Elizabeth Ann Seton’s story is at the heart of the Church in the United States, and the Eucharist is at the heart of her story. She was born in 1774 in New York where, 200 years later, Cardinal Francis Spellman summed her up this way: “When our great Republic was born, she became a charter American citizen.” He listed Alexander Hamilton and John Jay among her family’s friends and acquaintances. Born Elizabeth Bayley, she married William Seton in an Episcopalian church and gave birth to five children. In 1803 Elizabeth accompanied her husband to Italy, seeking relief for his tuberculosis. William died later that year. It was during their time in Italy that Elizabeth discovered the Catholic faith through the witness of her husband’s business partners, the Filicchis. Soon after she returned to the United States, the quintessential American citizen became a Catholic leader in the young Republic. She entered the Catholic Church in 1805, then moved her family to the United States’ primary see, Baltimore, in 1808, where she took a leading role in founding a Catholic education system. In 1809 she became a professed religious and, with help of Archbishop John Carroll—the cousin of a signer of the Declaration of Independence—she founded the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph.

Br. Andre Bessette called himself St. Joseph's little dog. He was born in Saint-Gregoire d'Iberville Quebec, Canada, August 9, 1845, and raised in a devout French Catholic family. By the time Br. Andre was twelve, both of his parents had died, and he was sent to live and work with relatives. Br. Andre's father was a carpenter like St. Joseph and his mother had a great devotion to St. Joseph which she passed on to little Andre, who was a sickly child. Br. Andre “had already often thought of Saint Joseph watching over the Child Jesus and he had made up his mind to imitate this saintly Workman, for he also was to watch over the Infant God Whom he carried at all times in his soul by divine grace and Whom he received with such deep piety in Holy Communion”.

Antonietta “Nennolina” Meo died of bone cancer at 6 years old in 1937 in Rome. In her few years on earth, however, she lived the Christian life with heroic virtue, as Pope Benedict XVI declared in 2007, when he proclaimed her “Venerable.” Three days later, he said in an audience that she had left all Christians, young and old, “a shining example” that “shows that holiness is for all ages: for children and for young people, for adults and for the elderly.” She “reached the peak of Christian perfection that we are all called to scale; she sped down the ‘highway’ that leads to Jesus.” The highway that leads to Jesus was a Eucharistic life, in which she sought to conform her whole existence to her Lord and God present on the altar.

On the night of July 18, 1830, St. Catherine Labouré was awakened by her Guardian Angel, who said, “Come to chapel; the Blessed Virgin is waiting for you.” The Blessed Virgin Mary told her, “My child, the good God wishes to entrust to you a mission.” The mission that God wanted to entrust to Catherine was made manifest to her on November 27, 1830. It was the mission of making and distributing the Medal of the Immaculate Conception, now known as the Miraculous Medal.

At Easter in 1570 in the Church of St. Erasmus, the consecrated Host, according to the traditional rite at the time, was placed in a round silver container (pyx) and placed in a burse-like holder. This was later placed in a large, ceremonial silver chalice with its paten; the whole wrapped in an elegant silk cloth. It should be mentioned that at that time exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance was not a widespread practice, even though the Council of Cologne (1452) specifically referred to the monstrance. It was the custom for each civil confraternity to be present for an hour of adoration before the exposed Blessed Sacrament.

Juliana was born in 1191 in the village of Retinnes in the principality of Liège, which is now Belgium. She and her twin sister Agnes were orphaned at the age of five and raised under the care of the Augustinian nuns in the convent and leprosarium of Mont Cornillon. After many years of studying under Sister Sapienza, who oversaw her spiritual development, Juliana became an Augustinian nun. Sister Juliana was very intelligent. She memorized the writings of the Church fathers, St. Augustine and St. Bernard, in Latin, and like many in her region and generation, she had a strong devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. She loved Christ and had a deep sense of His presence, often contemplating on the words of Jesus, “And lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

In Morrovalle, at about two o’clock in the morning of April 17, 1560, during the octave of Easter, Brother Angelo Blasi awoke with a start at the sound of violent crackling. Looking out the window of his cell, he saw the church was completely engulfed in flames, and he immediately ran to notify the other brothers. The fire was extinguished after seven hours, and in the following days began the work of clearing the massive pile of church ruins.

St. Hesychius was a priest who wrote about the Bible in the liturgy. He viewed Scripture as “perfect wisdom, the point of departure and the point of arrival to which the whole of our existence should be conformed.” Hesychius preached on Easter at the place of the crucifixion, exalting the cross and Christ’s victory. Like St. Cyril of Jerusalem, he taught a realistic doctrine of the Eucharist, which he regarded as a sacrifice identical with that of the cross. Hesychius taught that Christ was present to transform us through our inner absorption of his whole being. “Keep yourselves free from sin so that every day you may share in the mystic meal; by doing so our bodies become the body of Christ.”

Saint Anthony Mary Claret symbolized, in some sense, the whole Church as the innocent victim and hated enemy of modern world intrigue. There are those who see in Saint Anthony more than just an example, but actually a living prophecy of the persecution that Holy Mother Church and her divine Faith must endure in latter times, suffering humiliation and even apparent defeat before rising again victorious to her greatest glory. For the enemy who relentlessly persecuted Anthony Claret, while wreaking havoc on Spain and other countries, is that same demonic force which even now seeks the ruin of the Church.

For centuries the Church has reflected on the special relationship between St Joseph and the Eucharist. The biblical parallel between the ancient Joseph (son of Jacob), who during the famine distributed to the people the grain stored up in times of plenty (Genesis 41), and the glorious Guardian of the Redeemer is well known. To the former, the Pharaoh had entrusted the administration of all his goods, to the latter God had entrusted His Son. St Leonard Murialdo, developing a concept already expressed by St Bernard and St Bernardino, wrote that Mary’s spouse “did much more than the ancient Joseph: he kept the living bread that came down from heaven; he kept it not only for Egypt and a few Israelites, but for the whole world. Yes, Joseph saved from Herod the living bread that came down from heaven, so that after 30 years it could be given as food to the apostles and, through them, to all those who hunger for eternal life and happiness. Joseph hid this wheat of the elect for 30 years: Joseph’s house was a mysterious tabernacle; his arms a pyx; his chest a paten on which Jesus slept... And this most holy body of Jesus Christ, which nourishes us for eternal life, was nourished by Joseph’s labors.”

On July 25, 1535, while celebrating Mass at the main altar of the Collegiate Church of San Secondo at about 7:00 o’clock in the morning, a holy priest by the name of Domenico Occelli prepared to break the Host and noticed that, along the entire break, the Host was becoming red with living Blood. Three drops fell into the chalice and a fourth one remained at the extreme end of the Host. At first, Fr. Domenico continued the celebration of the Mass. But when he broke off the portion of the Host that had to be placed in the chalice, Blood came out of the Host.

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was chosen by God to reveal to the Christian World the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Her life was marked by supernatural experiences through which she greatly suffered in intense love for Jesus Christ. She consecrated her heart, while yet a child, to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. In order to dedicate herself wholly to her Divine Spouse, she joined the Visitation Order of nuns at 23 years of age.