The Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament (), commonly known as the Sacramentinos, is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men, founded by

Peter Julian Eymard Peter Julian Eymard ( ; 4 February 1811 – 1 August 1868) was a French Catholic priest and the founder of two religious institutes: the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament for men and the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament for women. Life Eym ...

. Its members use the postnominal letters S.S.S. They assist the Church in her efforts to form Christian communities whose center of life is the

Eucharist The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in ...

. They commit themselves to the implementation of this ideal in collaboration with

lay Lay or LAY may refer to: Places *Lay Range, a subrange of mountains in British Columbia, Canada * Lay, Loire, a French commune *Lay (river), France * Lay, Iran, a village * Lay, Kansas, United States, an unincorporated community * Lay Dam, Alaba ...

men and women engaged in various ministries.

History

The Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament was founded in Paris France on 13 May 1856 by a French priest, Saint Peter Julian Eymard. As he searched for a response to the needs and challenges of his time, he found the answer in the love of God manifested in a special way in the Eucharist. During Eymard's lifetime, the character of French Catholicism was changing from a religion of guilt and fear to a religion based on God's mercy and love. Eymard was a leading figure in this transition.

Founder – St. Peter Julian Eymard

Eymard was born 4 February 1811 in La Mure, Isère, France. He was a contemporary and friend of

Peter Chanel Peter Louis Marie Chanel, SM (12 July 1803 – 28 April 1841), was a Catholic priest, missionary, and martyr. Chanel was a member of the Society of Mary and was sent as a missionary to Oceania. He arrived on the island of Futuna in November 1 ...

John Vianney John Vianney (born Jean-Marie Vianney and later Jean-Marie-Baptiste Vianney; 8 May 1786 – 4 August 1859) was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic priest often referred to as the ''Curé d'Ars'' ("the parish priest of Ars"). He is known ...

Marcellin Champagnat Marcellin Joseph Benedict Champagnat, FMS (20 May 17896 June 1840) was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic priest who founded of the Marist Brothers, a religious congregation of Religious brother, brothers devoted to Mary, mother of Jesu ...

, and the sculptor,

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (; ; 12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a u ...

. On 20 July 1834 Eymard was ordained a priest for the

Diocese of Grenoble The Diocese of Grenoble–Vienne-les-Allobroges (; ) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in south-eastern France. The diocese, erected in the 4th century as the Diocese of Grenoble, comprises the Departments of France, department of ...

, and in 1839 he joined the

Marist Fathers The Society of Mary (), better known as the Marists, is a Catholic religious congregation of pontifical right. Founded in Cerdon, France, by Jean-Claude Colin, the Society of Mary was recognized by an apostolic brief on April 29, 1836, and is ...

. He worked with the Third Order of Mary and other lay organizations promoting devotion to the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

and to the Eucharist, particularly the Forty Hours Devotion. Insignia of the Sacramentino

Eymard became familiar with the practice of sustained eucharistic worship during a visit to Paris in 1849, when he met with members of the Association of Nocturnal Adorers who had established exposition and perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at the Basilica of Our Lady of Victories. Eymard, with permission from the Paris bishops, on 13 May 1856, left the Marist order and founded the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament for men. The first community was established at 114 rue d'Enfer, Paris. In 1858 he, along with Marguerite Guillot, founded the

Servants of the Blessed Sacrament The Servants of the Blessed Sacrament (in latin: ''Societatis Ancillarum a Sanctissimo Sacramento'') is a Roman Catholic contemplative, but not cloistered, congregation of sisters with a focus on Eucharistic adoration. History Marguerite Guillo ...

