Saint Paschal Baylon (†1592) is a saint in the Roman Catholic Church noted for his strict austerities he imposed upon himself and his love for and compassion towards the ill. He is known for his strong and deep devotion to the Eucharist. Pope Paul V beatified him in 1618 and Pope Alexander VIII canonized him in 1690. He is known as the "Seraph of the Eucharist" and is the patron saint of Eucharistic congresses and Eucharistic associations. His feast day is commemorated on May 17.
Saint Paul of the Cross (†1775) was an Italian Roman Catholic mystic, and founder of the Passionists. The first Retreat was opened in 1737 on Monte Argentario. Paul called his monasteries "retreats" to underline the life of solitude and contemplation which he believed was necessary for someone who wished to preach the message of the Cross. In addition to the communal celebration of the divine office, members of his community were to devote at least three hours to contemplative prayer each day. The austerity of life practised by the first Passionists did not encourage large numbers, but Paul preferred a slow, at times painful, growth to something more spectacular. Saint Paul of the Cross was beatified in 1852, and canonized on 29 June 1867 by Pope Pius IX. His feast is celebrated in the United States on 20 October.
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