I may believe, adore and love Him in the Blessed Sacrament,
and find in Holy Communion the strength for my whole life. Amen.

Who was St. Peter Julian Eymard?

Pierre-Julien Eymard was born on February 4, 1811, at La Mure, in the French Alps, the son of a cutler. His father opposed his vocation, and poor health and poverty delayed his studies, but he was ordained a priest of the diocese of Grenoble in 1834. In 1839 he joined the Society of Mary, the Marists, where he served as a teacher and provincial superior.

During a Corpus Christi procession in Lyon in 1845, carrying the Blessed Sacrament, he felt an overwhelming desire to bring the whole world to the feet of Jesus in the Eucharist. In 1856, with the approval of the archbishop of Paris and later of Pope Pius IX, he founded the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, priests and brothers dedicated to perpetual exposition and adoration of the Eucharist, and two years later, with Marguerite Guillot, the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament for women. He worked among the poor of Paris, especially adults who had never made their First Communion, and founded a league to help priests grow in Eucharistic devotion. Worn out, he died at La Mure on August 1, 1868.

“Indeed the Lord is in this place”

St. Peter Julian taught that faith in the Real Presence must show itself in reverence. In a chapter titled with the words of Jacob, “Indeed the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not” (Genesis 28:16), he wrote:

Now, we owe respect to Our Lord; it is our first obligation. We owe Him spontaneous respect, instinctive respect, not founded on reasoning, and this under pain of being wanting in the sense of faith.

This is instinctive. Our Lord must be honored wherever He is. His dignity as Man-God demands it. At His Name every knee should bend in heaven, on earth, and in hell.

Jesus’ own promise (John 6:51–52, Douay-Rheims):

I am the living bread which came down from heaven.
If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give, is my flesh, for the life of the world.

What is St. Peter Julian Eymard the patron saint of?

Eucharistic adoration and those who adore the Blessed Sacrament, in popular devotion
The Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament and its associates
First communicants, especially adults

Prayers to St. Peter Julian Eymard

Written for this page.

Before adoration

St. Peter Julian, teach me to adore.
Quiet my mind before the Blessed Sacrament, and help me to stay with Jesus
as a friend stays with a friend. Amen.

For priests

St. Peter Julian, you loved the priesthood and the Eucharist.
Pray for priests, that they may celebrate Mass with faith and lead their people to adore. Amen.

See also Eucharistic adoration prayers and the Holy Hour.

Feast day

The optional memorial of St. Peter Julian Eymard, priest, is August 2, the day after his death.

Frequently asked questions

Why is St. Peter Julian Eymard called the Apostle of the Eucharist?

Because he founded religious congregations devoted to perpetual adoration and spent his life spreading love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

When was St. Peter Julian Eymard canonized?

On December 9, 1962, by Pope St. John XXIII.

When is his feast day?

August 2.

More prayers

Texts and sources

St. Peter Julian Eymard, The Divine Eucharist: Extracts from the Writings and Sermons, First Series, “God Is There!” (New York: Fathers of the Blessed Sacrament, 1907), public domain (archive.org).
John 6:51–52 (Douay-Rheims).