, a

contemplative In a religious context, the practice of contemplation seeks a direct awareness of the divine which transcends the intellect, often in accordance with religious practices such as meditation or prayer. Etymology The word ''contemplation'' is de ...

congregation for women. Eymard died on 1 August 1868. He was declared venerable in 1908, beatified in 1925, and canonized by

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...

on 9 December 1962. On 9 December 1995 Saint Peter Julian Eymard, priest, was inserted into the

General Roman Calendar The General Roman Calendar (GRC) is the liturgy, liturgical calendar that indicates the dates of celebrations of saints and Sacred mysteries, mysteries of the Lord (Jesus Christ) in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, wherever this liturgic ...

with the rank of optional memorial. Eymard's mission in the Church consisted in promoting the centrality of the Eucharistic Mystery in the whole life of the Christian community, as the font and fullness of all evangelization and striking expression of the infinite love of the divine Redeemer for humankind. Since the Holy Eucharist clearly marked the life and pastoral activity of Peter Julian Eymard, he is known as an outstanding apostle of the Eucharist. The Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament began working with children in Paris to prepare them to receive their

First Communion First Communion is a ceremony in some Christian traditions during which a person of the church first receives the Eucharist. It is most common in many parts of the Latin tradition of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church and Anglican Communion (ot ...

. It also reached out to non-practicing Catholics, inviting them to repent and begin receiving Communion again. In 1859 he opened a second community at Marseilles and placed in charge of it his first companion, Fr. Raymond De Cuers. A third foundation was established at

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

and two others at

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, along with a formation house or

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

at Saint-Maurice in the Diocese of Versailles.

Eucharistic charism

Members of the Congregation believe that Christ in the Eucharist has the power to effect a radical transformation in the society and in all people, motivating and strengthening everyone to work for the establishment of Christ's Kingdom on earth. Each religious proclaims the reality of God's love in the Eucharist by his "gift of self" to Him and his brothers and sisters. By prayer in the presence of the

Blessed Sacrament The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by J ...

and an active apostolic life, he strives to make Christ in the Eucharist better known and loved. Eymard was a tireless proponent of frequent

Holy Communion The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by J ...

, an idea given more authoritative backing by

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...

in 1905.

Mission

Following in the footsteps of Eymard, the mission of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament is "to respond to the hungers of the human family with the riches of God's love manifested in the Eucharist." Conscious of a call to bear prophetic witness to the Eucharist, members of the Congregation commit themselves to the renewal of Church and society through this sacrament, especially by gathering communities characterized by hospitality, reconciliation, and service; and celebrating the Eucharist as the source and summit of the life of the Church. By their lives and activities, they share in the mission of the Church, so that the Eucharist may be celebrated in truth, that the faithful may grow in their communion with the Lord through Eucharistic adoration in the setting of solemn exposition, that they may commit themselves to the renewal of their Christian communities, and collaborate in liberating individuals and society from the forces of evil. United in Spirit with those who are poor and weak, they oppose everything which degrades

human dignity Dignity is a human's contentment attained by satisfying physiological needs and a need in development. The content of contemporary dignity is derived in the new natural law theory as a distinct human good. As an extension of the Age of Enlighten ...

and they proclaim a more just and brotherly world as they await the coming of the Lord.

The Congregation today

Since its founding, the members of the congregation have reached all continents of the globe and continue the mission begun by St.

. Currently numbering a little less than a thousand religious, they are present in thirty different countries throughout the world.

Notable members

* Archbishop Aldo di Cillo Pagotto * Bishop Jorge Alves Bezerra * Bishop Sofronio Aguirre Bancud * Bishop Martin Boucar Tine * Bishop Julian Winston Sebastian Fernando * Bishop Édouard Kisonga Ndinga * Bishop Paulo Mandlate * Bishop Johannes Gerardus Maria van Burgsteden

References

External links

Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, USA

Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, Philippines

Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, Italy

Center Eucharistia, Blessed Sacrament Fathers and Brothers, Rome

Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, UK

Blessed Sacrament Fathers, India

''Emmanuel'' magazine

Santuario Eucaristico, Philippines
{{Authority control Catholic orders and societies Catholic missionary orders Institutes of consecrated life Religious organizations established in 1856 Catholic religious orders established in the 19th century Religious organisations based in Italy 1856 establishments in France